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Historic tram on Istiklal Street – this is Istanbul city transport, route number T2. But for tourists, this is a special type of transport – a historical tram or Nostalgic Tram. Despite the more than a century-old history of tram lines in Istanbul, which began in the XIX century with carriages driven by horses, in fact, this line is conditionally historical. Trams here began to run in 1871, but in the middle of the last century were removed. The line was reopened only in 1990 after almost forty years of downtime, and especially for it created stylized antique beautiful red trams, reminiscent of those that walked around the city in the middle of the last century.
The T2 Line stretches from Taksim Square through Istiklal tourist street for a distance of just under one and a half kilometers, making 3 stops along the way. But you are unlikely to move on it in order to get from place to place, it will be faster on foot. But you can ride a retro tram, which has long become one of the tourist symbols of the city, with pleasure, if, Of course, you can get into it.
The fact is that the tram does not run often and very slowly, because it has to break through the crowds of onlookers-tourists, carefree walking along Istiklal Street right on the rails. In addition, in the high tourist season (spring and autumn) in the afternoon and until late in the evening, it is packed to capacity with those who want to ride, and in order to sit in it, you will have to stand in line at the stop. And besides, the tram is besieged by local young people who just for the sake of "fun" ride it outside as "hares". In the morning it is much easier to drive, but there will not be the same tourist atmosphere as in the evening.
But even if you can not ride, be sure to take a selfie and a few photos of the historic tram.
🕐 Working hours
runs from 07:00 to 22:00 every 40-50 minutes on schedule, exact schedule here.
💵 Entrance fee / ticket price
the fare is 2.6 lira (0.06 USD, see Turkish currency and exchange rate), payment by card Istanbul Kart.
🚶 How to get there
walks on Istiklal Street the rails are laid right in the middle of the street (Istiklal Street on the map. You can take it at any of the three stops along the route, or at the final ones.
You can take a ride on the historical tram and take walks around the tourist part of Istanbul on your own, but it is more interesting to do this with Group and individual excursions. It is almost impossible to buy on-site excursions in Russian, so you can read descriptions, reviews, and book your favorite excursion in Russian on one of these proven sites: