Istanbul: The City Where You Can Travel Between Two Continents Easily

Istanbul is a very special city in many ways. Besides its historical treasure, it is situated on a special territory. Istanbul, like Rome, has seven hills. Moreover, it is half on Asia, half on Europe. Changing continents may be a big deal for many people, but not for Istanbulites.

If you visit Istanbul, you can easily go from Asia to Europe or from Europe to Asia. Here are the different ways you can try.

Ferries

I think ferries are the best way to change continents. Blue sea, blue sky and seagulls. Sometimes a lovely wind and beautiful clouds. You'll really enjoy your time in there. And this pleasure costs less than 1 Euro and almost 1 Dolar (one-way).

There are actually different kinds of ferries. There are bigger ones and smaller ones. The only difference along with their designs is their destinations. You can go from Kadikoy to Eminonu, Karakoy or Kabataş. You can go from Uskudar to Besiktas or Eminonu. You can check the schedules online or just there. These ones are really frequent.

There are some ferries that stop at beautiful Bosphorus ports, such as Bebek, Ortakoy, Arnavutkoy, Rumelihisari, Anadolu Hisari... This destinations are both useful and touristic. But these ferries aren't as frequent above. So, make your plans accordingly.

You can also use sea buses that will take you from Kadikoy to Bakirkoy and Avcilar, a very long destination shortened compared to the road. But this one is closed and lets you to enjoy the view less.

Bridges

Bridges are the second best way to change continents, unless you aren't on them at working hours. Istanbul has a heavy traffic jam at those hours. Apart from traffic, you'll be fine. The view on the bridge is near bird's eye and very panoramic. Prepare your cameras, because the shortest part of your road trip will be on the bridge (the traffic jam usually subsides just on the bridge).

You'll see different parts of Bosphorus, according to the side you sit on the bus. One-way ticket fees change due to the bus you are in, but it will be a little highter than 1 Euro at most. So, you can go back and fort to see different parts of the view, or combine your trip with one way ferry.

Subway

This is, for me, the less interesting way to change continents. It seems interesting to go from underground, but you don't see a single view. This subway has a special name: Marmaray. However, if you are in a hurry, this is quite useful. As a tourist, the most useful stops for you will probably be Uskudar and Sirkeci (this one is very close to Sultanahmet).