A friend recently asked me if the whole of Turkey was as expensive as Istanbul Airport. Having been to Turkey (and both of Istanbul’s airports) a few times, I never found myself baulking at the price of a meal out in the wild the way I did at the vendors in the airport. 

But why on earth are Istanbul’s airports so expensive? The Turkish Lira fluctuates pretty rapidly, and it’s certainly true that inflation in the country has pushed prices up a fair bit. From what I can tell, though, there’s no obvious reason behind the surged airport snack costs other than the fact that they can. Like all airports, vendors there have a captive (and often under-prepared) audience.

I, too, have been one of the under-prepared. After a couple of run-ins with a £10/$13 simit (for the uninitiated, that’s a simple sesame-covered cross between a bagel and a pretzel) and a £20+ off-brand fast food burger meal at Istanbul International, I had hopes that a layover at Istanbul’s second airport would be kinder on the pocket.

How wrong I was. 

Sabiha Gökçen International, located on the Asian side of the Turkish metropolis, is a hub for domestic routes and Turkey’s low-cost airline Pegasus. It’s older and gloomier than IST — think office-style strip lighting and polystyrene roof tiles. Looking for a charging station? That in itself is a like a scavenger hunt. To say it’s not exactly modern would be an understatement.

When I found myself there on the way to Cappadocia, I suspected that the prices might reflect that, and costs might not be so modern as those at the shiny, new Istanbul International. But, once again, I was faced with the choice of a £10 simit, £20 burger, £15 Subway salad, etc. And don’t even bother considering a beer!

Passing through once again on the way to Kyrgyzstan six months later, I wondered if maybe I’d missed the reasonably-priced corner. Or maybe there was a little supermarket with cheaper snacks? 

If a bottle of water that’ll set you back £5/$6 sounds good, then sure. But from my perspective, there was no cheap corner. So we opted for a proper meal at a proper restaurant, where at least I wouldn’t regret wasting £20+ on cold, soggy fries and a sad burger. There was simply no better option.

Lots of you JFC members passing through Istanbul will be transiting on a cheap flight to Asia or Africa, having already travelled 4+ hours and munched through the majority of your flight snacks. Others will just be heading in and out of Istanbul itself. Either way, you’ll likely have at least a couple of hours to kill in the airport. 

Surviving your layover in Istanbul

Here’s how you can make it through your layover at Istanbul Airport or Sabiha Gökçen without spending your entire travel budget:

1. Bring a water bottle - preferably a big one!

This one is standard for lots of us these days, but never does it pay off more than when you’re passing through Istanbul International Airport. There are more than 23 water fountains dotted around the airport, each one able to help you save $6 on bottled water from a shop. 

But it’s bad news for anyone passing through Sabiha Gökçen — all recent information suggests that the airport is yet to install drinking water dispensers, and the tap water in the bathrooms is not potable. If you’ve got a long onward journey, make sure you set some cash aside to stock up on bottled water at the airport.

Unfortunately, the best way around this is by bringing a particularly large water bottle that you were able to fill to the brim after security at your departure airport!

2. Pre-order meals and drinks for your flight

Lots of airlines still include snacks and drinks in their service, especially on long-haul routes. But if you’re travelling via Istanbul with Pegasus, you get the double whammy of Sabiha Gökçen and a paid in-flight menu. 

While prices onboard are far from cheap, they are generally more affordable than you’ll find in the airport (water for €3?!). The menu has two prices for everything — card or cash. Believe me when I say you want to pay by card, ‘cause you’ll save money almost every time. And if you order your meal in advance, you’ll save 20% off in-flight prices.

If you can make it through your connection with only the squished cereal bars and the dregs of bottled water from your last flight, this is your best bet.

3. Spring for the airport lounge

A personal favourite of myself and Flight Finder Fran is the iGA Lounge at Istanbul Airport. Never has an airport lounge felt so good. The food is great, there are showers, you can book a massage, and you can while away your time people watching your fellow travellers from above.

Honestly, though, never have I seen an airport lounge so pricey. Coming in at the eye-watering sum of £78/$104 at the time of writing, you’d have to really enjoy every minute of the full four-hour window to make it worth coughing up for. 

BUT if you travel a lot, appreciate an airport lounge, and haven’t already done so, you should invest in an annual lounge pass membership, like Priority Pass or Dragon Pass. For $99/£69, you get 12 months of reduced entry fees for thousands of lounges around the world (or you can pay more up-front for free entries). Even the basic passes take your £78 iGA Lounge entry down to £24 right away, which is about the cost of a burger and fries of questionable quality from the airport food court. 

If you’re an airline points collector with an airline-affiliated credit card, chances are you may have access to one of these passes anyway, so double check before you go! While I didn’t use my Avios credit card perks to gain entry to the lounge, I did use my Avios to book a cheap business class flight back to Glasgow, thus gaining me lounge access. Turns out that was a great decision!

Side note: You may be wondering why I’d go business class on a short-haul route in the first place? Flight prices from Istanbul back to Glasgow or Edinburgh were extortionate in peak summer, while the difference in Avios required to travel business class instead of economy was negligible. That got me lounge access in Istanbul and Heathrow, plus a free meal onboard both flights (between my lounge brekkies). Worth every point.

4. Pack a picnic

I kid you not, if ever there was an airport in which to unleash a platter of flattened sandwiches, squashed cereal bars and banged up apples from your backpack, it’s either of Istanbul’s airports. Especially if you’re vegan or have other dietary restrictions — the selection available really doesn’t cater to dairy-free choices

There are lots of spots where you can set up camp for a few hours, so don’t be shy. Fill every last nook and cranny of your cabin bag with hearty snacks that’ll keep you going.

