Istanbul Airport to Sabiha Gökçen: How to Transfer Between Istanbul's Two Airports (2026)

Istanbul Airport (IST) lies in the Arnavutköy district at the northern edge of the European side, 40 to 55 km from the centre depending on where you are heading. It is the larger of the two airports.

Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) sits in Pendik on the Asian side, south-east of the centre and close to the Marmara coast. Many domestic and low-cost routes use it, and for anyone staying in Kadıköy, Ataşehir or the other districts of the Asian side it is the nearer airport. The two airports are therefore on opposite corners of the city, and every route between them crosses the Bosphorus. If your destination is a hotel rather than the other airport, GET4S also runs fixed-price transfers from IST to the city (/en/transfers/istanbul-transfer) and from SAW to the city (/en/transfers/sabiha-gokcen-transfer).

By road, IST to SAW is 96.5 km. The fastest route leaves the airport on the Northern Marmara Motorway (Kuzey Marmara Otoyolu), crosses the Bosphorus on the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge and continues east towards Pendik. Off-peak, with no incidents, the drive takes about 76 minutes.

Weekday peaks change the picture. Between 07:30 and 10:00 and again between 17:00 and 20:30 you should add 20 to 40 minutes, mostly on the approaches to the bridge and on the final stretch into Pendik. Late evenings, nights and weekend mornings usually stay close to the 76-minute figure.

Both the motorway and the bridge are tolled. A GET4S fixed price already includes them, so the €95 you see at booking is the €95 you pay. In a metered taxi the tolls are added on top of the fare.

A private transfer is the only option with a fixed price and a driver waiting for you. GET4S charges from €95 for a Mercedes E-Class, about €98 for a Mercedes Vito carrying up to 6 passengers and about €128 for a Sprinter minibus for 12 to 16 people, tolls included. Journey time is simply the road time: about 76 minutes off-peak, up to 2 hours at peak.

A metered taxi is the closest alternative in comfort but not in predictability. The 96.5 km ride meters at roughly ₺4,700, about €84, before motorway and bridge tolls and any waiting time in traffic. Once the tolls are added the total usually lands close to the private transfer price, without the meet and greet or the guaranteed car.

Public transport is the cheapest way across, at roughly €5 to €10 per person, and the slowest. Havaist buses run from IST into the city and Havabus serves SAW, but you should not count on a single direct bus between the two airports. Plan on a bus or the M11 metro into the city, then a second leg to SAW, for a total of 2.5 to 3.5 hours with your luggage in your hands at every change. Current fixed prices for the airport-to-airport route are listed at www.get4s.com/en/transfers/istanbul-sabiha-gokcen-transfer.

An airport-to-airport connection in Istanbul is a self-transfer: your bags are not checked through, and on separate tickets a missed onward flight is usually your own risk. Count the steps. Passport control and baggage reclaim at the arrival airport, a 76 to 120 minute drive, then check-in, bag drop, security and passport control again at the departure airport.

The practical minimum is 4 hours between the scheduled arrival of the first flight and the scheduled departure of the second. With checked luggage, a visa queue or a peak-hour drive, 5 hours is the comfortable figure. Anything under 3 hours is a bet on the first flight landing on time. Booking the transfer in advance removes one variable: the car is confirmed, the driver tracks your flight and the price does not move with the traffic.

Booking takes a few minutes online: enter IST and SAW, your flight number, date and passenger count, choose the vehicle and pay online or choose to pay the driver in cash. You receive a confirmation with the driver details and the meeting instructions, and the price is locked. The route page carries the live prices: www.get4s.com/en/transfers/istanbul-sabiha-gokcen-transfer

On the day, GET4S tracks your flight number, so a delay moves the pickup automatically. Your driver waits at the international arrivals exit holding a name board, and 60 minutes of waiting after landing are free. You are driven straight to the departures forecourt of the other airport, where the driver helps with the bags.

The same fixed price applies in both directions, SAW to IST as well as IST to SAW, and the drivers speak English. GET4S operates under TÜRSAB licence 14225, the Turkish travel agency registration, which makes the transfer a licensed tourism service rather than an informal ride.

Istanbul taxis are metered. The tariff in force since 20 July 2026 sets the opening charge at ₺71.94, the kilometre rate at ₺47.92 and the minimum fare at ₺230. Multiply the rate by 96.5 km and you reach a meter of roughly ₺4,700 (about €84 at ₺56.3 per euro). Add the motorway and bridge tolls and any metered waiting in traffic, and expect to pay more than the first estimate. Taxis are paid in lira, so carry cash in case the card terminal is not working.

For public transport, the M11 metro runs from Istanbul Airport to Kağıthane and Gayrettepe, where you connect to the M2 line and then continue via Marmaray or the M4 line towards Kadıköy and the Sabiha Gökçen side. Alternatively, a Havaist bus takes you from IST into the city and Havabus covers the second leg to SAW. A full crossing needs 2 or 3 changes with stairs and escalators, so it suits a light backpack and a long layover, not a family with suitcases.

Luggage: a sedan suits a couple with standard suitcases; from 4 people, or with several large cases, choose the Vito. Mention surfboards, bikes or extra bags at booking so the right vehicle is sent.

Night: the fixed price is the same at 03:00 as at 15:00, and the driver still meets you with a name board. Payment: pay online at booking or in cash to the driver in EUR, USD, GBP or TRY. Child seats: infant seats and boosters are free, just ask for them in the booking notes.

Cancellation: free up to 24 hours before pickup. If your first flight is delayed the transfer moves with it, because the driver follows the flight number. If your plans change completely, contact GET4S rather than simply not turning up.