Istanbul Airport Transfer 2027: Hotel, Sultanahmet, Fatih, Prices and Times for Russian Travellers

Istanbul airport transfer to your hotel is arranged by us in a Mercedes Vito VIP: $60 per vehicle (about 4,830 roubles at the Central Bank of Russia rate of 31.10.2026, $1 = 80.56 ₽), up to six people with luggage, airports IST and SAW. The driver meets you with a name sign, tracks your flight and takes you to the hotel entrance. All vehicles and routes are on the Istanbul transfers page. Send a request for today or tomorrow on WhatsApp and we will tell you whether a vehicle is free.

Below is what Russian travellers search for most on this topic: how to get from the airport to Sultanahmet, Fatih and the centre, what Havaist, a taxi and the metro cost, which airport your flight uses and how to pay when Russian cards do not work abroad. If you also want the city after the transfer, see our Istanbul tours with a Russian-speaking guide.

Which airport does your flight use: IST or Sabiha Gökçen

Airport transfer by Mercedes Vito, from $60 per vehicle

Istanbul has two big airports. Istanbul Airport (IST) is on the European side, on the Black Sea coast, roughly 50 km from the Old City. Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) is on the Asian side near Pendik, while most hotels that tourists choose are in Sultanahmet, Taksim and Karaköy on the European side. So from SAW the road almost always crosses the Bosphorus.

Your ticket shows which airport you need, and check it before you buy: schedules change. Below is what we could find from airlines and aggregators (Tutu, Uniticket) as of 01.11.2026. It is a guide, not a timetable.

From St Petersburg, Kazan, Sochi, Yekaterinburg and other cities, flights and airports change by season, so check the carrier's timetable. If you connect through a third country, the arrival airport is also on your ticket. Once you send us your flight number we see the airport and arrival time ourselves.

How to get from the airport to Sultanahmet, Fatih and the centre

Classic private full-day Istanbul tour, from $200

Fatih is the district that includes Sultanahmet, Aksaray, Laleli and Eminönü, that is, almost the whole Old City. Anyone searching for an airport transfer to Fatih or Sultanahmet needs the same options as for the centre. Times and prices below come from public sources and our tour page, with roubles converted at the Central Bank of Russia rate of 31.10.2026 ($1 = 80.56 ₽, 10 lira = 16.17 ₽).

The price of our car does not depend on the number of passengers: with three people it is about $20 each, with six about $10 (about 1,600 and 800 ₽). For one traveller with a backpack the bus or metro is cheaper, and we say so plainly. A private transfer starts to win from three passengers, with children, at night and when the hotel is on the narrow streets of Sultanahmet where the bus does not reach.

Havaist, metro or taxi: what to choose from IST

Private Istanbul tour by Mercedes Vito, from $220 per group

Havaist is a bus service with stops by the arrivals hall. According to Kings World Transfer, citing hava.ist on 13.10.2026, line HVL-13 runs to Sultanahmet and Çatladıkapı via Eminönü and HVL-9 to Taksim via Beşiktaş, both for 470 TL. You pay by bank card, Istanbulkart or online ticket; cash is not accepted on board. Other sites give other amounts, and some report that the Sultanahmet line is temporarily suspended while others give its timetable, so check the price and route on hava.ist on the day of travel. If the line is closed, take the bus to Aksaray and then tram T1 to Sultanahmet.

Metro M11 runs from the airport to Gayrettepe station, about 30 minutes according to the airport's website, and then you change to M2 for Taksim. It is the cheapest option, but with two suitcases and children it is tiring: steps, long walks between lines, late flights.

The yellow taxi runs on the meter: according to Posta for 2026, a 65.40 TL opening fee and 43.56 TL per kilometre. Over 50 km that is about 2,200 TL, plus tolls if they are on the route. Ask for the meter to be switched on and do not accept "fixed price" offers from people in the arrivals hall. Yandex Go, as reported on 22.06.2026, started operating in Istanbul with the Economy and Comfort tariffs; we have not checked payment with a Russian card in Istanbul, so keep cash. If you want a door-to-door pick-up at the hotel, book a private transfer in advance.