5. Sleep it out

We can’t all catch 40 winks on a plane like it’s no big deal, so if you’ve got a longer layover of 3 hours or more, you might want to catch up on some sleep. Cheaper than an airport hotel and located within the terminal itself, both airports have sleep pods you can pay for by the hour. 

Istanbul Airport’s iGA Sleepods look like some kind of cryogenic chamber from a sci-fi film, while Sabiha Gökçen leans more into the human filing cabinet approach. On their way to Kyrgyzstan, Flight Finders Kash and Kristi were able to simply show up and file themselves away for a snooze without booking in advance. Kash says it was a super comfy sleep, too!

And when an hour’s kip costs less than a croissant, I’d say you’re probably onto something.

Getting to Istanbul’s Airports

Another part of what makes Istanbul’s airports pricey can be getting between the airports and the city. Thankfully, Flight Finder Larissa has spent a lot of time in Istanbul and knows aaalllll the tricks. Here’s her ultimate guide to travelling between Istanbul airports and the city centre:

So, how do you get from one of Istanbul’s airports to the city centre? Well, it depends on which airport you’re flying into (unsurprisingly!). Both airports are a fair distance from the city centre, so it’s worth keeping in mind that it’s going to take you at least an hour to get where you want to go, regardless where you land. 

Before I go any further: a taxi/rideshare is usually the worst option to/from either airport. Taxis are notoriously expensive in Istanbul (tourist markup is a real thing!), and depending on the time of day you’re travelling, there may be hours of traffic you’ll need to sit through. 

The only time I would advise a taxi rather than public transport is if it’s at a weird hour of the night, or if door-to-door transport is more important than worrying about the cost. 

There are plenty of taxis hanging around outside each airport, so you’ll have no trouble finding a driver. You can also call a taxi via Uber, which will help if you’d like to have some idea of how much your journey will cost ahead of time. 

For both airports, your main public transport options each airport are:

• Metro
• Shuttle bus 
  

Istanbul Airport (IST) 

This airport is the city’s ‘main’ airport, located on the European side. It’s only relatively new, having relocated there from the old IST airport in 2019. Because of this, the metro didn’t actually link up to the airport until 2023, which has since opened up more efficient connections to the city centre. 

Metro 

There’s only one metro line that runs from the airport to the city, and you will likely need to change lines along the way to reach your destination. Presuming you’re heading towards Taksim Square or the Historical Peninsula, you’ll need to swap from the M11 line to the M2. Travelling to or from Taksim Square, the entire journey takes about 1 hr 20 minutes in total. 

It’s worth noting that you can use your bank card for contactless payment on all metros/buses/ferries within the city, except for the M11 line from the airport. Instead, you’ll need to buy an Istanbulkart from the machines in the terminal, and then load it up with cash for the first part of your journey (around 25TL, plus the 60TL needed to buy the card). 

This journey comes in at around £1.65/$2.20 in total. 

Shuttle Bus

Locals and tourists alike use the regular shuttle buses between IST and the city centre, serviced by Havaist. You’ll be able to jump off the bus at Taksim Square, Kadıköy, or even the other airport. The journey time depends on the time of day and the traffic — it could take 40 minutes if the traffic is light, or closer to an hour and a half during peak times. 

You’ll find the bus tickets and the buses themselves on level -2 at IST airport (below the ground floor). Ask the bus driver to confirm where the bus is going before you get on, as it’s not always clear from the signs. At the ticket counter, you can pay via cash or card (67TL). 

This is your cheapest option, at only £1.30/$1.75.

Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW) 

As Katy mentioned, the secondary airport in Istanbul is on the Asian side of the city. As a tourist, you’ll likely be staying on the European side, which means it’s technically the less convenient airport to fly in/out of, depending on the time of day you’re travelling — but you can’t argue with a cheap flight!

Shuttle Bus

Just like IST, you’ll find frequent shuttle services between SAW and the city centre, this time via Havabus. This company also drops off at similarly popular stops in the city, like Taksim Square, Kadıköy, as well as an additional stop on the Asian side of the city. 

Because of the location of the airport, it’s even more important to keep in mind that traffic conditions are going to dictate how long your bus will take to reach the city centre. For example, if you land early to mid-morning, you’ll likely be stuck in peak traffic going towards the European side, and so the journey could take up to 2 hours. 

You’ll find Havabus shuttles outside the arrivals terminal on the left, and tickets are available on the bus with cash (283,50TL), or via the ticket kiosk in the grey building next to the buses. 

The total for this journey comes to around £5.50/$7.30.

Metro/Ferry

There is a metro line (M4) from SAW to Kadıköy (a main station on the Asian side of the Bosphorus). From there, you’ll be able to catch a bus to your hotel if you’re staying on the Asian side.

However, if your hotel is on the European side, you can catch the ferry from Kadıköy across to Kabataş or Karaköy, and take a connecting bus or tram. The downside is that the metro and bus/ferry combination is typically slower than the shuttle bus, especially if your hotel is on the European side. But at least it’ll come in nice and cheap, around £1–£1.50/$1.50–$2 depending on your route.

Side note: I highly recommend you take the ferry at least once during your trip to Istanbul! It’s cheap (around 25TL), takes 20-minutes, and offers the best views of the skyline!

If you’ve made it this far, JFC-er, you must be in serious Istanbul trip-planning mode! You’ll almost certainly have an excellent time, and hopefully our tips will ensure you have some change left over to buy a fridge magnet :-)