BY AIR

Turkish Airlines- THY- run competitive flights to Istanbul from all over the world, alongside the major national carriers, though in some cases from other continents it may prove worthwhile to take a cheaper flight into Europe and to take a connecting flight from there. From northern Europe, the distance, the steady rise in popularity of Turkey as a tourist destination, and the visa restrictions ot Bulgaria and Romania combine to make travel by air often the cheapest, and by far the most convenient, direct route to Istanbul. Those with an eye on their budget should scan newspapers and travel agents lor huge discounts and charter flights, especially, but not only, during the tourist seasons, and will probably find the effort very well rewarded. It should be noted that a cheap charter flight to Greece is a false economy for anything more than a day trip as the return night becomes invalid after only a single night's stay in Turkey owing to Greek subsidy regulations.
On arrival at Istanbul Ataturk Airport there is a rapidly improving bus service ("HAVAS") to take you through Aksaray to Taksim. Also, you may always use your attentive taxi driver, which is not too expensive either.

BY LAND

By comparison, travel by land is strictly for those coming from closer, or with places to go en route. By bus, though, for longer distances it's only the sight rather than the feel of the places that's on offer as the journey can't usually be broken and rejoined, and interminable border crossings and transit visas only reinforce the ieelings that your holiday would be best spent in Istanbul itself rather than on the way there. (s2)

ARRIVING BY AIR

Turkey's main international airline, Turkish Airlines (THY), has direct flights to Istanbul from all major cities in Europe and some in Asia, Major European carriers, such as Lufthansa, KLM, Austrian Airlines and British Airways all have at least one flight daily to Istanbul.
Turkish Airlines flies direct to Istanbul from Chicago and New York, and Delta Airlines, among others, also has regular direct flights from New York. American Airlines, Qatar Airways and several other international carriers also serve Istanbul, but not always directly.

ATATÜRK AIRPORT

Istanbul's Atatürk Airport
(Atatürk Hava Limanı) lies 25 km (16 miles) west of the city centre, in Yeşilköy. Its huge international (Dış Hatları) terminal opened in 2000 and is separate from the domestic (İç Hatları) terminal.
Services provided in both terminals include duty-free shops open 24 hours where, on arrival as well as departure, you can buy perfume, cigarettes, alcoholic drinks, sweets, personal stereos, watches and cosmetics. There are also gift shops, a café, a restaurant, a post office, 24-hour banking facilities, car hire outlets.a tourist information office and a hotel reservation desk.
Leave plenty of time (at least 2 hours) to check in for departures from Istanbul, particularly during the summer, as there may be queues to get through security checks.

TRANSPORT FROM THE AIRPORT

Taxis are easy to find outside the arrivals hall of the international terminal. They are the most convenient means of reaching the city centre from the airport; the fare to Taksim or Sultanahmet will be about US$35. The airport bus is an efficient, cheaper way of getting to the city centre. Buses depart every half-hour between 6am and midnight. The bus stop is marked 'Havas' and is
situated outside the main doors of the arrivals hall. The service into Istanbul stops at Ataköy Marina and at Aksaray, from where you can take a tram or taxi to Sultanahmet and Eminönü. It terminates in Taksim Square . If you wish to get off somewhere else along the route, tell the driver before boarding.
Alternatively, there is a suburban rail service from Yeşilköy to Sirkeci, also handy for Sultanahmet. The fastest and most economical way to the city centre is to use the tramway, which runs directly from the airport all the way to Aksaray.

PACKAGE HOLIDAYS

A number of travel companies organize package deals to Istanbul. These offer substantial savings on a stay in some of the city's top hotels, as well as the reassurance of having a company rep on hant I to deal with any problems. Among the specialist firms which do package deals to Istanbul are Anatolian Sky Holidays, President Holidays in the UK, and International Tours and Cruises in the US.

ARRIVING BY TRAIN

The Orient Express no longer runs as far as Istanbul. At present, the only direct train route is from Thessaloniki, in Greece. The main overland route is from Munich via Salzburg, Vienna and Budapest, which is a journey lasting two-and-a-half days. Passengers travelling from London can book through Eurail.
Istanbul has two main-line stations: Sirkeci on the European side and Haydarpaşa on the Asian side. Trains from Europe arrive at Sirkeci Station . Trains from Anatolia and Middle-Eastern cities terminate at Haydarpaşa Station , from where you can take a ferry to the European side.

ARRIVING BY COACH

The leading Turkish coach companies Ulusoy and Varan operate direct services from several European cities to Istanbul. Ulusoy coaches run from Paris, Vienna, Munich, Milan and Athens. Travelling by coach you will arrive at Esenler coach station (otogar), 10 km (6 miles) northwest of Istanbul city centre. Esenler is also the main terminal for domestic connections . Your coach company will probably take you into town in a courtesy minibus. If not, take the tramway from the station in the centre of the otogar, getting on at the platform marked Aksaray. The 83E and 91 buses also go to the city centre. Kamil Koc has a daily service between Istanbul and Athens.

ARRIVING BY CAR

Drivers taking cars into Turkey are asked to show registration documents and a valid driving licence at the port of entry. You will be given a certificate
by the Turkish customs authorities and this should be carried at all times, together with your driving licence and passport. You must have a Green Card (available from your insurance company) if arriving from Europe, and appropriate insurance if you wish to drive in the Asian part of Turkey. The car should be equipped with a fire extinguisher, a first-aid kit and two hazard warning triangles. Foreign drivers may find driving in Istanbul difficult as local traffic travels at dangerously fast speeds. There are public car parks (otopark or kathotoparki), although it can be difficult to get a space.

BY RAIL

By rail, too, you can normally arrange to break your journey and explore the lands you are crossing, but with Hying a cheaper alternative, then unless you have a specific destination en route, train travel should only be considered by those with a deep fear of both flying and buses. For the incurably / romantic with plenty of money and little sense of direction, there is always the Orient Express, but unfortunately it no longer goes as far as Istanbul and you'll have to make your own way from Venice.
The scope of this guide stops at saluting and wishing well the bold and energetic few- who are already convinced to undertake the journey by bycycle...

The Orient Express

Inaugurated in 1883 by a French railway company, the Orient Express soon became the stuff legends are made of. Originally travelling from Paris through Munich, Vienna and Sophia to the Sirkeci station of Istanbul, passengers could continue the journey, travelling by boat across the bosphorus to the Haydarpaşa Railway Station to join the Taurus Express to Anatolia.
Although the route varied throughout the years it ran from Paris to Istanbul, a distance of 3186 kilometers.
A monument to the hedonistic days of the late 19th and early 20th century it was the most luxurious long distance rail journey in the history of travel. Royalty, aristocracy, the rich and the famous travelled regularly on the orient express. Its passenger list read like a volume of "who's who". Gourmet chefs, chandeliers, fully equipped bathrooms, staterooms and dining rooms on par with the Ritz were all part of the train. It takes on a myth like quality in our current times of 'functional' travel.
Woven into the plot of many books, it is remembered today mainly through Agatha Christies book (and later a film) "Murder on the Orient Express".
The Orient Express slowly declined in the 1930s with the Simplon Orient Express and the Arlberg Orient Express partially replacing it. .
In the 1980s the Orient Express was re-introduced by enterpreuneurs running from Paris to Vienna (1390km) and from Stuttgart to Prague (1253km). The "Orient Express" surely being a misnomer for these routes.
Unfortunately in the 1990s we are more interested in the speed we can reach our destination rather than the journey itself. The days of opulent train travel are long gone but the mere mention of the name Orient Express still evoke visions of past glories. (s1)