HOW TO GET FROM AIRPORT TO HOTEL
It is important to know that there are two international airports in Istanbul: Istanbul Atatürk International Airport on the European side and Sabiha Gokcen International Airport on the Asian side of Istanbul.
Both are modern, new civil airports, serving domestic and international scheduled and charter flights 24 hours a day. For further details, please check the web sites of the airports and ask your travel agent or airline the name of your arrival airport in Istanbul. This information is crucial to get to your hotel as comfortable and quick as possible. All TEAM 2008 hotels are very centrally located around Taksim square located in the Europen side of Istanbul. Therefore, to get from either airport to your hotel, you should keep in mind to use the Airport – Taksim track. There are 3 different ways to do it by using public transportation:
A. HAVAS SHUTTLE BUS SERVICE
Havas shuttle bus services are available every half hour between 06:00 a.m. and 01:00 a.m. from Atatürk airport to Taksim Square and vice versa. Ticket price: 6 Euro. Havas shuttle buses are also operating from/to Sabiha Gokcen Airport. For more information and detailed schedule of shuttle services please check HAVAS website.
B. AIRPORT TAXI
In Istanbul taxis are considerable cheap compared to other cities in most parts of the world. Atatürk Airport Taxi is a big company with a fleet of more than 400 cars, safe and reliable, serving 24 hours a day at International and Domestic Terminals. It costs about 30 Euro from airport to the hotels around Taksim Square. There is a surcharge of 50% between 00:00 a.m. and 06:00 a.m.
Taxis are also available outside the Sabiha Gokcen Airport, but due to distance from there to Taksim via the Intercontinental Bridge, the price might be higher. All taxis have taximeter. Payment should be made in Euro, US Dollar or Turkish Lira cash. You can use ATM’s or bank offices at the airport to get change. It is not customary to tip drivers.
C. LIGHT RAIL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM (METRO)
Schedules of metro, which has been providing access between the stations of Aksaray and Atatürk Airport as follows:
Week days: from 06:00 a.m. till 00:00 a.m.
Saturdays: from 06:15 a.m. till 00:00 a.m.
Sunadys: from 06:30 a.m. till 00:00 a.m.
Then, we recommend you to get a taxi from Aksaray metro station to your hotel
D. SPECIAL TRANSFER SERVICE FOR TEAM 2008 PARTICIPANTS
This is an optinal service for the convenince of TEAM 2008 participants, specially arranged by the Gemini tourism. You will be met by a staff from GEMINI tourism with an TEAM 2008 signboard in the International Arrival Hall (after passport control & customs area) of Atatürk Airport. If you wish to use this service, please visit the Gemini Tourism’s web side www.geminitourism.com, fill in the Transfer Form and send it to Ms. Zeynep Uraslı (zeynep.uras@geminitourism.com).