Istanbul: Two Airports, Two Continents and a First-Day Plan

Entry requirements, passport rules and the current safety assessment for Türkiye are published by the Government of Canada in its travel advice for Türkiye, linked below. The same page covers laws that differ from Canada's, including identification checks, photography restrictions and rules on exporting antiquities, so it is the page to read before booking and again before flying.

Inside Türkiye, hotels register foreign guests with the police and ask for a passport at check-in, a requirement Canada's advice records. The official tourism portal, GoTürkiye, run by the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, publishes destination and culture guidance, while entry and visa questions belong to the Turkish authorities named in Canada's advice.

Istanbul has two international airports on two continents. Istanbul Airport (IST), on the European side, is served by the M11 metro to Gayrettepe, where passengers change for the M2 line towards Taksim, and the airport's site lists the line's stations. Havaist coaches run from the arrivals level to stops across the city, with routes and timetables on the Havaist site, and İETT city buses add further routes. Sabiha Gökçen (SAW), on the Asian side, is served by the M4 metro, which Metro Istanbul runs to Kadıköy.

Inside the city, Metro Istanbul operates the metro, tram, funicular and cable car lines and publishes network maps, timetables and service notices. The T1 tram crosses the old town through Sultanahmet, the M2 metro links Taksim and Beyoğlu with the Golden Horn, and the Marmaray rail line crosses under the Bosphorus between the European and Asian shores. City ferries cross the Bosphorus between Eminönü, Karaköy, Kadıköy and Üsküdar throughout the day.

One card covers the network: the Istanbulkart, the rechargeable city card that Metro Istanbul presents alongside its fare tariffs and travel cards. Fares, including any transfer rules, are set by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and published with Metro Istanbul's tariffs, so the figure to trust is the one shown there and at station machines. Havaist airport coaches are separate: Havaist states that credit and debit cards are accepted on board.

Taxis are metered, and the safe routine is the official rank, the meter running, and the address written down for the driver. For step-free travel, the airport's site describes the Istanbul Airport metro station as fully accessible, with lifts, braille signage and tactile paving, and İETT states that its airport buses are wheelchair accessible. Havaist notes that wheelchair users can use its accessible midibuses, with advance notice requested for city-to-airport trips. Metro Istanbul publishes accessibility services and the status of lifts and escalators.

Money is the Turkish lira (TRY). Canada's advice notes that many small vendors and taxi drivers prefer cash, and that currency should be changed at reputable banks or official exchange offices. Cards are widely accepted in hotels, larger restaurants and chain shops, while bazaars, small cafés and taxis are easier with small notes. ATMs are common; the bank and the machine operator set any fees.

Turkish is the working language; English is common around the main visitor sights and in hotels, less so in residential districts. For connectivity, Canada's advice records that access to some eSIM services is restricted in Türkiye, so travellers relying on an eSIM should check the eSIM checklist below and keep an offline map and the hotel address saved. Hotel Wi-Fi and local SIM cards are the usual fallbacks.

One scam is named plainly in Canada's advice for Istanbul: strangers invite visitors to a bar for food and drinks, then the visitor is pressed to pay a steep bill. A polite refusal is the whole defence. In the bazaars, prices at stalls without displayed prices are negotiated, while shops with posted prices sell at the posted price. Ask before photographing people, and do not photograph military or official installations, which Canada's advice states is forbidden.

A greeting in Turkish opens most exchanges: Merhaba (hello) and Teşekkür ederim (thank you) are the two that carry a visitor furthest, and the pocket phrases below cover the regular requests. None of it is expected; it is noticed.

At mosques, Canada's advice states that women cover their heads with a scarf and all visitors cover arms and legs, and shoes come off before the prayer hall. During Ramadan, eating, drinking and smoking in public in daylight are done discreetly in many places. Tea is offered in shops and bazaars as part of a conversation; accepting a glass is a courtesy, not a commitment to buy.

