Istanbulkart is your faithful companion in comfortable travels through Istanbul

Hi! Today I'd like to introduce you to one very important Turkish ritual greeting and to the plastic card that will help you to have a comfortable time in Turkey. The [Istanbulkart map](https://istanbulkart.istanbul/) allows you to use any public transport in Istanbul. The card does not operate in taxis, dolmushes and minibuses. To purchase this travel card you do not have to stand in line for tickets wasting your time, -- remember that Istanbul is a multi-million city! The Istanbulkart has no time limit. You need to buy this card only once and then you can use it during any of your next visits. You'll learn about all it's benefits a bit later.  Istanbul sea buses (Deniz Otobüs). Istanbulkart Let's start with greetings. "Welcome to Istanbul!" in Turkishs sounds like "Hoş geldeniz Istanbul'da!" (Hosh Geldeniz Istanbul!). You will hear this phrase everywhere and always. Prepare yourself for the trip to be able to understand a little of the most common phrases. In fact, majority of Turks even with an intermediate level of education usually don't speak English at all.  Hagia Sophia Street traders-barkers usually know a few standard phrases in most popular languages and apply them according to the type of person passing by. For example, they instantly recognize Russians and start greeting them in broken Russian. Know that if you address to a Turk in Turkish, you immediately will become his guru! All the respect will be yours everywhere you go.  Turkish language is very simple because it sounds the same way as it's written. There exist very well established phrases for which there is a standard answer. I'll introduce you to the phrases usually used by Turks for meeting and greeting. These expressions will serve you well if you've just arrived in Turkey or invited to a Turkish home, or walled in to the restaurant or shop. In such a case if you say "Hoş geldeniz" you'll hear the answer "Hoş bulduk". The phrase "Hoş bulduk" literally translates as "we have found goodness." It's like a ritual, so once you were told "Hoş geldeniz", feel free to reply "Hoş bulduk". The Turks will be very happy.  Two maps of Istanbul are necessary helpers for a tourist. You will learn about museum maps in the next article. Now let's learn more about travel card of Istanbul. You can buy Istanbulkart at any "Biletmatik" ticketing terminal. These terminals accept national currency only.  Currency Exchange "Döviz bozdurma". When arriving to Istanbul, exchange your currency to Turkish lira at the airport. Currency exchange in Turkish is "Döviz bozdurma" ** (Doviz bozdurma). Usually, the first word is written in capital letters. So, after you've got Turkish lira, look for "Biletmatik". At Ataturk Airport at the entrance to the metro there is a terminal where you can buy Istanbulkart and immediately replenish it. Such terminals don't always accept large bills, so you should have smaller bills like 10 or 20 liras. Don't worry, you'll definitely get your change back from the machine. At Sabiha Gogchen airport (this is the first female military pilot in the history of Turkey), you can buy and replenish Istanbulkart in the kiosk at the exit to the right.  To buy Istanbulkart: 1.Put money in to the terminal. 2.Press key 3. It says: "Istanbulkart - 6 TL" 3.Get your card at the bottom of the machine. To put money on Istanbulkart: 4.Touch the right rectangle with your card. 5.Press key 2. It says: "Istanbulkart Yükleme" / replenish. 6.Insert money and click OK. Biletmatik is available throughout the city. Usually they are located at the city transport stations and underground stations.  What are the benefits of Istanbulkart? To understand, let's solve a small problem. Let's say you need to make 10 independent trips. One independent trip in Istanbul costs 5 liras, so that is 50 liras in total. If you use Istanbulkart, you will spend 26 liras only. Is there a difference? If you are traveling with [stops](http://www.iett.istanbul/tr/main/pages/iett-toplu-ulasim-ucret-tarifesi/42), then it will look like this: - 1st trip - 2,60 tl; - trip with 1 stop - 1,85 tl; - trip with 2 stops - 1,40 tl; - trip with 3 stops - 0.90 tl; - trip with 4 stops - 0.90 tl; - trip with 5 stops - 0.90 tl. There is a time limit fro trips with transfers though. There should be not more than two hours in between the first trip and the subsequent ones. You can use any type of transport. For example, you can use the bus for your first trip, ferry for the second, the metro for the third, etc. Roughly speaking, after the first trip you have two hours for 5 transfers.  Validator for reading Istanbulkart. It is enough to touch it with your card and the road is open.  Private transport called Dolmuş is more expensive than a bus but cheaper than a taxi An amazingly fast way to travel in a big city is a metrobus. It runs along a dedicated line avoiding all the traffic jams. The range of motion is from of such a metrobus is from 10 to 30 seconds!. The first metrobuses appeared in Latin America and came to Turkey just over 10 years ago. Mersedes buses with connecting accordion have become a huge help for the population of Istanbul. **Prices Istanbulkart for Metrobüs (metrobus).** - from 1 up to 3 stops - 1,95 tl - 4-9 - 3.00 tl - 10-15 - 3.25 tl - 16-21 - 3.40 tl - 22-27 - 3.50 tl - 28-33 - 3.60 tl - 34-39 - 3.85 tl - 40+ - 3.85 tl.  Minibus (Minibüs) is also a private transport. It's payed in cash according to the distance. The driver sets the price and accepts your payment.  Istanbul taxis are of yellow color and work with the meter counter. Metro [Marmaray](http://www.marmaray.gov.tr/) It's a modern underground train that connects European and Asian parts of Istanbul. It's very comfortable and will get you very quickly to both directions. It consists of only 5 stations. The highlight of the Marmaray subway is that it goes through the tunnel under the Bosphorus. **Prices of using Marmaray with Istanbulkart are the following:** - One trip - 2,60 tl. - Trip with 1 stop - 1,95 tl. - Trip with 2 stops - 1,70 tl. - Trip with 3-4-5 stops - 1,50 tl.  Istanbul sea busses (Deniz Otobüs). Istanbulkart  Istanbul Ferry (Feribot). It transports not only people, but transport and various goods. Istanbulkart  High-speed tram in Fatih district. Istanbulkart I really enjoy the atmosphere in Turkish public transport. More than once I saw when a person did not have money on his Istanbulkart when boarding a bus. Probably it's just a man in a hurry who didn't pay attention to it. There is always someone who silently pays with their own travel card for a stranger's trip, simply smiling and refusing to accept money back. **All the tariffs are from official websites of Turkish transport companies.**