This new metro station at the new airport opened to the public on January 22, 2023. It is on the…read moreM11 line of the metro network. Before this option, passenger had to take a bus to Istanbul, taxi, share ride, etc. The new metro station also connects to the Gayrettepe metro station which is on line M2 and it connects to Taksim square and the Old town. The walk from the terminal to the actual train tracks is fairly long so plan ahead. There are Istanbulkart machines before the subway gates for those wanting to buy them (cash or credit card).

Much larger airport than I had imagined. A bit confusing when going through security. There are…read moreseveral to pass. There also two parallel lines that do the same thing, except one line might have one agent, while the others may have 2 or 3. We started at the first and realized there's just one woman working it. We moved to the next one when we saw that the other one was moving faster due to having multiple workers. At the actual gate, there's another security person checking your boarding card and passport to enter the enclosed area. Several entitled people decided they didn't need to wait and pushed to enter from the side, causing a scene. At boarding time, you have to show your passport and boarding card again. It's safe, but it's a lot of checks. Allow enough time.

This airport is extremely security conscious. You have to clear security twice before you get to…read moredepartures. It is a very clean and very busy. It's an airport. There are so many options for purchasing duty free and gadgets. That's all.

This is a nice metro station located very close to Istanbul University and the Old part of town in…read moreIstanbul. I had never gotten off here before, so I decided to explore the area. It is not close to the Hagia Sophia nor the Blue Mosque, but to other large mosques and the college. The area had many businesses catered to tourists as I saw many places with English signs. A great place to get on/off to explore the city. They had bike racks for people who use their bycycles to go to/from the metro station.

Convenient train station for the Marmaray about 20 minutes from the Old town…read more This serves a suburban part of Istanbul that used to be next to the old airport, which closed in 2019. There are some nice restaurants, cafes, banks and shops in the vicinity of the station. There are escalators and elevators for passenger use.

Convenient, easy to follow, clean, cost effective. Beats sitting in traffic. Runs along the main…read moreroad with access to all main attractions. Each train is $4 lira per person, and again at transfer.

Aksaray is the station at the other end of the M1 line from the airport. An underground station,…read morethere was an escalator from the platform level to the street level (there might have been an elevator, but I wasn't looking for it). Decent shopping opportunities as you make your way to/from surface level where you will find token vending machines and then spot the tram.

The Marmaray is the suburban train system in Istanbul and connects neighborhoods on the European…read moreand Asian side with ease of transport and connection. Marmaray schedules operate at 15-minute intervals between Halkalı (Europe) - Gebze (Asia). The Marmaray has a fare system that is based on how many stations you travel to/from, but that only applies if you have a Turkish personalized IstanbulKart. Tourists do not get the benefit of the segment pricing and any trip on the Marmaray is charged the full amount of Marmaray of TL 39.17 (about $US1.25). The trains are modern and they looks like a normal subway train.

The Havaist airport shuttle service is the cheapest way to get to Taksim Square in downtown…read moreIstanbul. When arriving to Istanbul always consider this super convenient option. It is cheap and hassle free. Taxis are expensive. Although I have not tried any metro yet. Always consider the shifting magnitude of Istanbul traffic when planning your trip. It can take more than an hour if traffic is heavy. I used to take Havas airport shuttle at Ataturk International Airport, now it is basically the same service at the new airport run by Havaist. It is important to keep in mind that you cannot buy a ticket with cash. You can use an Istanbul Metro card or a credit card ONLY.

Havaist is a bus service that services the city of Istanbul and its 2 airports (New Istanbul…read moreAirport and Sabiha Gokcen). Havaist has set pickup locations throughout Istanbul. However, there are different stops for the two airports. The New Istanbul Airport offers more pick up and drop off locations than Sabiha Gokcen. For example, there is only a pick up and drop off in Eminonu and Sultanahmet for the New Istanbul Airport. To leave more about the pick up and drop off locations, use this link (https://hava.ist/en) or download the app. In regards to going from the airports to the city, I exclusively use this service because it is significantly cheaper (18 TL). Do not use a taxi! The New Istanbul Aiport has so many drop off points (17 I think). When you go to exit the airport, you will see signs for each of the drop off points. For the Sabiha Gokcen Airport, I have only been dropped off at Taksim. This may be the last drop off point. It's a lot cheaper to use a taxi from this airport than the New Istanbul Airport. Keep in mind that you must use a credit card to purchase an Istanbul card to use this service from the New Istanbul Airport. However, if you fly into Sabiha Gokcen, you can use TL to pay for your bus ticket. Buses are comfortable and pretty clean, especially the ones for the New Istanbul Airport. This is the cheapest method to get to and from the airport. I recommend using Havaist over a taxi.