Transfer from Sabiha Gökçen to Istanbul

Airport transfer by Mercedes Vito, from $60 per vehicle

If your Pegasus or Pobeda flight lands at SAW, the drive to Sultanahmet usually takes 60–90 minutes by road and about 35–50 to Kadıköy; on Friday evenings and at rush hours 07:30–10:00 and 17:00–20:00 add half an hour to forty minutes. Our car also meets you at SAW. SAW is farther from the European-side hotels than IST, so we quote after we have your flight and hotel and fix the price in advance: it will not grow if the drive takes longer. More on this airport is on our Sabiha Gökçen transfer page.

For a do-it-yourself ride there are Havabüs to Taksim and Kadıköy and the M4 metro with a change to Marmaray. The time is about 1.5 hours with two changes, and it is the heaviest option with big luggage. The Havabüs fare was not confirmed in our check, so see hava.ist.

Arriving at IST: passport control, meeting, SIM and money

Classic private full-day Istanbul tour, from $200

Passport control. Russians with an ordinary foreign passport need no visa for a tourist trip of up to 60 days, according to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs; check this on mfa.gov.tr before you fly. According to tour operators' reference notes, the passport must be valid for at least 120 days from the date of entry. The queue depends on arrival time, and in the evening and at night several flights often land together, so allow up to an hour before you reach the baggage hall.

Meeting. Our driver waits at the arrivals exit with a name sign and helps with luggage, and if your flight is late the pick-up time moves, because the driver tracks it in real time. How long the car waits free of charge after landing is not stated on the tour page, so ask on WhatsApp. Parking and tolls are included in the price, tips are not.

SIM and money. You can buy a SIM card in the arrivals hall with your passport; many find an eSIM set up before departure easier. Currency exchange at the airport is usually poor, so change a small amount and the rest in the city. Russian cards do not work abroad, and that is the main practical question below.

How a Russian traveller pays when cards do not work

Mir is not accepted in Turkey, and Visa and Mastercard cards from Russian banks do not work abroad. With us the booking is confirmed in writing, you pay after confirmation, and cancellation is free up to 7 days before the trip. You can pay in cash in dollars or euros or by a Visa or Mastercard issued outside Russia. If you have neither, tell us in your first message.

More on money, cards and flights for a trip from Russia is in our article on travelling to Istanbul from Russia. For a taxi keep some Turkish lira in cash (Havaist takes cards and Istanbulkart only): change only a little at the airport, the rate is better in the city.

Night flights, children and groups

Private Istanbul tour by Mercedes Vito, from $220 per group

The transfer runs 24 hours, and it suits night arrivals best: Havaist and the metro run less often at night, and in Sultanahmet you have to find the hotel entrance in the dark. A night surcharge is not stated on the tour page, so ask for the price on WhatsApp and give your flight number.

With children, a child seat is available on request; give the child's age when booking. It is not included in the price. For a family of five or six one car is often cheaper than six bus tickets plus a taxi from the stop. For groups of more than six we have a separate option by minibus, described on the minivan transfer page.

After the transfer many people take a full day in the city. Choose private Istanbul tours with a Russian-speaking guide, whose language we confirm in writing for your date before payment, or a day with a driver and no guide. Drivers speak Turkish and a little English, and we do not promise a Russian-speaking driver.

Transfer to Bulgaria, Burgas and Sunny Beach

People from Russia sometimes look for a car from Istanbul to Burgas and Sunny Beach. We arrange such a trip on request: send the date, number of people and pick-up place on WhatsApp and we will reply. We do not state a price in this article, because it depends on the route and the border crossing, and we do not want to write what we have not confirmed. For other routes and vehicles see the Istanbul transfers page.

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