Istanbul/Asian Side

And see main Istanbul page for details of these links.

By plane: 🌍 Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW ^IATA) (20 km (12 mi) east of Kadıköy). This airport has many domestic and international flights and is much more convenient for this side of the city, and less congested. Metro line M4 runs to Kadıköy on the Asian side, where you can continue to the European side by ferry or transfer to the Marmaray train at Ayrılık Çeşmesi. There are also various direct bus services, but travel times can be erratic. (updated Oct 2022)

There's a hotel at the airport, some half a dozen (e.g. a Hilton) at Kurtköy 2 km north, then another dozen at Pendik town (on the Marmara coast near the YHT station) 6 km south.

By train: Istanbul's terminus for high speed trains from Ankara and other eastern cities is 🌍 Sogutlucesme, near the disused historic terminus of Haydarpaşa. These trains also stop at 🌍 Bostanci near the ferry pier, and 🌍 Pendik, which is convenient for reaching Sabiha Gökçen Airport. Bostanci and Pendik mainline railway stations are about 1 km south of the metro stations of the same name.

By bus, Harem is the main bus station, with buses arriving from all over Asian Turkey. It’s mid-way between Üsküdar and Kadıköy and has frequent ferry links with Eminönü/Sirkeci. There aren't many amenities, so bring a book or commune with your i-phone if you’re going to be there long.

By boat: Fast ferries from towns along the southern coast of the Marmara Sea, such as Yalova or Bandırma, land at the pier at Bostancı. Some are direct, while others transfer to a smaller ferry after arriving at Yenikapı pier on the European side. The fast catamarans offer a smooth and pleasant ride - a great option for reaching İznik or beyond.

Metro: the Marmaray line rushes between continents in a very few minutes.

By boat across the Bosphorus is the most pleasant method, and always quicker than trying to cross the congested bridges. The main ferry lines are:

• Kadıköy - Eminönü
• Kadıköy - Karaköy via Haydarpaşa
• Kadıköy - Beşiktaş
• Üsküdar - Eminönü
• Üsküdar - Beşiktaş
• Üsküdar - Eminönü and then on to Eyüp along the Golden Horn

Ferries from the western suburbs eg Bakırköy also run to Kadıköy and Bostancı, but they are much more expensive than local ferries.

• 🌍 Kadıköy Ferry Terminal (İDO Kadıköy Terminali), Damga Sk., Caferağa Mah ( Kadıköy 100 m). (updated Apr 2024)
• 🌍 Üsküdar Ferry Terminal (Üsküdar İskelesi), Paşa Limanı Cd., Mimarsinan Mah ( Üsküdar 200 m). (updated Apr 2024)

Buses across the bridges are slow at any time, and tediously slow in rush hour (07:00-10:00 going west into Europe, 18:00-20:00 coming east into Asia). Buses across the bridges require two tickets (or the equivalent cash) rather than one (one exception is #129L Levent-Kozyatağı which visitors are unlikely to use). The most useful inter-continental buses are:

• 110 - Taksim and Beşiktaş to Kadıköy
• 120 - Mecidiyeköy to Kadıköy
• 112 - Taksim and Beşiktaş to Bostancı
• 128 - Mecidiyeköy to Bostancı
• 129T - Taksim and Beşiktaş to Bostancı, via the foot of Çamlıca Hill

However the metrobüs (#34A) is quicker, as it has a dedicated bus lane, and only needs one ticket. It runs from Beylikdüzü out in the western suburbs via Edirnekapı just outside the old city and Mecidiyeköy in the business district to Söğütlüçeşme just east of downtown Kadıköy. Metrobüs stations are usually a little off the usual tourist trail, but easily reached by a variety of public transportation, including the metro from Taksim Square for Mecidiyeköy station.

Dolmuş routes run 24 hours a day between Taksim-Kadıköy, and Taksim-Bostancı. They depart from the street next to Atatürk Kültür Merkezi in Taksim Square (opposite edge of the square from Istiklal Street) and cost about 5.50 TL/person.

Or go overland, the wrong way round just to prove you can: see the infobox.

The main transport hubs here are Kadıköy and Üsküdar, with dolmuş, bus and minibus routes across the district. Bostancı on the Marmara coast is a secondary hub. Dolmuşes ply between Kadıköy-Üsküdar, Kadıköy-Bostancı and Bostancı-Kadıköy until late at night, and also run from Kadıköy to Acıbadem, Koşuyolu and various points.

Marmaray, the cross-city train line (B1), picks up at Üsküdar (transfer to M5), Ayrılıkçeşme (transfer to M4; 1.6 km north of the Kadıköy waterfront), and Söğütlüçeşme (transfer to Metrobüs; 1.7 km east of the Kadıköy waterfront) and serves the neighbourhoods and suburbs on the Marmara coast, as far east as Gebze.

Metro lines:

• M4 runs from Kadıköy eastwards as far as Kartal, Pendik and Sabiha Gökçen Airport.
• M5 runs from Üsküdar eastwards to Çekmeköy.
• M8 connects these two with each other and with Marmaray at Bostancı.

