Sabiha Gökçen Airport to Beşiktaş: Car, Havabus, Metro and Ferry

From Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) to Beşiktaş is about 40 to 46 km by road, and the trip always crosses the Bosphorus, because the airport is on the Asian side and Beşiktaş is on the European shore. By car it takes about 40 minutes on an empty road and well over an hour at rush hour. By public transport the most pleasant route is the M4 metro to Kadıköy and a ferry straight to Beşiktaş pier, which takes roughly an hour and a half in total. If you would rather be met at arrivals, our private airport transfer starts from $60 per group.

Beşiktaş is one of the easier European-side districts to reach from SAW, because it sits right at the European end of the 15 July Martyrs Bridge. There is no Havabus line that stops in Beşiktaş itself, though, and the metro does not reach it. That shapes the options below.

The distance and the crossing

OpenStreetMap routing from the SAW terminal to Beşiktaş square gives 39.5 km on the shortest road and about 45.5 km on the main alternative, with free-flow drive times of 40 to 42 minutes. In practice the driver chooses between two bridges:

• The 15 July Martyrs Bridge (the first Bosphorus bridge) lands almost on top of Beşiktaş and Ortaköy. It is the direct route, and the obvious choice when traffic allows.
• The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, further north, is used when the first bridge is jammed. It comes down near Levent, from where the driver heads south to Beşiktaş.

The Eurasia Tunnel, the third road crossing, is not useful here. It comes out on the old city side of the European shore, well south of Beşiktaş.

Both bridges are tolled. The 2026 toll tables published in January list ₺59 for a car on the 15 July Martyrs Bridge, and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge uses the same tariff. With a taxi the toll is added to the meter; with a fixed-price transfer it should already be included.

By taxi or private car

Taxis are available outside the terminal around the clock and run on the meter under the city's UKOME tariff, which was raised during 2026. Bridge tolls are added on top. We do not quote a lira figure because of the increases; ask the driver for an estimate before you leave and check that the meter is running.

A pre-booked private transfer uses the same roads and takes the same time. The differences are that the price is fixed in advance for the whole group, the driver tracks your flight and meets you after customs with a name sign, and you have the driver's WhatsApp number. Our transfer starts from $60 per group in a Mercedes Vito, and the quote depends on the number of guests and bags and the hour. For meeting details at each airport, see our Istanbul airport private transfer guide.

The weekday morning rush heads towards the European side across both bridges, and late afternoon and Friday evenings are slow too. A driver who knows the city picks the bridge by the hour. If you want the car again later in your stay, our page on a private car with driver explains how a full day works.

Public transport option 1: M4 metro and the Kadıköy ferry

This is the route we recommend if you are travelling light and land in daylight.

1. M4 metro from the airport to Kadıköy. The airport is one end of the M4 and Kadıköy the other. Metro İstanbul gives the full journey as about 52 minutes, with trains from 06:00 to midnight and every 5 minutes at peak times.
2. Walk to the Kadıköy pier, a few minutes from the station.
3. Ferry from Kadıköy to Beşiktaş. The crossing takes about 20 minutes and lands at the Beşiktaş pier, next to the square.

Our self-guided Bosphorus ferry guide explains how the city ferries work. You pay for the metro and the ferry with an İstanbulkart, the city's travel card, bought from machines at the airport. Check the current ferry timetable before you set off: winter timetables have fewer departures than summer ones,, so the gap between boats can be long at some hours.

Public transport option 2: M4, Marmaray and the Üsküdar boat

If the next Kadıköy ferry is a long wait, there is a second water route:

1. Take the M4 from the airport to Ayrılık Çeşmesi, one stop before Kadıköy.
2. Change to the Marmaray rail line and ride one stop to Üsküdar.
3. Walk to the Üsküdar waterfront and take the motorboat to Beşiktaş. The crossing is short, around 15 minutes, and boats run frequently through the day.

Option 3, without a ferry, is the metrobus: take the M4 to Ünalan, change to the metrobus, ride it over the 15 July Martyrs Bridge to Zincirlikuyu, and take a taxi or bus down the hill to Beşiktaş. It is quick but crowded at commuter times and not easy with suitcases.

Havabus via Taksim

Havabus, the airport coach company at SAW, runs a Taksim line but no Beşiktaş stop. According to its timetable page:

• Fare: ₺485 per person.
• Journey time: about 1.5 hours, depending on traffic.
• Departures from the airport: every 30 minutes from 06:30 to 01:30, with extra services for delayed flights between 01:00 and 04:00.
• Route from the airport: via Kavacık, the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, 1. Levent, Zincirlikuyu and Dolapdere to Taksim.

From Taksim you still need to get down to Beşiktaş, by taxi, by bus, or by the F1 funicular down to Kabataş and a walk along the shore past Dolmabahçe Palace. It is a sensible late-night option when the metro has stopped, less so with heavy bags.

Comparing the routes

The car times are estimates from free-flow routing plus typical traffic; at the worst rush hours they can run longer.

Arriving in Beşiktaş: what the district is like

Beşiktaş is a lively European-side district stretching along the Bosphorus from Dolmabahçe to Ortaköy and up the hill towards Yıldız. It suits visitors who want to stay on the water, close to good food and nightlife, but away from the crowds of Sultanahmet.

• The square and the pier. Ferries for Kadıköy, Üsküdar and Bosphorus trips leave from here, and buses fan out from the square. The streets behind it, known locally as Çarşı, are full of cafés, meyhanes and breakfast places, and the fish market is in the same area.
• The palaces. Dolmabahçe Palace is a short walk south; note that it is closed on Mondays. Yıldız Palace and Park lies uphill.
• Ortaköy. A walk of under 2 km north along the shore brings you to the Ortaköy Mosque under the bridge.
• The Bosphorus hotels. Several of the city's big waterside hotels, such as the Çırağan Palace Kempinski, the Four Seasons at the Bosphorus and the Shangri-La Bosphorus, are in Beşiktaş along the shore road. Cars reach their doors easily.
• Hills and one-way streets. Away from the shore, the side streets climb steeply. Small hotels and flats there are easier to reach by car than on foot with luggage.
• Match days. Beşiktaş football club's stadium is beside Dolmabahçe, and match nights close roads and fill the area.

If you are still deciding between Beşiktaş and other districts, our guide to where to stay in Istanbul compares them. For more on the waterfront, see our guide to things to do on the Bosphorus and our page on the Bosphorus Strait.

Going back to Sabiha Gökçen from Beşiktaş

Many low-cost flights leave SAW very early, and that is when public transport is weakest. The M4's first train is at 06:00, and the ferry and boat lines start in the morning too. Havabus's Taksim to airport departures start at 03:00 and run every 30 minutes until 22:00, so for an early flight you can take a taxi up to Taksim and catch the coach. For most people with luggage, a taxi or booked car from Beşiktaş is simpler, especially before dawn, when the bridge is quiet.

Follow your airline's advice on check-in time, then add the drive and a margin for traffic on the bridge.

Tours that cover this

• Istanbul Airport VIP transfer, private Mercedes Vito to your hotel: from $60 per group, from SAW or IST.
• Dolmabahçe Palace private tour with guide and ticket: from $150 per person.
• Private Bosphorus yacht cruise, 2 hours with guide: from $600 per group.
• Istanbul private driver tour, Mercedes Vito for 8 hours: from $299 per group.

Frequently Asked Questions