Sabiha Gökçen transfer and taxi (SAW)

Sabiha Gökçen Airport is in Pendik and Kurtköy, on the Asian side of Istanbul, and the airport's own transport page describes it as reached via the TEM motorway. That puts the Asian districts on the same side: Kadıköy and Moda, Üsküdar, Çengelköy, Ataşehir, Bostancı, Maltepe, Kartal and Pendik, Tuzla and Beykoz. Every one of them is €50 in the Eco Van.

The historic peninsula, Taksim, Galata, Beşiktaş, Şişli and every other European district are on the far bank. Reaching them means a Bosphorus bridge or the Eurasia Tunnel, so they cost €70. A connection to Istanbul Airport is also €70.

Some of the Asian side's addresses are close to the airport: Kartal, Pendik, Tuzla and Maltepe lie along the Sea of Marmara shore, south of the airport. Others, like Beykoz and Çengelköy, are up the Bosphorus shore on the Asian bank. Distance does not change the fare inside the city; the shore does.

One way, per vehicle, from Sabiha Gökçen; the add-on for each class is the same at both airports:

• Eco Van, for up to six people: €50 on the Asian side, €70 to the European side.
• Mercedes Vito: €60 on the Asian side, €80 across the strait.
• Mercedes V-Class: €65 on the Asian side, €85 across the strait.
• Mercedes Sprinter, for up to 16 people: €80 on the Asian side, €100 across the strait.

A round trip from SAW to Kadıköy and back in the Eco Van is €100; the same round trip to Taksim is €140. The price is agreed when you book and stays the same if your flight is late or the motorway is slow.

Esenyurt, on the far western edge of the European side, is €70 from SAW like every other European district. Galataport, the cruise port in Karaköy, is also a cross-side ride from Sabiha Gökçen at €70; from Istanbul Airport it is €50.

Sabiha Gökçen has a single terminal building. According to sabihagokcen.aero, its arrivals level has a domestic and an international landside area, with car-hire desks in both, bank branches on the domestic side and a post office on the international side.

1. 01Passport and bagsAfter passport control and baggage claim, follow the signs out of the international or domestic arrivals area.
2. 02Look for your nameYour driver waits right at the exit door you come out of at Sabiha Gökçen, holding a printed sign with your name.
3. 03Out to the vehicleThe driver walks you to the van; you pay at the end of the ride, by card or cash.

Passport queues vary with the time of day and the number of flights landing together. If you are held up, a WhatsApp message to dispatch lets the driver know; waiting for a delayed flight is free.

Before you fly, send dispatch the name for the sign and the flight number, and keep a phone that can receive WhatsApp messages. SAW has free Wi-Fi in the terminal, which is enough to message the driver if you have no roaming data.

The airport states that taxis and all public transport wait in front of the terminal building at arrivals level, and that taxis run around the clock. They charge by the taximeter, and on a trip to the European side the route and the crossing shape the final amount.

Our transfer is priced before you travel: one fixed euro amount per vehicle, set by the side of the city you are going to. For a couple with light bags the airport taxi rank may be enough; for a family, a late arrival or a hotel on the other continent, knowing the figure in advance is the point of booking.

A larger group changes the picture again. Six people with luggage fit one Eco Van at one fare, and up to 16 people fit the Sprinter, so there is no need to split into two taxis and agree two meter readings at the other end.

Havabus runs coaches from SAW to Taksim and to Kadıköy; times change, so check havabus.com. The M4 metro has served Sabiha Gökçen since its airport station opened on 2 October 2022, and it heads towards Kadıköy on the Asian side. An Istanbulkart, sold at İETT kiosks, works on the metro, buses, ferries and Marmaray.

We publish no public-transport fares because they change too often; the operators' own websites are the reliable source. If you are heading for the European side with suitcases, count the changes: a coach or metro ride plus a ferry or a second line can take longer than the direct drive.

Three road bridges and one road tunnel cross the Bosphorus: the 15 July Martyrs Bridge, the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge and the Eurasia Tunnel. Marmaray, the rail tunnel, carries trains only. Which crossing the driver uses depends on the destination and the traffic on the day, so we never promise a particular route.

Whichever way the van goes, the cross-side fare stays at €70 for the Eco Van. That is the whole reason for the two-price rule: a longer drive with a crossing costs a little more, and a ride that stays on one shore costs less.

For departures, the airport asks domestic passengers to use the east entrance and international passengers the west entrance; tell the driver which kind of flight you have. The pick-up is at your hotel's main entrance or the address you send, at the same fare as the arrival leg.

Plan for your airline's check-in advice, usually two hours before a European flight and three before a long-haul one, then add the drive and a margin for traffic. Rides from the European side cross the Bosphorus, where the slowest hours are weekday rush hours and Friday evenings. Dispatch suggests a pick-up time once it has your flight number.

If your hotel is on the Asian side, the ride to SAW stays on one shore and is €50. If you have not booked a hotel yet and your flights use Sabiha Gökçen, a base in Kadıköy or Üsküdar keeps both airport rides at the lower fare and puts the ferries to the European side within easy reach.