How to Get to Istanbul

By air

The easiest way to get to Istanbul is by plane of course. Turkish Airlines and many other world airlines have regular daily flights to Istanbul. There are also local airliners that run charter flights to Istanbul especially during holiday season such as summer months or Easter and New Year's period.

Istanbul has two international airports; one on the Asian side (Sabiha Gokcen Airport) and the other one on the European side (Ataturk Airport). From Istanbul you can fly to many other cities of Turkey as there are frequent daily flights of different airline companies. Istanbul - Izmir or Istanbul - Ankara flight takes about 1 hour.

By land

Istanbul is well connected to many European cities by highways. Some private Turkish bus companies run scheduled buses to Istanbul from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Greece, Bulgaria, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, Jordan, Russia, Georgia, and Romania. Once you're in Istanbul, there are countless of local bus companies that can take you to all corners of Turkey with their modern buses. Buses are frequent and plentiful, they usually depart from the Bus Station (Otogar) in Esenler neighborhood but they also have ticket offices all around the city, especially in Taksim, Sultanahmet, Besiktas, Kadikoy etc.

You can also easily drive to Istanbul from any European country with your own car or motorbike. By car, there are mainly two borders to get into Turkey: Kapikule in Edirne coming from Bulgaria, or Ipsala coming from Greece. There is a nice highway between Edirne and Istanbul, it's about 225 kilometers (140 miles). After Istanbul, you can drive anywhere in  Turkeyas there is an extensive road network. However, it's not recommend to drive with your own car in Istanbul because the traffic in this mega-city is pretty dense and sometimes chaotic. The best way would be to park your car and use public transportation or taxis.

By rail

Turkish Railways Authority (TCDD) has regular train schedules from Istanbul to Budapest - Hungary, Bucarest - Romania, Kishinev - Moldova, Salonica - Greece and Sofia - Bulgaria in Europe, or to Damascus - Syria and Tehran - Iran in the Middle East. For example, Istanbul - Salonica takes about 12 hours by train, Istanbul - Tehran takes about 68 hours.

International trains arrive at Sirkeci station on the European side, or  Haydarpasa Station on the Asian side of Istanbul depending on where you're coming; from the West or from the East. Once you're in Istanbul, you can get a train connection mainly to Ankara, Eskisehir, Denizli, Van, Kars, Gaziantep, Adana, and Konya.

By sea

There are several maritime companies that run car and passenger ferries from Greece or from Italy to  Turkey. Most of these arrive at Cesme near Izmir, but some to Istanbul as well, especially during the summer. There is also a regular ferry line between Odessa (Ukraine) and Istanbul which takes about 35 hours. Many cruise ships dock at Istanbul too for daily excursion.

From Istanbul, you can get a ferry connection to Izmir, to Bandirma near Balikesir, to Mudanya near Bursa, to Yalova, or to Marmara Island. Within the city, Urban Maritime Transportation (IDO) runs passenger ferries between both sides of the Bosphorus.

HAVAS SHUTTLE SERVICES to Taksim

Airport -> Taksim Route: Ataturk Airport, Bakirkoy Sea Bus Pier, Coast Road, Aksaray, Tepebasi, Taksim.

Departure times from the Airport: Shuttle buses depart at 04.00 a.m. until 01.00 a.m. (and between 04.00 a.m - 01.00 a.m every half an hour from the Airport.)

Arrival time: Approximately 40 minutes.

Taksim -> Airport : Bus Stop in  Taksim is in from of the "Buyuksehir Arts Gallery" (20 meters away from THY Turkish Airlines office, 50 meters from Taksim MacDonalds)

Departure times from Taksim: Shuttle buses depart at 04.00 a.m. until 01.00 a.m. (and between 04.00 a.m. - 01.00 a.m. every half an hour from Taksim.)

Ticket fee: 10,00 TL (VAT incl., Between 24.00 and 06.00 a.m., there is an increase of 25 % for ticket fees.)

Click for exchange rates by the Central Bank of Turkey (TCMB)

More information for HAVAS: http://www.havas.com.tr/

Transport from Taksim to Bogazici University

You may take a taxi to the Bogazici campus which costs about 20 TL. Transportation using taxis is cheap in Istanbul. They operate by the meter (always check and pay in Turkish Liras).

Private Airport transfers: To check prices and for reservations, visit www.securedrive.com.tr

An alternative route is to get on the subway in Taksim and stop at Levent. From Levent, you can take a taxi to Bogazici campus.  The taxi will cost about 10 TL. This is probably the fastest way to get to Bogazici from Taksim especially during rush hours when the traffic is very heavy.

Taksim is the center of the city’s transportation network, with buses, subways and "dolmus" coming in from various destinations of the city. In Taksim you can reach historical, cultural and entertainment centers in a walking distance. Many good restaurants and hotels are situated around the Taksim Square.

Transportation by public buses is available throughout the city. Tickets are required for boarding and can be purchased from the ticket sales points at the bus stations. The fare is (approximately) 1 USD (0.80 Euro). You can get to Bogazici South Campus (Rumeli Hisarustu) by taking the public buses with the following codes: 43R from Kabatas, 559C from Taksim, and 59R from Sisli.

From Rumeli Hisarustu, which is adjacent to Bogazici South Campus (up the hill), all buses go to Taksim, Besiktas, Sisli, Kabatas and Kadikoy (on the Asian side of the Bosphorus). Along the coastal road (down the hill from Bogazici South Campus), the lines go towards south to Besiktas, Kabatas (with connections to Eminonu and Sultanahmet), and Taksim; and towards north all the way to Sariyer.

Ferry boats and fast catamarans operate between the two shores of Istanbul – Europe and Asia. The nearest boat dock to Bogazici University is in Bebek. The major boat landings on the European side of the city are Besiktas, Kabatas, Karakoy, Eminonu; and they are at Uskudar, Kadikoy and Bostanci on the Asian side. Boat fares are about 1 USD (0.80 Euro).

Istanbul Portal: http://english.istanbul.gov.tr/

VISA INFORMATION

Ordinary passport holders from the following countries do not require a visa:

Period of Visa Exemption: 3 Months -- Argentina, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belize, Chile, Denmark, Ecuador, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (only passports of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region), Iceland, Iran, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Monaco, Morocco, Norway, New Zealand, Oman, Qatar, St. Lucia, St. Marino, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad-Tobago, Tunisia, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Vatican.

Period of Visa Exemption: 2 Months -- Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Indonesia, Macedonia, Romania

Period of Visa Exemption: 1 Month -- Bolivia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, South Africa

Ordinary passport holders from the following countries may obtain sticker type visas at the Turkish International Border Gates to enter into Turkey:

Duration of Stay: 3 Months -- U.S.A, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Netherlands, England, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Canada, Portugal

Duration of Stay: 1 Month -- Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Jordan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldovia, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Yugoslavia

Duration of Stay: 15 Days -- Georgia

Ordinary passport holders from the following countries may obtain a visa at the Turkish International Border Gates to enter into Turkey:

Duration of Stay: 1 Month -- Taiwan

Duration of Stay: 15 Days -- Guatemala

Ordinary passport holders from the following countries should obtain a visa though The Turkish Consulate and/or Embassy in their country:

Afghanistan, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua, Bangladesh, Benin, Botswana, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central Africa, Chad, Colombia, Congo, Cote D'ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Iraq, Kiribati, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mexico, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Panama, Papua, New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Republic Of China, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Western Samoa, Yemen, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Notes:

All the information applies for ordinary passport holders only, unless otherwise indicated.

The citizens of Germany, Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy, Malta, Switzerland and Greece can enter from the border gates determined by Turkey, namely, Turkey-Greece, Turkey-Bulgaria, Istanbul, Izmir, Canakkale, Mugla, Antalya, Icel, Hatay (Iskenderun) and Aydin sea ports, Istanbul Ataturk, Ankara Esenboga, Adana Sakirpasa, Antalya, Izmir A.Menderes, Mugla Dalaman, Kayseri Erkilet airports, with identity cards other than passports according to the 'Agreement on the Travel of Individuals' dated 13.12.1957.

Holders of the following documents must obtain a visa from a Turkish Embassy or Consulate abroad prior to entering Turkey: "Hire de Voyage, Reise Document, Alliens Passport, Passeport D'entranger, Fremdenpass, Laissez Passer"

Please contact the nearest Turkish Embassy or Consulate in your area to obtain the latest information about visa applications. You may also check http://www.mfa.gov.tr/visa-information-for-foreigners.en.mfa.

If you need an invitation letter to attend the WEGENER 2010, please e-mail your request to: wegener2010@boun.edu.tr