Sultanahmet, in the old town, puts Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Grand Bazaar within walking distance and suits short first stays; it is also the most visited district, and evenings are quiet once day visitors leave. Beyoğlu, across the Golden Horn around Taksim and İstiklal Avenue, is the dining and nightlife side, with the Galata Tower streets below it and the M2 metro and tram links on hand. Kadıköy, on the Asian shore, is a residential district of markets, cafés and the Moda waterfront, reached by ferry or the M4 metro, with a calmer evening pace.

The choice is mostly about the shape of the days. Stay in Sultanahmet to walk to the sights early, in Beyoğlu for restaurants and late evenings, and in Kadıköy for a neighbourhood base with a ferry ride built into every trip across. Travellers landing at Sabiha Gökçen start on Kadıköy's side of the city; travellers landing at Istanbul Airport start on the European side.

Sultanahmet is the walkable core: Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapı Palace and the Grand Bazaar sit within a compact, mostly flat area that the T1 tram crosses, so a morning on foot covers the district without transport decisions. Beyoğlu walks differently: İstiklal Avenue is pedestrianised and level, while the lanes dropping to Galata Tower and Karaköy are steep.

The Bosphorus is the break in any walking plan: the two shores are separate walks joined by ferry or the Marmaray, not by a bridge stroll. Kadıköy's market streets and the Moda shore path make a self-contained half day on the Asian side. Distances across the whole city are long, so the pattern that works is metro or ferry to a district, then walking inside it.

Arrival morning is for the transfer and nothing ambitious. From Istanbul Airport, the M11 metro or a Havaist coach sets the pace; from Sabiha Gökçen, the M4 metro. Check in, change money at a bank or an official exchange office near the hotel, and pick up an Istanbulkart from a station machine before the first sightseeing ride.

In the afternoon, stay inside one district. In Sultanahmet, walk the square between Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque and the lanes towards the Grand Bazaar. In Beyoğlu, ride the T1 tram or walk İstiklal Avenue down towards Galata Tower. Keep it level and unhurried; the city rewards a slow first afternoon more than a checklist.

In the evening, take the ferry across the Bosphorus and back, or cross once and eat on the other shore: the crossing itself is the first day's event. Eat near the hotel, note the nearest metro or tram station for the morning, and keep the bazaars and the palace for a full second day.

Landing at one airport and booking a hotel near the other, without pricing the transfer between them. Accepting a bar invitation from a stranger, the scam Canada's advice names for Istanbul. Taking a taxi without checking that the meter is running. Changing money anywhere other than a bank or an official exchange office. Photographing people, or official buildings, without asking.

Trying to walk the whole city, when the Bosphorus divides it into separate districts joined by ferry and rail. Saving the Grand Bazaar for the last hour of the last day, when its lanes need time and small cash. Assuming a phone eSIM will simply work on arrival, when Canada's advice records restrictions on some eSIM services in Türkiye.

The Government of Canada's travel advice for Türkiye, linked below, is the primary source for the current assessment, demonstrations and regional warnings, and it should be read before travel rather than summarised here. Canada's page also covers identity checks: police carry out routine checks in large cities, and visitors are asked to carry their passport.

The everyday precautions are the ordinary city ones: keep bags closed and in front in the bazaars and on crowded trams, use ATMs inside banks or shopping centres where possible, and keep food and drinks in sight, all points Canada's advice makes for Türkiye. Istanbul has many stray dogs and cats; Canada's advice is to leave them alone, however friendly they appear.

First-time and solo travellers: the city's systems are card based and well signed, and the solo specific notes are the bar scam in the customs section above and the usual care with drinks and invitations, both covered in Canada's advice. Canada's advice also records that women travelling alone may face harassment or verbal abuse, and gives the police number, 112, for reporting problems.

Families: Havaist states that children aged 0 to 5 travel free on a lap on its airport coaches. The old town's tram and flat square suit children better than Beyoğlu's steep lanes, and Kadıköy's market and shore path give an easy half day. Keep the identity paperwork together: hotels register every foreign guest, children included, with the police at check-in.