Istanbul Airport Shuttle: Havaist Lines, Stops and How to Pay

The Istanbul Airport shuttle is the Havaist bus network: according to the airport, 11 Havaist lines link IST with the city, leaving from the -2 transport floor below the terminal and running 24 hours a day. The main lines for visitors go to Sultanahmet, Taksim, Beşiktaş, Aksaray and Kadıköy, and journeys take roughly 75-120 minutes depending on the line and traffic. You pay per person by Istanbulkart or bank card. If you would rather not change from the bus to a taxi with your bags at the other end, a private airport transfer takes you to the hotel door.

Below: how Havaist works, which line suits which hotel area, how to get back to the airport, the shuttles at Sabiha Gökçen, and when a private shuttle is the better deal.

How the Havaist shuttle works

• Where to board at IST: the -2 transport floor, directly below the terminal. Follow the Havaist signs from the arrivals hall.
• Where it drops you at IST: on the departures level, at entrance gates 1-4.
• Hours: Havaist runs around the clock; check the timetable for night departures. Times can change with traffic or operational needs.
• No reservations: Havaist does not take seat bookings. You buy a ticket and board at the stop. If a bus is full, you wait for the next one; at busy times extra buses are added.
• Luggage: suitcases go in the hold under the bus.
• Contact: Havaist's call centre is 0850 888 33 34.

Havaist is a coach service, not a door-to-door minibus. It stops only at fixed points, so most travellers still need a short taxi ride, a tram or a walk from the last stop to the hotel.

Havaist lines for visitors

Stops are from Havaist's own stop list. Distances and journey times are from a January 2026 summary of the network in Milliyet; real times depend on traffic. Havaist also runs lines to outer districts such as Esenler bus station, Halkalı, Beylikdüzü, Bahçeşehir, Arnavutköy and Silivri.

Which line for which hotel area

Sultanahmet and the old city. Take HVL-13. Havaist announced in 2026 that the Sultanahmet line is back in service. Its old city stop is at Çatladıkapı, on the southern edge of Sultanahmet, opposite the marriage hall. From there most hotels are a short taxi ride or an uphill walk; with large cases, the taxi is worth it. Our Sultanahmet hotels guide covers the area.

Taksim, Cihangir and İstiklal. Take HVL-9. In Taksim, the Havaist stop is on Abdülhak Hamit Caddesi, in front of the Point Hotel. The express version runs via Piyalepaşa and Nurtepe; the other version runs via 4. Levent, Zincirlikuyu and Beşiktaş. See İstiklal Avenue and Taksim for the area.

Galata and Karaköy. The Sultanahmet line stops at Şişhane, at the top of the hill above Galata. Our guide to things to do in Galata and Karaköy covers the neighbourhood.

Beşiktaş and the Bosphorus shore. HVL-9 via Beşiktaş stops at Beşiktaş Meydan, close to the ferry piers.

Kadıköy and the Asian side. HVL-6 crosses to Kadıköy, but if you are flying into Istanbul and staying on the Asian side, check whether a flight into Sabiha Gökçen would be closer. See Kadıköy and Moda.

Not sure which area to stay in? Our guide on where to stay in Istanbul compares them.

Fares and how to pay

You pay per person, per journey. Havaist accepts Istanbulkart, the city's contactless transport card, and bank cards, and sells tickets on its website and app, where you get a QR code to scan on boarding. Its site lists Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, American Express, Troy and Diners Club among the cards accepted on its buses. A January 2026 guide said cash is not accepted.

We do not print a fare table here, because Havaist fares rose during 2026. As one example, the online fare from the airport to Silivri on Havaist's ticketing site is now 450 TL, against 250 TL in the January list. Check the current fare in the Havaist app or on hava.ist the day you travel.

For a family of four, compare four bus tickets plus the onward taxi with one fixed price for a private car. The car often comes out close.

Going back to the airport by shuttle

• Board at the same stops in the city; departure times are listed on hava.ist and in the Havaist app by stop.
• Be at the stop early. Havaist asks passengers to arrive before the scheduled time, and there are no reservations, so a full bus means waiting for the next.
• Allow for traffic. Leave a generous margin, especially on weekday afternoons and Friday evenings.
• Arrival at IST is at the departures level, gates 1-4, so you walk straight into the terminal.

Accessibility on the airport shuttle

Havaist has accessible midibuses for wheelchair users. The airport asks passengers travelling from the airport to the city to request one at least 1 hour in advance, through Havaist's contact channels or at the Havaist desks on the transport floor, naming the line. From the city to the airport, the request should be made at least 6 hours ahead, naming the line and the stop. The İETT city buses that serve the airport are wheelchair accessible.

If anyone in your group has limited mobility, a private car that meets you at the arrivals exit and drops you at the hotel door is usually the easier option.

Shuttles at Sabiha Gökçen

On the Asian side, Sabiha Gökçen has its own set of shuttles:

• Havabus runs from opposite the arrivals-level exit to Taksim, Kadıköy and Yenisahra, with extra runs at night for delayed flights.
• City buses listed by the airport include E3 to 4. Levent, E10 and SG-1 to Kadıköy, SG-2 to Taksim, 16S to the Metrobüs, and MR60 and 132H to Pendik for Marmaray and the high-speed train.
• The M4 metro runs from the terminal to Kadıköy in about 52 minutes, from 06:00 to midnight on weekdays and around the clock at weekends, with a connection to Marmaray at Ayrılık Çeşmesi.
• Havaist HVİST-13 links Sabiha Gökçen with Istanbul Airport.

If you land at SAW and stay in Sultanahmet or Taksim, any shuttle means crossing the Bosphorus with your bags, which is where a car saves the most time.

Shared shuttle or private shuttle?

After the airport, many visitors keep the same idea for sightseeing: our Istanbul tours with hotel pickup start from central hotels, and the Istanbul hop-on hop-off bus covers the main sights by bus. To plan the rest of the trip, see our Istanbul destination guide.

Tours that cover this

• Istanbul Airport VIP transfer, private Mercedes Vito to your hotel: from $60 per group, 45-90 minutes.
• Istanbul layover tour with private guide and van from IST or SAW: from $550 per person, 6-8 hours.
• Istanbul old city morning highlights, small group: from $120 per person, 6 hours, a good first morning after arrival.

Frequently Asked Questions