Istanbul ferries and how to use them

General information about ferries in Istanbul

Ferries (Feribot) are a very useful and convenient transport for tourists. With their help, you can move from the European part of the city to the Asian, between different areas of the city along the Bosphorus Strait, along the Golden Horn Bay, to the suburbs, and neighboring cities, as well as swim on Princes ' Islands. Ferries are City (payment by transport cards) and private (payment in cash), as well as tourist cruise ferries. The latter are not a mode of transport, but entertainment, so about cruise ferries separately here.

City ferries are passenger and cargo-passenger (carry passengers and transport). For tourists, in principle, it does not matter which ones to use, they all cost the same. On board all ferries there are toilets, benches for rest.

How to use Istanbul ferries, how to pay for travel, cost

Regular ferries are a common urban mode of transport, which is quite simple to use: come to the pier, buy a ticket/token to the right place, and go. Payment is made with special tokens that must be pre-purchased at the vending machines at the marina, but it is best to pay for travel with a contactless transport card Istanbul Kart. These cards are more profitable (travel is almost twice cheaper), besides, tokens are gradually being withdrawn from use.

Istanbul Kart Cards are purchased at vending machines or points of sale for 6 liras (0.15 (see Turkish currency and exchange rate), replenished with the required amount, and then simply leans against the turnstile at the entrance to the pier. Payment does not depend on the length, is 2.4 lira on the card, and 5 lira one-time tokens, except for ferries to the islands, to the suburbs and cruises. Vending machines for buying and replenishing Cards are on each pier. Learn more about how and where to buy Istanbul Kart, how to top up and how to use here.

The device of the wharves is very simple, everything is signed and clear. But you need to understand that they send different ferries in different directions, and often from different places. For example, Eminonu is stretched for almost half a kilometer with several different entry points and turnstiles for boarding. And on Kadikoy, the passage through the turnstiles is single, and then there is a separation in different places of boarding ferries according to the signs.

Turnstiles at the entrance to the pier in Istanbul — Turnstiles for payment and entrance to the Marina

Istanbul ferry routes and schedules

Ferries depart and arrive from the marinas, of which there are not so many in the city. Not every ferry can get to any other. At first glance, it seems that it is difficult to understand all the variety of routes, so we brought the information to one place, and also put the most useful routes on the map.

Main marinas:

Flights

Karaköy - Haydarpaşa - Kadıköy
Kadıköy - Eminönü
Kadıköy - Besiktaş
Kadıköy – Yenikapı
Üsküdar - Eminönü
Üsküdar - Karaköy - Eminönü – Eyüp
Üsküdar - Besiktaş
Kabataş - Üsküdar - Harem
Anadolu Kavağı - Rumeli Kavağı - Sariyer
Sirkeci - Harem
Istinye-Emirgan-Kanlıca - Anadolu Hisarı - Kandilli - Bebek - Arnavutky - Cengelky (Bosphorus route)
Sirkeci-Adalar - Yalova-Cınarcık (Prince Islands route)

But these are not all routes, but only the most popular and useful for tourists.

As for the schedule, in general, ferries run often during the day from about 07:00 to 20:00 hours. On the routes between the main marinas, there is no need to find out and adhere to the schedule, but you can simply come and go by train. But flights to the Princes ' Islands, cruise, on the Golden Horn go rarely, it is better to determine the schedule in advance. You can specify it on the following sites, and you can also take small books with a schedule at any pier or at the offices of the tour information around the city:

Istanbul ferry routes and marinas on the map

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🕒 22 May, 2026

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