Istanbul Airport to Galataport Transfer

The driver waits for you at the exit of the international arrivals hall with a name sign, and the meeting point is directly in front of the terminal exit. For cruise boarding days the pickup is planned according to your flight arrival, and for disembarkation days it is planned according to the ship's arrival time at Galataport.

On cruise pickup days you write the ship name and the arrival time at the port on the booking form instead of a flight number. The driver waits with a name sign at the exit of the Galataport passenger terminal, at the Karakoy side pickup point, where the vehicle cannot enter the port security area and terminal staff help you with luggage to the exit. After disembarkation, the return to the airport is planned in the same way according to the ship's arrival time.

Istanbul Airport (IST) to Galataport is 42.6 km and normally takes about 50 minutes, or 50 to 60 minutes outside peak traffic. The route descends via the Northern Marmara Motorway or Hasdal and Kagithane, following the European side of Istanbul from Arnavutkoy down to the Karakoy waterfront.

On weekdays between 07:30 and 10:00 and between 17:00 and 20:30 you should add 20 to 40 minutes for traffic. Cruise ships usually dock in the morning and depart in the evening, and some ships stay overnight in Istanbul, so the exact times are written in the ship's schedule. If your flight is delayed, the driver follows the flight and the pickup time shifts automatically, with no extra charge, and waiting is free for 60 minutes after landing on airport pickups.

The fixed price starts from 73 EUR per vehicle, not per person, and includes motorway and toll fees, luggage and the driver's waiting time. The base class vehicle is a 6 seat Mercedes Vito, with a free child seat on request, and the price is confirmed when you book.

Payment can be made online by card in advance or in cash to the driver in EUR, USD, GBP or Turkish lira. Reservations can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours before pickup. Pickups between 22:00 and 06:00 carry a 20 percent night rate, and return bookings receive a 5 percent discount. GET4S is a TURSAB licensed travel agency, document number 14225, and the drivers speak English.

Galataport Istanbul is the cruise port on the Karakoy waterfront at the southern tip of Beyoglu, and the first ship docked there in October 2021. Passenger, luggage and passport checks all take place in the fully underground terminal, and the 1.2 km shoreline is a pedestrian promenade. The port can host 3 ships at once with a capacity of 15,000 passengers per day.

The terminal exit is in Karakoy: Galata Bridge is about a 10 minute walk and Galata Tower 15 minutes, while Sultanahmet and Hagia Sophia are about 3.5 to 4 km away, reachable in 10 to 15 minutes by the T1 tram from Tophane or Karakoy stops. Taxis are available in front of the terminal, but airport taxis run on the meter, so the fare is not fixed in advance for a cruise passenger with luggage. The public transport option is the Havaist bus to Taksim plus a taxi or tram to Galataport, which takes up to 2 hours in total. For cruise passengers, a private vehicle shore excursion includes the driver waiting throughout the tour, your pickup and return are added to the reservation as a round trip, and the car is back at the port at least 1 hour before the ship departs.