Istanbulkart
The Istanbulkart card can be used on all means of public transport in Istanbul.
With this card, you can pay for the buses, metro, trams, boats, and funicular. You can also use it to pay for the journey from the Istanbul Airport to the center and vice versa.
The plan is that in the future, the card will also be valid to pay for parking meters, taxis, and museums.
Children under 6 do not need a transport card or ticket, as they travel for free.
How Does the Istanbulkart Work?
The Istanbulkart is exclusively for tourists and is red. There are other available models and colors for locals.
Purchasing it costs 130 TL (US$ 3.70) and it requires top-ups of up to 300 TL (US$ 8.55) at most. However, it becomes unusable once a total of 500 TL (US$ 14.26) has been reloaded.
It is best to pay with cash, as not many machines accept payment by card and will not give you your change back. Once the card is unusable, you must buy another. It doesn't refund any leftover balance refund either.
The Istanbulkart can be shared with up to 5 people and each journey costs 17.70 TL (US$ 0.50).
Advantages of the Istanbulkart
The main advantages of getting the Istanbulkart are:
- Cheaper Transfers: with the Istanbulkart you can make up to 5 transfers in the different means of transport with a discount. 1 transfer costs 16.67 TL (US$ 0.47), 2 transfers costs 9.62 TL (US$ 0.27), and 3 transfers costs 6.08 TL (US$ 0.17).
- Easier: you simply don't have to buy another card or ticket for each and every journey.
- Public bathrooms: you can access public bathrooms with the Istanbulkart and you'll only pay between 1 TL (US$ 0.02) and 3 TL (US$ 0.08).
Where Can I Buy the Istanbulkart?
You can get the Istanbulkart card at metro stations, docks, and the main bus stations.
To top it up you'll find machines in these same places. You can top up in kiosks and some stores and it's possible to top up using bills and coins.
Istanbul City Card
The Istanbul City Card is blue and it works similarly to the Istanbulkart, but it uses a pass system with prices based on the number of days selected.
This card doesn't require to be topped up and is valid for one person. Like the Istanbulkart, once the card is unusable, you must buy another.
This card can only be paid by card and can be used in any type of transport.
Prices
1 day: 210 TL (US$ 5.99). 3 days: 420 TL (US$ 11.98). 5 days: 800 TL (US$ 22.82). 7 days: 1,000 TL (US$ 28.53). 15 days: 1,500 TL (US$ 42.79).
