In the largest city of Turkey - Istanbul - there are two air harbors. And both of them have international status. But Sabiha Gokcen Airport (the first Turkish military pilot) accepts mainly domestic flights or low-cost airline planes. If you are not traveling with a low-cost airline, then you will most likely be met by the main air harbor of Turkey - Ataturk. The airport is named after the leader of the Turkish people, which only emphasizes its important status. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was the first president of the republic and is still considered a national hero. And by the way, Sabiha Gokcen was his adopted daughter. In this article, we will focus on the country's main airport, whose full name sounds like İstanbul Atatürk Havalimanı. How not to get lost in this huge transport hub? How to get to the city center without any problems? Are there any nearby hotels? Can I change the currency or leave luggage in the luggage room? How to return the VAT? We will try to answer all these questions below.
Brief description of Ataturk Airport
Travelers in their reviews are often surprised at how huge the host air port seems to be from above. It is even more impressive when passengers pass along the sleeves to huge terminals. And if you get acquainted with the statistics on the harbor, then there will be no amazement. Ataturk International Airport is the largest in the country, the third in Europe in the number of passengers served and the eleventh in the world. In 2015, the flow of travelers reached 61 million people! This prompted the Turkish authorities to build a third airport in Istanbul. And the main harbor was no longer possible to expand, since the overgrown metropolis surrounded it on three sides with residential quarters, and on the fourth is the Sea of ​​Marmara. Now the airport looks like a town with its shops, hotels, parking lots, cargo docks and other infrastructure. Its area is 9.5 million square meters, of which 62.5 thousand m 2 is occupied by terminals. The hub is the headquarters of Turkish Airlines, Onur Air and Atlasglobal.
Airport History
The hub was built at the dawn of Turkish aviation, back in 1912. True, then it was a military airport. After the passions subsided after World War I, it was decided to convert it to the needs of civil aviation. In 1938, the first terminal for passengers was built. Soon, the geographical map of flights expanded significantly (initially flights were only operated along the Istanbul-Ankara route). Passenger traffic has also grown. Therefore, in 1953, the old terminal was demolished, and a new one was built in its place that meets international requirements for international airports. For a long time, the hub was called Yeshilkey, a village in the Bakyrkey district where it is located. And since 1980, it became known as Ataturk Airport. Since this is the main air gate of the country, the Turkish government spares no funds for its reconstruction. The latter took place in the late 90s. As a result, the terminals received modern elevators, escalators and travelators, new stores and cafes were opened, and free Wi-Fi was launched.
Terminals
The airport consists of three buildings. One stands apart - this is a cargo terminal. The other two are interconnected by a convenient underground passage. If you are arriving from Russia and want to travel further by air, for example, to Antalya, then you need to go through passport control and go from terminal “I” (“International”) to “D” (“Domestic”), from where domestic flights operate . But if you are in Istanbul only passing through, and expect to board the next airliner that goes beyond Turkey, you do not need to leave the transit zone of Ataturk Airport. Convenient telescopic traps allow you to quickly and without experiencing the vagaries of the weather to move from the aircraft to the terminal building. Does connecting flight depart after 12 hours or more? Right in the transit zone there is an Air Side branch of the TAV Hotel. The other half is a five-minute walk from the terminals. Departure and arrival halls are located on different floors of buildings.
How to spend time at the airport
Even for the most budget travelers in the harbor, all the conditions for comfortable waiting for flights are created. You can charge mobile phones and laptops for free, use the wireless Internet. There are enough snack bars (Burger King, McDonald's, Starbucks Cafe) and restaurants, shops and souvenir shops in any hall of the two passenger terminals. We already mentioned the hotel at Ataturk Airport. TAV Hotel helps those travelers who arrive in Istanbul late in the evening or leave early in the morning. "Land Side" - a hotel branch near the international terminal - is available to everyone. You can also settle in the Air Side, but they are allowed there only after a check-in for boarding passes. If you book a hotel in advance, the room will cost you less. In 5-10 minutes drive from the airport there are about five more hotels of world chains, in particular, SAS “Radisson”, “Holiday Inn”, “Marritt”, “Sheraton”. If the flight waiting time is limited to 2-3 hours, you can use one of the VIP lounges with upholstered furniture and other amenities. In case you want to go on a city tour, leave your luggage in the luggage room.
Where can I fly from the airport?
More than a hundred airlines send their liners here. The departure board from Ataturk Airport is unlikely to fit, if reproduced, on one page, but it is available on the hub’s website. Istanbul is connected with all countries of Europe, many states of North Africa and the Near East, Middle and Southeast Asia, the USA. It is in this air harbor that Aeroflot planes arrive from Moscow and St. Petersburg. The Turkish airline Atlasglobal operates flights from Krasnodar, Makhachkala, the capital Sheremetyevo, Nizhny Novgorod, Volgograd, Samara. Onur Air will deliver passengers to Istanbul from Chelyabinsk, Grozny, Nalchik, Rostov-on-Don. And the flagship of Turkish civil aviation, Turkish Airlines connects the City on two continents with more than one hundred hundred airports in the world. It should be said that, in accordance with the requirements for modern hubs with international status, you can check-in online at İstanbul Atatürk Havalimanı.
