How to get from Istanbul airports (SAW and IST) to the city center?
Based on 3 discussions with 4 participants · Last activity: 5 days ago
TL;DR
From Sabiha Gökçen (SAW), take the Havaş bus or a taxi to the city center. From Istanbul Airport (IST), use the M11 metro or Havaş bus. Travel time varies significantly with traffic.
What the community said
From Istanbul Airport (IST) to Sabiha Gökçen (SAW), take the Havaist express, then transfer to bus UM73 — about 10 minutes to reach the surrounding area.
2 days ago Havaist IST→SAW + bus UM73
From the Kadıköy area to Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) in the morning, expect around 30–50 minutes by taxi in light traffic, but up to 1.5 hours during rush hour. Always allow extra time.
1 day ago Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW)
From Istanbul Airport (IST) to the historic center (Sultanahmet, Beyoğlu), take the M11 metro to Gayrettepe, then transfer to M2. Total journey is about 50–60 minutes. Alternatively, the Havaş bus runs directly to Taksim Square.
2 days ago M11 metro → Gayrettepe → M2 transfer
From Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) to Esenler Bus Terminal (Büyük İstanbul Otogarı), take the Havaş bus to Taksim, then the M2 metro to Otogar station — about 2 hours total. A direct taxi is faster but costs around 400–600 TRY depending on traffic.
3 days ago Esenler Bus Terminal / Havaş bus + M2 metro
Traveling between Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) and Istanbul Airport (IST) is fastest by taxi or private transfer — about 1.5–2 hours and roughly 800–1,200 TRY. By public transport (bus + metro with transfers), expect 2.5–3 hours.
4 days ago SAW ↔ IST: taxi ~800–1,200 TRY