Istanbul advice sought, please

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romney said:
Your bottom must be much more attractive than mine - hubby wasn't required :)

The hot air ballooning at Capadocia was amazing!
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It was all I could do to keep my hands off your bottom in Athens…

On that note, I see our team was tops.
 
RooFlyer said:
One of my phobias when travelling is getting a taxi from an airport for the first time. Been ripped off a couple of times, in spite of precautions.

Doesn't look like the FS Sultanahmet do a transfer from SAW,...
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I remember getting ripped of by the taxis in Istanbul ! Especially the one from the hotel to the cruise terminal - we went miles out of the way !!

Anyway I have this website on my travel favourites - it does SAW -

Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport Transfer

another idea is to email the hotel and get them to recommend a car service to pick you up.
 
mrs.dr.ron said:
I remember getting ripped of by the taxis in Istanbul ! Especially the one from the hotel to the cruise terminal - we went miles out of the way !!

Anyway I have this website on my travel favourites - it does SAW -

Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport Transfer

another idea is to email the hotel and get them to recommend a car service to pick you up.
Click to expand...


Thanks! "I hate taxis . com" sounds like my kind of web site :). Have e-mailed the Four Season to see what they come up with but I suspect it'll be one at Four Seasons prices ...
 
.... anyway the other conversation that's going on here sounds much more interesting :mrgreen:
 
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RooFlyer said:
One of my phobias when travelling is getting a taxi from an airport for the first time. Been ripped off a couple of times, in spite of precautions.

Doesn't look like the FS Sultanahmet do a transfer from SAW, so can anyone give me some tips for getting a taxi there, such as:

* Do you get the off the kerb, self service?
* Or do you 'book' one through a counter inside or outside the arrivals hall?
* Metred and/or fixed price (hopefully not bargaining)?
* Do you have to go through the more expensive lot of taxis before you get to the normal ones (the trap I usually fall for)
.

Off next week ...
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We caught a bus (more like a coach than a public bus) called Havabus or Havatas from right outside the terminal to Taksim Square as we were staying there. It cost 14TL each. So for two of us around $14AUD. I'm not sure if there is a similar service to Sultanahmet.

Our AirBnB host said it would cost us around $60USD for a taxi, and it would probably another $10-$15 to Sultanahmet. We were also approached at the airport by one of the transfer companies to share a car to Taksim with another couple for 40Euro. There was an issue with the other couple, and the price went up to 60Euro by ourselves - again, add on a bit more for Sultanahmet. So those prices can be a guide for you.

We didn't catch a taxi anywhere in Istanbul, so I can't comment on how good they are, how much they try to rip you off, or whether to use the meter. We found trams and trains better to get around because the traffic was awful most of the time.
 
I read a few years ago about the problems with cabs in Istanbul, on Lonely Planet. The advice given was the way it turned out, as others have said, keep to the buses, trams and trains. From memory, negotiating a fare, then claiming on arrival that they cant change whatever denomination of cash you offer; maniac driving; circuitous routes, and it was worse before they de-valued their currency whereby ever tourist was fair game with the large numbers of zeros on their currency.
 
We had no issues with cabs in Istanbul ... found them quite friendly.
 
Well, the reply from the Four Seasons re transfer from the airport was worth waiting for.

One way transfer, from SAW to the hotel, with their car (Merc)... 285 euro (A$440) :shock: :shock: ... but they throw in VIP meet and immigration fast track!

Metered taxi about 160 TL or A$75 they say.

Hmmmmm ...


... can I have some thinking music, please?
 
We booked transfers with Travelium through Expedia. They were very good in Istanbul. Not so great in Bodrum. Very inexpensive from memory. You book through Expedia at a special rate then deal with Travelium directly for the details. We did this in May 2015 with a group of 6.
 
I took a conventional taxi from and to the airport without any drama or excessive cost - certainly nothing that stuck in my memory as a bad experience.
 
If you have a checked bag, make sure you look at it very well on arrival. We had the TSA locks cut off - damaging both bags. This was at IST.
 
Another who took a conventional taxi to/from IST to Sultanahmet. They're available from the kerb, just walk up to them. If someone asks if you want a taxi ignore them to avoid being asked to pay them a tip.
 
I took the bus from right out the front of the terminal. Very inexpensive, designed for luggage and aircon and you do not have to deal with taxi drivers.
 
Where did it go to? My Lonely Planet says bus services from SAW go to Taksim and Kadikoy, both a long way from my hotel in Sultanahmet, so would require a taxi at the end.
 
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