Istanbul's Two Airports: What Sets Your Arrival Apart
Istanbul has two airports, on two continents. Both are around 40 kilometres from the centre and both around an hour away — but the hour is made up differently, and traffic affects each differently.
- Distance
- approx. 40 km each
- Driving time
- approx. 60 min
- Traffic dependent
- considerably
Two airports, two sides
Istanbul Airport sits on the European side, to the north-west of the city. Sabiha Gökçen sits on the Asian side, to the south-east. Which is closer to your hotel therefore depends not on distance in kilometres but on which side you are staying.
For a hotel in Sultanahmet or near Taksim — European, in other words — arriving at Sabiha Gökçen means a crossing over one of the Bosphorus bridges or through the Eurasia Tunnel. The reverse applies to a hotel in Kadıköy and an arrival at Istanbul Airport.
Why "an hour" is a range
Around 60 minutes is the usual guide for the drive into the centre from either airport. What moves that figure is more pronounced in Istanbul than on the coast: bridge and rush-hour traffic stretch the journey considerably at certain times of day. An arrival at seven in the morning and one at two in the afternoon are not the same journey.
In the arrivals hall
Both airports handle all passengers in one building; there is no second terminal you could land at by mistake. The difference is scale: Istanbul Airport is very large, and the walking distances inside the building alone cost time. The route from gate to exit there is longer than almost anywhere else on our network.
The procedure is unchanged: your driver waits past baggage reclaim and customs in the public part of the arrivals hall, holding a board with your name. What to do if you cannot see him is in what to do if you cannot find your driver.
Arriving at one, leaving from the other
A common pattern in Istanbul, particularly with connecting flights. For the transfer those are two separate routes with two fixed prices — not a return. How to book it is in arriving at one airport and leaving from another.
What to enter when booking
The airport you actually land at, and that flight's number. If you are arriving on a domestic connection, the final leg's number applies — more in arriving on a domestic flight. Prices for both airports and their destinations are in the price list.
Common questions
Which Istanbul airport is closer to the centre?
Both are around 40 kilometres out, on opposite sides of the city. The closer one is whichever sits on your side of the Bosphorus — Istanbul Airport for a hotel in Sultanahmet, Sabiha Gökçen for one in Kadıköy.
How long does the drive into the centre take?
Typically about 60 minutes from either airport, including the crossing to the other side. With bridge and rush-hour traffic it can take considerably longer.
I land at one and fly home from the other.
Those are two separate routes with their own fixed prices, so two one-way journeys rather than a return.
Do I need to know which terminal I arrive at?
No. Both airports have a single passenger terminal, and your flight number tells us the rest.
Related reading
Arriving on a Domestic Flight: What Changes
No customs, usually a different terminal — and a flight number that is easier to confuse than on a direct flight.
Read the articleBookingArriving at One Airport and Leaving from Another
Land at Antalya and fly home from Dalaman and you are not booking a return — you are booking two one-ways.
Read the articleGoing homeWhen Should You Leave Your Hotel for the Airport?
How a pickup time is worked backwards — and why the answer in Alanya is not the answer in Lara.
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