Kadıköy transfer and taxi from Sabiha Gökçen and IST

Kadıköy stands on the site of ancient Chalcedon, on the northern shore of the Sea of Marmara facing the historic peninsula. Today it is a lively residential and commercial district with bars, cinemas, bookshops and a busy food market right next to the ferry quay.

Bağdat Avenue, one of Turkey's most famous shopping streets, runs through the district towards Bostancı. Moda, on its own small peninsula, is part of Kadıköy too, and has a page of its own here.

Ferries are the most visible transport in Kadıköy: they leave the quay for Eminönü, Karaköy and Beşiktaş on the European shore. The historic Haydarpaşa station building stands just north of the centre.

Söğütlüçeşme, a short way inland, is a railway and Metrobüs interchange, and high-speed trains stop there. Rail travellers continuing to an airport can be collected from a nearby address; that ride is priced on WhatsApp.

The streets around the market and the ferry quay are partly pedestrian and always busy. Hotels in the centre are reached from the surrounding avenues, and the driver stops at the nearest point a car can legally use.

Further out, along Bağdat Avenue and in quarters such as Göztepe, Caddebostan and Suadiye, drop-off is simpler, though parking on the avenue itself is tight.

Short-stay apartments are common in the backstreets between the market and Moda. If yours has only a small door between shops, add the building name or the shop next door to the booking note.

At Sabiha Gökçen or Istanbul Airport, the driver waits right at the exit door you come out of, holding a printed sign with your name. Your flight is tracked; delays cost nothing.

For your departure, Kadıköy to Sabiha Gökçen measures about 35 km and 26 minutes on free roads, and Kadıköy to Istanbul Airport about 50 km and 48 minutes. A traffic estimate of 35 to 45 minutes to SAW is more realistic at busy times.

Flying out of IST from Kadıköy means crossing the Bosphorus, and the bridges are slowest at weekday rush hours, so be generous with the margin.

From IST, the van crosses the Bosphorus and comes into Kadıköy from the north or from the motorway; at peak hours, the crossing is where most of the time goes.

Pay the driver at the end of the ride, never in advance: euros, pounds or Turkish lira in cash, or Visa or Mastercard on the terminal in the car, contactless included.

Child seats are free on request with the children's ages, and so are pushchairs and folding wheelchairs that fit the vehicle. A return between SAW and Kadıköy in the Eco Van costs €100; between IST and Kadıköy, €140.

To ask before booking, send Kadıköy as the destination on WhatsApp. The booking needs the date, the time and the address.