Sabiha Gokcen Airport transfers from €60.93

Sabiha Gökçen is Istanbul's second airport. It serves many short-haul and low-cost routes, alongside domestic flights across Türkiye. Because it lies far out on the Anatolian side, most visitors face a long road journey to their hotel, often across one of the Bosphorus bridges or through the Eurasia Tunnel.

Booking a private transfer means one fixed price per vehicle, with VAT included and confirmed instantly. You can cancel free of charge until 24 hours before pickup. The day before you travel, you receive your driver's name, phone number and number plate, so you know exactly who to look for.

Choose the vehicle that suits your trip:

• Sedan for solo travellers and couples with standard luggage
• Minivan for families, small groups or anyone with extra bags
• VIP vehicle for business travellers or a more comfortable arrival after a long journey

If you need a car for longer, for meetings across the city or a day of sightseeing, a chauffeur by the hour is also available.

Sabiha Gökçen operates from a single passenger terminal building that handles both international and domestic flights, with the two areas separated inside. The terminal is large, and the walk from some gates to passport control can take 10–15 minutes.

On international arrivals you pass through passport control first. Check the current visa or e-visa rules for your nationality before you fly, because many nationalities need an e-Visa arranged in advance. Queues can be long when several European flights land together, especially in the evening and at weekends.

After passport control you collect your bags in the baggage hall and then pass through customs before you exit into the international arrivals hall on the ground floor. Domestic passengers have a separate baggage reclaim and exit into the domestic arrivals area.

There's no need to rush: your driver tracks your flight and adjusts to delays, so a late landing or a slow queue at passport control will not leave you stranded.

Distances from Sabiha Gökçen are long by airport standards, and traffic matters more than kilometres. The times below are typical in normal traffic. Allow considerably more during weekday rush hours, roughly 07:00–10:00 and 17:00–20:00.

• Kadıköy and Moda (Asian side): about 35 km, 40–60 minutes
• Üsküdar and Ataşehir (Asian side): about 35–40 km, 40–60 minutes
• Taksim, Beyoğlu and Şişli: about 45–50 km, 60–90 minutes
• Sultanahmet and the Old City: about 50 km, 60–90 minutes, often via the Eurasia Tunnel
• Beşiktaş and Ortaköy on the Bosphorus: about 45 km, 60–90 minutes
• Istanbul Airport (IST) for connections: about 90 km, 90–120 minutes

If you are staying on the Asian side, SAW is very convenient. For European-side hotels, your driver will choose the bridge or tunnel route that suits the traffic on the day.

Sabiha Gökçen has public transport links, and they are a sensible option if you travel light. Havabüs airport coaches run to Taksim and Kadıköy, and the M4 metro line now reaches the airport since 2022, connecting it with Kadıköy. From there you can continue by ferry, Marmaray rail or other metro lines.

The catch is the number of changes. Getting to Sultanahmet or a hotel in Beşiktaş by metro usually means two or three transfers, stairs and escalators with suitcases, and crowded carriages at peak times. Coaches stop at central hubs, not at your hotel, so you still need a taxi or a walk at the end. Late at night, services can be less frequent.

A private transfer is door to door. You walk out of arrivals, meet your driver and sit down for the whole journey with your luggage in the boot. For families, groups sharing one vehicle, late arrivals or anyone heading to the European side, the fixed price per vehicle often makes the comparison closer than expected.

Your driver waits for you in the arrivals hall, holding a sign with your name. Once you have cleared passport control, collected your luggage and passed through customs, you come out into the international arrivals hall. Look along the barrier where drivers and greeters stand.

A few practical tips for a smooth meeting:

• Switch on your phone after landing. Your driver's name, phone number and number plate will already have been sent to you the day before.
• If you are held up at passport control or baggage reclaim, there is no need to worry. Your driver tracks your flight and waits if it lands late.
• On domestic flights, you exit into the domestic arrivals area, so make sure your booking shows the correct flight number.
• Stay inside the terminal until you have met your driver. The car park and pickup lanes outside are busy, and your driver will walk you to the vehicle.

This is the simplest way to start a trip to Istanbul: no taxi queue and no haggling, just a familiar name on a sign.

The long journey from Sabiha Gökçen to the European side is where families and groups gain most from a private vehicle. Rather than steering children, pushchairs and several suitcases through metro changes, everyone travels together in one car, at one price per vehicle rather than per person.

A minivan suits most families and small groups and has room for luggage, which matters when you arrive with bags for a week or more. If your group is larger, you can book more than one vehicle so everyone leaves the airport at the same time. When you book, mention the number of passengers and bags so the right vehicle is assigned.

For business travel, a VIP vehicle gives a quieter, more comfortable ride. That is useful if you are going straight to a meeting in Levent, Maslak or Ataşehir. If your schedule includes several stops across the city, a chauffeur by the hour means one driver stays with you for the day.

Whatever the size of your party, your driver tracks the flight, waits in the arrivals hall and helps you to the car.