FACT FILE

From the UK, Turkish Airlines fly several times daily from Heathrow to Istanbul Airport (the most frequent service of all carriers) and from Gatwick to Sabiha Gökçen Airport. British Airways also fly daily from Heathrow to Istanbul Airport, whilst Air Pegasus fly daily from Stansted to Sabiha Gökçen (and offer by far the cheapest fares).

From Ireland, Turkish Airlines fly daily from Dublin to Istanbul Airport.

From the US, Turkish Airlines fly direct to Istanbul Airport from Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York (JFK), San Francisco and Washington DC, but it can work out significantly cheaper (if longer) to fly via London.

From Canada, Turkish Airlines fly direct to Istanbul Airport from Montreal and Toronto; from Vancouver, your best bet is probably flying with KLM to Amsterdam and then with Pegasus from there to Sabiha Gökçen Airport.

You can search for the most convenient routes and the best fares at Skyscanner. Flight time is around 3 hours 45 minutes from London, 9 hours 45 minutes from New York, Montreal and Toronto, and 13 hours from Los Angeles. Istanbul Airport (IST) is on the European side of the city, 49km northwest of Sultanahmet. Havaist shuttle buses run every half hour from the airport (Bay 16) to Sultanahmet Square, near the Hagia Sophia [1 hour 40 minutes, longer during rush hour | ₺18]; alternatively, you can catch a taxi or, most convenient of all, arrange a private transfer direct to your hotel with someone like Fat Taxi Istanbul, whose spacious minivans cost from €45. Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) is on the Asian side of the city, 60km southeast of Sultanahmet. Getting into town from here by public transport involves a convoluted relay of buses, ferries and trams, so you’ll need to take a taxi or book a private transfer [it costs around €50 for a Fat Taxi from here to Sultanahmet]. Be warned that the rush-hour traffic on the road from Sabiha Gökçen can be pretty dire, and it can take up to 2 hours to get into town.

VISAS AND PASSPORTS

UK and Irish passport holders do not require a visa for stays of up to 90 days. US and Canada passport holders do need one; they cost $50 for Americans and $60 for Canadians and can be bought up to 3 months in advance online. Passports need to be valid for at least six months from the date of arrival. Entry requirements do change, however, so check the latest on the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

HEALTH AND SAFETY IN ISTANBUL

Aside from than the inoculations that are part of the routine childhood immunisation programme in the UK (ie diphtheria, tetanus, polio), no immunisations are required to visit Istanbul. Rabies is prevalent in Turkey; a vaccination is not normally recommended for Istanbul, but you should treat city’s large population of stray cats and dogs with caution. Remember to check with your GP at least six weeks before you travel, and make sure you take out sufficient travel insurance for your trip.

The most common problem is a possible upset tummy, the risk of which can be reduced by practising good hygiene (applying hand gel fairly regularly helps) and taking sensible precautions with food and water. In Istanbul, tap water is technically fine to drink, but it’s heavily chlorinated, so you’re better off drinking bottled water. If you do get diarrhoea, stick to plain pasta or rice for a few days and treat with rehydration salts.

If you have food allergies, it’s a good idea to carry a dietary card, which explains (in Turkish) the food(s) you’re allergic to and also reminds the chef that foods can be contaminated during preparation.

Summer in Istanbul is extremely hot – if you’re visiting then, protect yourselves from the sun and make sure that everyone drinks plenty of water.

You need to take the same precautions as you would in any big city, and be wary of pickpockets, particularly in in crowded areas like on the trams and metro and in the Grand Bazaar. Istanbul has been the victim of several terrorist attacks over the last decade, most recently at a club on New Year’s Day in 2017. As a result, there are security checks at the entrances to most of the key tourist sites, such as the Hagia Sophia and the Grand Bazaar. You can check the latest on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s website.

You can easily cover the main sights in Sultanahmet, the city’s historic quarter, on foot, but you’ll probably want to use the tram or metro to travel anywhere else. Trams link most of the central neighbourhoods and are a great way to travel, allowing you to get a real feel for the city along the way; the metro is better for destinations further afield.

To get to Kadiköy and the other districts in Asian Istanbul, you’ll need to hop on a ferry. The journey there is very much part of the experience, chugging down the Golden Horn and across the Bosphorus, from one busy waterfront dock to another.

The contactless Istanbul Card covers trams, the metro and the city’s ferries.

Getting to and from the airport is easiest with a private transfer – large, comfortable minivans with Fat Taxi Istanbul cost from €45 to run between the city centre and Istanbul Airport or Sabiha Gökçen.