TRANSPORTATION

BY AIRWAY

Istanbul is located almost at the center point of the world where two continents meet each other, and therefore easily accessible from all over the world. Being a central hub for flight routes, there are direct flights to Istanbul from all continents and many countries / cities.

There are two international airports in Istanbul; Istanbul Airport (IST) located in the European side of the city and Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW) located in the Asian side of the city.

How to travel to the Conference venue from the airports?

From both airports, the Conference venue (located very close to the Taksim Square) is easily accessible with public transport options and by taxis.

By Taxi - Istanbul Airport (IST) being quite far from the city center, a taxi ride to Taksim/Beyoglu area would cost around 1500-1800 TL (around 35-45 €) as of July 2025 with yellow taxis. There is also a turquoise taxi option which has 15% higher fares than the yellow ones.

If you are flying via Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW) which is located at the Asian side of Istanbul, the taxi fare to the Taksim/Beyoglu area would be around 1500-1800 TL (around 35-45 €) as of July 2025.

Taxi lines are available at both airports, just outside the terminal buildings.

By Municipality Shuttles - Belonging to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, there are HAVAIST and HAVABUS shuttles that are operating almost 24/7. HAVAIST buses operate from/to Istanbul Airport (IST) while HAVABUS buses operate from/to Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW). Ticket prices are as below:

HAVAIST - from Istanbul Airport to Taksim: 275 TL (approximately 5-6 €) as of July 2025.

HAVABUS- from Sabiha Gokcen Airport to Taksim: 283,5 TL (approximately 5-6 €) as of July 2025

Please make sure to check the time schedule and actual ticket prices on the day of your travel through the official websites of both operators.

By Underground System - From Istanbul Airport (IST), it is possible to use the underground metro system to reach Gayrettepe where is quite close to the city center. From Gayrettepe, you can either change an get on to another metro line to go to Taksim area or you can take a taxi.

From Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW), it is also possible to use the underground metro system to Kadikoy. From there you may take a ferry to Besiktas or Karakoy both of which are close piers to Taksim area, or you can hop on to another underground system (Marmaray) which connects the two continents underwater.

For further information on underground metro systems, please check Public Transport information on the Useful Information page.

BY TRAIN

From Eastern Europe countries, it is also very easy to travel to Istanbul with an international train. The international trains arrive to Halkali in Istanbul where you can change to Marmaray line (one of the public transport train/metro lines in Istanbul) to arrive near to the venue. For further information on Marmaray train line, please check Public Transport information on the Useful Information page.