Getting to your Sultanahmet hotel: access in the Old City's narrow lanes

Sultanahmet sits on the historic peninsula, the oldest part of Istanbul, between the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara. The monuments that bring visitors here, Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Topkapı Palace, stand within a few minutes' walk of one another, and a dense cluster of small hotels fills the streets around them.

Those streets were laid out long before cars. Many are narrow, some are cobbled, several run steeply downhill towards the sea, and the squares around the main monuments are pedestrian areas. A van can reach most hotel doors, but not always by the most obvious route, and occasionally not at all.

• One-way lanes mean the driver may approach your hotel from an unexpected direction.
• Some lanes are too tight for a larger vehicle such as a Sprinter.
• Delivery vans and parked cars can slow the last few hundred metres.

A hotel name alone is often not enough in Sultanahmet. Several small hotels use similar words such as "Sultan", "Palace" or "Old City" in their names.

1. 01Copy the address from your confirmationUse the street (sokak or caddesi), the building number and the neighbourhood (mahalle) exactly as the hotel or booking site lists them.
2. 02Add the hotel's phone numberIf the driver needs to check the entrance, a call to reception settles it in a minute.
3. 03Mention a side entranceSome hotels have a second door on a lane a car can reach more easily. If your confirmation mentions one, include it.

If your hotel stands on a pedestrian lane, the driver stops at the nearest point a vehicle may legally reach. In most cases that is a short walk from the entrance, and the driver points out the way.

Suitcases with good wheels manage cobbles reasonably well; very heavy cases and pushchairs are harder on the slopes. Hotels in the Old City are used to this situation, so it is worth asking reception whether someone can meet you at the corner.

On the way back to the airport, the same applies in reverse. Agree with reception where the car should wait, and tell us when you book the return so the driver goes straight to that spot.

Sultanahmet, Eminönü and Fatih are on the European side, the same side as Istanbul Airport. Sabiha Gökçen is on the Asian side, so a ride from there crosses the Bosphorus.

• From IST: €50 in the Eco Van, €60 in the Vito, €65 in the V-Class and €80 in the Sprinter.
• From SAW: €70, €80, €85 and €100 for the same vehicles.
• Return trip: twice the one-way fare, with the trip back to the airport costing the same as the trip in.

For groups heading to an Old City hotel, mention the street when you ask about the Sprinter. If the lane is too narrow for the minibus, dispatch may suggest two smaller vehicles instead, and tells you the fare before you confirm.

The Old City is reached from IST on the European side's main roads and from SAW across the Bosphorus. Both routes meet the dense traffic of the historic centre at the end, where the last stretch through the lanes can be slow at busy times of day.

For the measured distance and drive time from each airport, see the Sultanahmet district page and the route pages, which show one figure per leg and a range for rush hour.

The departure leg needs a little more planning than the arrival, because the clock is fixed by the airline. Airlines usually ask you to be at the airport two hours before a European flight and three hours before a long-haul one; check what your airline says for your ticket.

• Agree the pick-up spot with reception the evening before, especially if the car cannot reach the door.
• Bring the bags down a few minutes early, since the walk to the car may take longer on cobbles.
• Allow extra time for the slow streets of the peninsula on top of the drive itself.

Book the ride with the hotel address, the date and your flight time. Dispatch suggests a pick-up time, and the driver collects you at the agreed spot for the same fare as the arrival: €50 to IST or €70 to SAW in the Eco Van.

In the Fare Pass, choose your airport and type the hotel name or "Sultanahmet" as the destination. The fare appears at once. To send the booking, add the date, the landing time and the full street address.

• Give the flight number so we can track the landing; a delay costs nothing.
• Say how many suitcases you have, so the right vehicle comes for the lanes and the luggage.
• Pay the driver at the end of the ride in EUR, GBP or lira cash, or by Visa or Mastercard. There is no prepayment.

Your driver meets you at the airport's exit door with your name on a printed sign, and the rest of the journey ends at your hotel's door or as close to it as the Old City allows.