IST is one of the world's biggest transfer hubs — if you're only connecting, you usually stay airside and never enter Turkey. If you're heading into the city, it's a long way out: the M11 metro or a HAVAIST coach beats a taxi on both price and traffic. The currency is the Turkish lira, and you take a taxi only from the official rank outside — never from a driver who approaches you.
Overall progress0/11
Before you do anything
Just connecting? You probably stay airsideOn one ticket with an international onward flight, follow the 'Transfer' / 'Connecting Flights' signs — you don't clear passport control or collect your bag. See the transfer guide below.
The currency is the Turkish lira (TRY)Prices are in lira, which carries a lot of zeros — check how many digits you're being quoted. Don't change money at the arrivals counters.
112 is the emergency numberTurkey uses a single number, 112, for police, ambulance and fire — it works from any phone, even with no SIM.
You can reach the city with no SIMIstanbul's metro, trams and buses take a contactless Visa/Mastercard (or Apple/Google Pay) directly, so you can travel before sorting out data.
Connecting through IST? Read this
It's one giant terminal — give yourself timeIST has a single terminal, one of the largest in the world. Walking from one end to your gate can take 20–30 minutes. The official minimum connection is 90 minutes for international flights, but allow at least 2 hours on one ticket, and 3 if your flights are on separate tickets.
International-to-international: stay airsideIf both flights are international and on one ticket, follow the 'Transfer' / 'Connecting Flights' signs to transfer security — you don't go through passport control or collect your bag. Your onward gate is on your second boarding pass or the screens.
Missed or tight connection: find a Turkish Airlines Care PointTurkish Airlines runs Care Point desks in the international area, open 24/7, for rebooking. If you missed the connection because your inbound Turkish Airlines flight was late, they normally rebook you at no cost and can arrange a hotel and meals.
Long layover (6–24h) on Turkish Airlines?You may qualify for a free 'Touristanbul' city tour, but you have to be eligible to enter Turkey (a valid e-Visa if your nationality needs one). Ask at the Hotel / Tourism desk in the arrivals area.
Some routes need a free airport transit e-visaA few nationalities transiting IST toward certain Latin American countries must obtain a free Electronic Airport Transit Visa in advance. If that might be you, check evisa.gov.tr before you fly.
Smart habits at any airport
Bussed to the terminal? Get off the plane lastIf there is no jet bridge and a shuttle bus takes you from the aircraft to the terminal, don't rush to be first off the plane. The bus won't leave until it's full, so early boarders just stand and wait — often with no air-conditioning. Get off among the last: you'll be near the doors and step out first when the bus reaches the terminal, putting you at the front of the passport-control queue.
Use a bank's ATM and always decline 'conversion'At any airport, withdraw from a bank's own ATM rather than a standalone machine like Euronet where you have the choice. And whenever a machine or card reader offers to charge you in your home currency, always DECLINE and choose the local currency — 'dynamic currency conversion' hides a markup.
Check your visa before you reach the desk
As of 2026 most Western visitors — including the US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia and New Zealand — enter visa-free for up to 90 days. A smaller set of nationalities still need an e-Visa, bought online before travel; walk-up visa desks at the airport have closed, so don't count on sorting it on arrival. Check the rule for your own passport before you fly.
Scam warning: If you do need an e-Visa, the only official site is evisa.gov.tr. Look-alike sites charge a large 'service fee' for the same e-Visa — avoid them.
Follow the signs to passport control and join the lane for your passport type. Have your passport open at the photo page and your hotel or Turkish address to hand. Queues can be long when several big flights land together.
20–45 min at busy times
Customs: green channel if nothing to declare
Walk out through the green 'nothing to declare' channel unless you're over the duty-free limits or carrying restricted goods.
Find your belt on the screens — it may be a long walk
Check the baggage screens for your flight number to find the carousel. The terminal is vast, so the reclaim hall can be a 5–10 minute walk from your gate; follow the 'Baggage Claim' signs. Keep your bag-tag receipt until you've left the airport.
If your bag doesn't arrive, don't leave the hall
File a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at your airline's baggage desk in the reclaim hall before you exit — it's much harder to sort out once you've left.
Tip: Photograph your bag and its tag before you fly; it speeds up any claim.
Get lira from a bank ATM, not an exchange counter
Withdraw Turkish lira from a bank's own ATM in the arrivals area — Ziraat, Garanti BBVA, İş Bankası and Yapı Kredi all have machines there, at close to the real rate. Choose to be charged in lira (TRY) and decline any offer to convert to your home currency.
The Travelex and exchange desks in the terminal give clearly worse rates than a bank ATM or a city exchange office. Change money here only if you must, and only the little you need right now.
A SIM is optional — an eSIM is the easy choice
You can ride into the city on a contactless bank card with no SIM at all. If you do want local data, Turkcell, Vodafone and Türk Telekom have kiosks in arrivals, but airport tourist SIMs are pricey — a travel eSIM is usually cheaper and simpler.
Tip: Turkey only requires you to register a foreign phone's IMEI if you use a Turkish SIM in it for more than ~120 days — not an issue on a normal trip. Roaming or an eSIM avoids it entirely.
Best value: the M11 metro
The M11 metro runs from the airport (station on the -2 transport level — follow the signs) to Gayrettepe in about 30 minutes, avoiding road traffic. At Gayrettepe change to the M2 line for Şişli, Osmanbey, Taksim and Şişhane. Tap a contactless bank card or an İstanbulkart at the gate.
~30 min · runs ~06:00–00:00≈50–75 TL with İstanbulkart
Direct coach: HAVAIST bus
HAVAIST coaches run 24/7 from the -2 transport level to Taksim, Beşiktaş and other districts — handy if the metro doesn't reach your area or you have a lot of luggage. Tap a contactless card to pay; no ticket or İstanbulkart needed.
60–90 min depending on traffic≈170–515 TL by route (≈₺425 to Taksim)
Taxi: official rank only — never a tout
The airport is far from the centre, so a taxi is the priciest option and slow in traffic. Take only an official yellow taxi from the rank outside arrivals — never a driver who approaches you inside the terminal. Fares to the centre run about ₺2,100–2,800 including motorway and bridge tolls; airport runs increasingly use a published fixed fare rather than the meter, so agree the fare up front or confirm the meter (taksimetre) is running before you set off. Ordering through the BiTaksi or Uber app gets you a licensed car with the trip on record.
Scam warning: Touts inside the terminal offering a 'taxi' are unofficial and charge far more. Use only the official rank, watch the route on your phone, and beware the note-swap trick — count the cash you hand over.
45–90 min in traffic≈2,100–2,800 TL to the centre incl. tolls
Something went wrong? Emergency help
My bag didn't arrive
Before leaving the baggage hall, file a PIR at your airline's baggage desk and keep your tag receipt and a photo of the bag. You'll get a reference number to track the claim.
I missed my connection
If you're flying Turkish Airlines, go to a Care Point in the international area (open 24/7); otherwise find your own airline's transfer desk. If the connection was missed because your inbound flight was late, the airline normally rebooks you — and may cover a hotel and meals.
Lost or stolen passport
Report it to airport police, then contact your country's embassy or consulate for an emergency travel document. Keep a photo of your passport's ID page on your phone before you travel.
Medical emergency
Go to an airport medical point or information desk, or call the local emergency number (shown in this airport's arrival tips) — it usually works from any phone, even with no SIM. Numbers differ by country, so don't assume 112 works everywhere.
An ATM kept my card
Do not leave immediately — note the ATM's bank and location, then call your card issuer to block the card. Machines inside bank branches are safer to retrieve from than standalone ones.