Getting Around Istanbul

By Road
Rent a car and drive around. You would do well to read the By Road section above. City buses though crowded are convenient. Three tramways run short distances and connect Sikeci and Aksaray via Divan Yolu and Sultanahmet; the Hizli tramway runs west from Aksaray via Adnan Menderes Bulvari through the city walls to the otogar; the third runs along Istiklal Caddesi to Taksim. Istanbul has 60,000 yellow cabs, driven often by rash drivers.

By Train
Take the tramway from Aksaray or Sultanahmet to Sirkeci railway station. The ferry to Karakoy connects Haydarpasa railway station. There are frequent Banliyo tren (suburban trains) which run along the southern walls of Old Istanbul and also westward along the Marmara shore. The Tunel (Istanbul’s underground train) goes up the hill from Karakoy to Tunel Square and Istiklal Caddesi frequently. The line from Taksimnorth to 4 Levent may be also operational.