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 Ferryboats in Istanbul, Turkey

 

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Ferryboats are the absolute most enjoyable way to travel in Istanbul.

Use your Akbil electronic transit pass for your voyage and you'll save money.

Though older and slower than the speedy modern "sea bus" catamarans, traditional ferryboats (feribot, like the one in the picture to the right) travel convenient shorter routes up, down and across the Bosphorus connecting such districts as Karaköy, Eminönü and Besiktas on the European shore with Üsküdar, Haydarpasa and Kadiköy on the Asian side.

The principal ferry docks are in Eminönü and Karaköy (Galata) at the mouth of the Golden Horn. (Cruise ships and international ferries, such as the Black Sea ferry from Odessa, dock at the Yolcu Salonu in Karaköy. More...)

Most voyages cost only about YTL1.30. In good weather, find a seat on the open-air decks, order a glass of tea or a soft drink, and enjoy the spectacular views of the fascinating city.

TRADITIONAL (IDO) FERRIES
Older, slender white ferries operated by the IDO company depart from east (Bosphorus) side of the Galata Bridge.

TURYOL FERRIES
Broader, newer ferries operated by the Turyol ferryboat cooperative depart from the west (Golden Horn) side of the Galata Bridge. Turyol says that it offers more frequent, comfortable and convenient service at rates that equal, or are lower than, the traditional IDO ferries'. You can use your Akbil electronic transit pass on Turyol ferries.

BOSPHORUS FERRY CRUISE
Special daily Touristic Bosphorus Ferries operated by both TML and Turyol run from Eminönü up the Bosphorus several times daily. More...

PRINCES ISLANDS
Both sea bus catamarans and ferryboats travel to the Princes Islands near Istanbul in the Sea of Marmara. More...

SEA OF MARMARA FERRIES
Fast catamaran ferries glide across the Sea of Marmara from Istanbul's Yenikap Fast Ferry Terminal to Yalova and Bandirma on the Marmara's southern shore. The fast ferries are the best way to get across the Marmara, much better than fighting the traffic on the clogged highways east and west of Istanbul, whether in bus or car. More...

HOW BENEFICIAL!
In 19th-century Ottoman Istanbul the Sirket-i Hayriye ("Beneficial Company," later the Municipal Routes division of Turkish Maritime Lines) was founded to facilitate transportation in this city of three parts land and three parts water. In the later 20th century bridges, buses and trams have rendered some ferries obsolete.

The ferries are now operated by IDO, the route system has shrunk and will shrink again when the Marmaray rail link is completed (2009?) beneath the Bosphorus, but you'll still find the big white boats a convenient—and extremely pleasant—way to travel from Europe to Asia and back again.


Eminönü Ferry Docks

Yenikapi Ferry Terminal

Istanbul "Sea Bus" Catamarans

Akbil Electronic Transit Pass

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Istanbul Transport

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Traditional Ferryboat, Istanbul, Turkey

Above, a traditional ferryboat steams into the Bosphorus beneath the turrets of Topkapi Palace: a transcontinental voyage from Europe to Asia for less than US$1....

Below, Istanbul's Eminönü ferry docks look chaotic, but are not all that difficult to negotiate.

Eminonu Ferry Docks, Istanbul, Turkey