By car: the major roads on the Asian side mostly follow a west-east axis. These are the three major roads which connect Kadıköy to locations in the east (from south to north)

• The causeway (Sahil Yolu), which follows the Marmara coast.
• Bağdat Avenue (one-way, and that is east to west which means you cannot enter from Kadıköy).
• the road colloquially known as Minibüs Yolu.

From Üsküdar, the major highway D100 (but colloquially better known by its former European route number E-5) stretches eastwards into Asia, while another road also named Sahil Yolu (Causeway) connects the neighborhoods on the bank of Bosphorus in the north to Üsküdar.

By bicycle: there are some 20 km of marked bicycle lanes along the park which follows the coast, starting from a few km east of Kadıköy, passing by Bostancı and eventually reaching the eastern edge of the city. The bike lane is well-maintained but watch out for pedestrians who haven't quite grasped the concept.

Tram line T3 loops from Kadıköy along pedestrian Bahariye Cd and then around the peninsula of Moda back to Kadıköy, but it's more a nostalgia trip than practical transport.

• Haydarpaşa Station no longer has trains, but is worth a look. It was built by the Germans in 1908 in a distinctive Teutonic-castle style.
• Just north of Haydarpaşa station and a little difficult to find (it is surrounded on three sides by Turkish military barracks) is the British cemetery with an obelisk commemorating the Crimean war and many Crimean war, Victorian era (and later) graves as well as a modern British and Commonwealth war graves cemetery. This is a beautiful, leafy oasis of calm, with views on the Bosphorus.
• Yeldeğirmeni is an artsy, bohemian neighbourhood with much street art and many murals, and cafes lining its streets.
• Müze Gazhane is a cultural centre with a climate museum, a museum of cartoon and humour, theatre stages, art galleries and exhibition space, and a restaurant/cafe with vegan and gluten-free options.
• Moda is a neighbourhood that features some neo-classical architecture and seaside parks; a highlight is the former passenger pier, a pretty offshore building now a library and a cafe. The neighbourhood is a favourite place to take a stroll on a summer evening, and for the youth to enjoy a few beers against the minaret and dome-filled skyline of the Old City.
• Bağdat Caddesi is usually considered as one of Istanbul's most western-flavoured streets. Its broad sidewalks with tree shade offer a pleasant walk.
• The Toy Museum has 2,000 pieces of toys from around the world in exhibition.

The Asian Bosphorus district has many important sites, including:

• The Maiden's Tower, on a Bosphorus islet off Salacak. It was built as a defensive structure and is now a museum. There is a light show viewable from the mainland every day at 21:00.
• Kuzguncuk is an attractive neighbourhood thar has a number of sights like two synagogues, some churches, dozens of wooden houses and a Jewish and Christian cemetery.
• Beylerbeyi is a small port with a popular fishing dock. There are many restaurants: those on the port-side serve alcohol and are moderately expensive, those down the side-streets are cheaper. Notable buildings include the 18th-century Hamid-i Evvel mosque, and the 19th-century highway tunnel. But the standout attraction is the palace.
• Beylerbeyi Palace was a summer house in mid-19th-century Ottoman style.
• Çengelköy is a historical fishing village. Its restaurants and piers offer some of the best panoramas along the Bosphorus. Many historic mansions have been restored and multiple boutique chocolatiers were opened.
• Çamlıca Hill is one of the highest hills of Istanbul. It is the site of Çamlıca Tower, a telecommunications tower and the highest structure of Istanbul, with observation decks. The rest of the summit is a public park dotted by cafes with an Ottoman-themed decor.
• Anadolu Citadel is a medieval citadel on the Bosphorus at the mouth of the Göksu creek. You can't go in, but it's a pleasant setting. The village has many traditional wooden houses. Ferries along the Bosphorus call here.
• Küçüksu Palace is a waterside neo-Baroque manor, built in the 19th century for the countryside and hunting excursions of the Ottoman dynasty.

• Anadolu Kavağı is a village in the Asian Bosphorus district with an impressive citadel overlooking the Bosphorus and its mouth into the Black Sea. By land it's accessible only by a hairpinning road through the forest, with few buses.
• Aydos Hill is a forested hill in the Eastern Suburbs, at 537 m the highest point of Istanbul with the scrappy remains of a Roman fort.
• İçmeler is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs.
• Polonezköy in the Asian Bosphorus, is a "Polish village" founded in 1842 by Polish settlers. Some have stayed on, maintaining their Polish language and culture. The village has houses in traditional Polish style, a 1914 little Catholic chapel, and the Church of Matka Boska Częstochowska. It's set in woodland (a nature park) and is a popular day-trip from the city.
• Black Sea Coast (Asia side): there's a string of small coastal resorts, from Poyrazköy just beyond the north Bosphorus bridge, through Anadolufenerli, Riva, Şile (the largest) to Ağva / Yeşilçay at the eastern edge of the province. Usual beach attractions, but the Black Sea is often rough, and drownings are not uncommon.