Istanbul has a transport system that appears to cover the whole city in a grid of transport lines, if you take a cursory look at the transport map. In fact the system is much more fragmented than it looks. There are eight different types of transport system which snake around the city, not quite meeting each other. There are a large areas of the city which are not close to any form of transport except buses. It's true that they are all united by accepting the Istanbulkart, but they are far from integrated.

Even places on the map where you can change from one line to another often involve a long walk overground, with very few signs to help the unwary traveller. For example, from Yusufpasha tram stop on line T1 to Aksaray metro station on line M1, while shown as a connection point, is a distance of about 300m (a 5-minute walk) which involves walking down a side street and then crossing a main road.

The system is constantly changing as new lines are being built. The map has a large number of lines marked on it which do not yet exist.

Modes of Transport

1. Modern Trams

Modern trams run along the streets, often in separate lanes. They are similar to the Luas trams of Dublin or the tram system of Athens. Each tram can hold a good few hundred people. They stop at specific platforms. Access to the platforms is only available through turnstiles, for which you need a ticket. There are no ticket machines on the trams themselves.

- Tram line T1 goes through the heart of the old city and skirts the new heart of the city, Beyoglu.
- Tram line T4 - runs along the old walls to the west of the old city, then heads ...
- Tram line T5 is entirely on the Asian side of the city

2. Metro trains

Metro trains are bigger than the modern trams. They run on completely separate railway lines, never along the street. These may be underground or overground. None of the metro lines cross either over or under the Bosphorus. One of them crosses the Golden Horn on a large bridge.

- M1 goes from Yenikapi on the Marmara shore near Aksaray to

3. The Marmaray

This railway line roughly follows the coast of the Sea of Marmara and will eventually cover a distance of about 80km. It goes under the Bosphorus in a tunnel, making it the only rail connection between the European and Asian sides of the city.

5. Funiculars

There are two funicular railways, both underground, which join the south and north ends of the Beyoglu district (the modern centre of Istanbul) with the coast.

• The Tunel is at the south end of Beyoglu and is the 2nd oldest underground railway in the world.
• The Kabatash Funicular is at the north end of Beyoglu, joining Taksim Square to the Bosphorus coast and the tram line T1.

6. Buses

While there is an extensive bus network, it is not easy to deal with unless you speak Turkish.

7. Ferries

The ferry system is very efficient. Your ticket gets you through a turnstile into a waiting area. When the ferry arrives, passengers get off and you are allowed on within a few minutes, then the ferry leaves. There are ferries that go from one side of the Bosphorus to the other, and others that go up the Golden Horn.

Tourist Transport

7. Cable Cars

8. Heritage Trams

Heritage trams are tiny trams that are intended as tourist features rather than a way of getting from one place to another. There are two lines:

• T2 - this is a single line that goes the whole length of Istiklal Street from Taksim Square to the Tunel.
• T3 - this is known as the Moda loop. It follows a circular route around Moda just south of Kadikoy on the Asian side of the Bosphorus.

To catch a heritage tram, stand at the tram stop. When the tram stops, climb on and validate your ticket or Istanbulkart at the ticket validator beside the driver.

Tickets

The Istanbulkart

Special Tips

You can share an Istanbulkart between a few people, if the card holder goes last. The card holder can tap the card on the reader, the first person can go through, he can tap again, the next is allowed through and so on. This is entirely legal, but will cost more - the second and subsequent taps cost more than the first. This is to encourage you to buy an Istanbulkart each.

[Note: Ataturk Airport is now for cargo traffic only so the following comment is probably not relevant:] If travelling to Ataturk Airport from the Sultanahmet area, where there are a lot of hotels, you need to take Tram T1 and change to Metro M1. Don't change at Yusufpasha / Aksaray as these two stations are not close to each other. Instead, stay on the tram until Zeytinburnu, where you can change without leaving the station.