How to get from the air harbor to the city is expensive and fast
The airport is located in the European part of Istanbul. If we consider the center of the city as Sultanahmet Square, then the hub is located 24 kilometers west of it. Therefore, unlike Sabiha Gokcen Airport, getting to Istanbul is simple and easy. Consider all the options. The most hassle-free, but also the most expensive way to get to the city is to transfer from Ataturk Airport. In the arrivals hall, together with the crowd of people who meet you, a driver will be waiting for you with a sign on which your name will be indicated. He will help you with your luggage and take you to the specified address. At the same time, you can pre-select a car of the appropriate class - from economy to executive. The second way is to rent a car. There are plenty of rental offices in the arrivals halls. Taxis at Ataturk Airport (Istanbul) can also be ordered online. A trip to the city center will last about half an hour. For landing, you need to pay two and a half lira and another one and a half - for each kilometer of the way. On average, a taxi ride to the center will cost 50 lira (for reference: 1 lira is 15 rubles).
How to get from the airport to the city quickly and cheaply. Metro
Experienced travelers are advised to take a taxi only if you need to get to remote areas of Istanbul. Why pay for standing in traffic jams if you can get to the city for the same half hour and spend four liras at the same time? Ataturk Airport is connected to Istanbul by a light metro line. Half the way will go underground. How to get to the final metro stop called “Havalimani” (Airport)? The station is located directly below the international terminal. Having received your luggage and going to the arrivals hall, follow the signs for the Metro / Subway to the escalator. In front of the station there are a ticket office and coin vending machines. If you plan to ride only once from the airport to the city, it is more profitable to buy the latter. One token costs 4 lira. But if you want to actively use public transport in the metropolis, purchase Istambulkart (10 lira). If necessary, it can be replenished with money. Moreover, one trip on the map will cost you not four, but only 2.5 lira. The metro line runs from the airport to the Fatih and Aksaray districts, making 23 stops along the way. To quickly see the main attractions of Istanbul, you need to drive to the Zeytinburnu station, go to the surface of the earth and transfer to the T1 tram. He will take you to the Sultanahmet district, where Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Cisterns, Hippodrome and other tourist places are located.
Get to know Istanbul
The first option is suitable for those travelers who have a margin of time of at least three hours. Of these, 90 minutes will go on a round trip. And if you have more time left, we offer you another trip option in order to better get acquainted with the sights of the greatest city of Turkey. Ataturk – Aksaray Airport: This subway journey takes less than half an hour. Then you can walk to Sultanahmet Square. A two and a half kilometer path runs along the picturesque Laleli district and the busy Ordu Street. Passing by the Blue Mosque and the Sultan's Palace, you go down to the sea, to the embankments of Karakoy and Eminenu, from where you can take a ferry from the Kabatash pier to the Princes' Islands or take a boat trip along the Golden Horn. You can cross the picturesque Galata bridge or take the funicular to the Taksim area.
Istanbul in transit
Many travelers arrive at Ataturk Airport, and then go aboard a low-cost bonfire to other countries. In this case, they are interested in how to quickly get to the second, smaller air harbor of Istanbul. Salihi Airport from Ataturk Hub can only be reached with a change at Taksim Square. So that the journey does not take you much time, look for the express bus stop at the exit from the arrivals hall. They are called Havatash. Large white cars are easily recognizable by the inscription “Havatas” on the side. Make sure that the bus goes exactly to Taksim, as another “Khavatash” goes to the final stop “Port Yenikapi” (the European part of the city). The fare is ten lire. Traveling at night lasting half an hour can stretch during rush hours to one and a half. Therefore, if you are in a hurry, it is better to get to the Saliha hub of the metro, by light rail or cable car, ferry, and then by bus.
In Turkey by bus or train
Now information for those passengers who, having arrived at Ataturk Airport, wish to travel around the country by land transport. Buses in Turkey are very comfortable, air-conditioned, with wide folding seats, service and Wi-Fi on board. They go on schedule, and travel to them is relatively cheap. Getting to the main bus station in Istanbul is very simple. From the international terminal, take the metro and go to the Esenler Otogar stop. Rise to the surface - and you are already at the main bus station of the city. The path to Harem station is more winding. It is located in the Asian part of the city, while the airport is in the European part. Therefore, you need to take the metro to the Eminenu embankment, find the Harem pier, cross the Bosphorus and look for the bus station. Bairampasha Otogar can be reached by city metro. Travelers who choose rail transport need to get to Sirkeci Main Station. It is located very conveniently - a stone's throw from the metro stop of the same name. The hardest thing to get to the Haydarpasa railway station in the Asian part of Istanbul. You need to go by metro to the stop Eminenu. Then catch a ferry and get off at the Khaidarpash pier.
How to get from the city to Istanbul Ataturk Air Harbor
The public transport network in the metropolis is very extensive. In the daytime, give preference to the metro or light rail, which moves along a dedicated line and does not depend on traffic jams. Literally from every point in Istanbul you can drive up to the subway station.
How to refund VAT
Present purchases in excess of one hundred lire, forms and receipts at customs. After receiving the stamp, go to one of the three VAT refund points located in the departure hall. Only one of them is working around the clock - Global Blue. In the daytime, Turk Tax-Refand and DSD Refund are open.
Ataturk Airport: reviews
Travelers are pleasantly surprised by the level of service in the main air harbor of Turkey. The airport is equipped with the latest technology. Despite its huge size, it is almost impossible to get lost in the terminals, since the inscriptions in Turkish are duplicated in English and pictures. Passengers with children assure that the kids will not be bored here - everywhere there are corners with toys and playgrounds with slides and swings. Shopaholics delighted with the local duty-free. Airport staff are extremely polite and show Turkish hospitality.