Difference between revisions of "Istanbul"

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'''Istanbul''' is the biggest city of [[Turkey]], partly in [[Europe]] and partly in [[Asia]].
 
'''Istanbul''' is the biggest city of [[Turkey]], partly in [[Europe]] and partly in [[Asia]].
 
In many parts in Europe you can find Turkish truckers, who might be heading to Istanbul. Watch out for Turkish number plates beginning with '''34''', the city code for Istanbul, but of course all truckers going to the Asian part will have to go through Istanbul.
 
 
<map lat='41.04207384890103' lng='28.989486694335937' zoom='10' view='0' float='right' />
 
  
 
== Hitching in ==
 
== Hitching in ==
  
=== From the west {{E|80}} ===
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If you drive highway look around and ask your driver to let you out in place where you see a Istanbul in walking distance than ask local people for bus/metro. For example Paşaköy. You should have some small local cash to pay for ticket. Or walk :)
  
Trucks are banned from entering the city during rush hours (morning: ''?'', evening: about 17:00-22:00), and even when they can proceed through the city, there are few places to stop. Therefore it is highly likely that your driver will let you out at the Mahmutbey toll booths. There are two ways to the centre from here.
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Also you can get out at fuel stations and ask there for ride to city
  
One option is to walk to the side road to the right of the motorway, then turn to the first or second street to your right (the wide one). From the bus stop about 200 m down that street, take bus 89M "Zeytinburnu Metro", which costs about 2.00* TL pp (~ €0.80).
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== Hitching out ==
  
From Zeytinburnu there is an extensive choice of public transportation into the city such as trams to Sultanahmet, buses to Taksim/Beyoğlu (93C), or the ''Metrobüs'' heading for the Asian side across the Bosphorus.  
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Just walk to the nearest highway and stick your thumb out. It might need a few lifts until you get out of the border, but given that you hardly ever wait more than 10 minutes for a lift, it can be faster than public transport.
  
The other option, from close to the motorway toll booth, are the frequent minibuses to Topkapı or Yenibosna, from which you can find transportation further into the centre.
 
  
There are no ATMs on the outskirts of Istanbul. If you have no Turkish money, the driver may let you travel for free, or a friendly local may pay for you; arrive with some Turkish lira in your pocket to not be reliant on the kindness of strangers.
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=== Northwest towards [[Greece]] , [[Edirne]], [[Bulgaria]] {{E|80}} {{E|84}}===
  
* Note about buses - At the time of this correction (2011-09-07) all public transport in Istanbul is 1.75 with an "akbil" which is used for pre-payment. It '''is''' usually still possible to ride the bus by giving the money to another passenger who will then use their akbil for you. Some drivers also ask passengers to do this for you if you try to give them money. It is almost certainly impossible to ride for free, unless by permission of the driver.
 
  
== Hitchhiking out ==
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==== Test option - Ispartakule Park Area North ====
  
Generally, you can just start hitching anywhere in the city center. Just walk to the nearest highway and stick your thumb out. It might need a few lifts until you get out of the border, but given that you hardly ever wait more than 10 minutes for a lift, it can be faster than public transport.
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Ispartakule Park Area North is a fuel station on E80 highway
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(See Google maps for getting there and update how its. There is bus 76E going to Sehit Serife Bacı Lisesi bus stop not far place)
  
''Taksim Square in the center of the European part of Istanbul is chosen as a starting point for the upcoming description due to the fact that there the most bus lines of the European side start and end.''
 
  
=== Northwest towards [[Edirne]] and [[Bulgaria]] {{E|80}} ===
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==== Out of city option ====
  
There are several ways to get out of the city centre and onto the main highway. If you stop a car that is not going a long distance, then it is best to aim for the Mahmutbey toll booths in the northwest of Istanbul where the E80 really begins. From here, it is possible to stop long-distance cars and trucks. Strictly speaking, pedestrians are not permitted here; if a bored traffic police officer asks you to leave, but ignore him and feign misunderstanding, and walk a few metres away and thumb.
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You can get out of city bus 303 from Yenibosna Metro to last bus stop Silivri Halk Otobüsü Bekleme Garajı (or bus 303B from Otogar Metro till bus stop Mimarsinan Mah, this bus stop is close to Silivri Halk Otobüsü Bekleme Garajı). Ticket cost 11 TL and you can pay only with Istanbulcard
  
==== Bus 83O ====
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There is Shell fuel station next to place.
  
You can take bus 83O* from Taksim Square to the big bus station ''Bayrampaşa Otogar'' on the European side, which is just along the motorway to Edirne / Bulgaria.  Take the bus to the last stop, get off and walk back to the entrance.  From there, you'll be hitching directly along the motorway.  A sign works well here, and there is plenty of space for drivers to pull over since a lot of buses and minibuses stop for passengers just outside).  While exiting, you'll notice a petrol station to your right that is a possible alternative starting point where you can ask drivers for lifts (or just use the toilet).
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Also 3 km walk away is another bigger E80 highway with Karbey Dinlenme Tesisi rest stop on it
  
==== Metro ====
 
  
Get into the metro at Taksim Square and take a train towards ''Atatürk Oto Sanayi''. This is currently the last station for the trains departing from Taksim. One ticket costs 2,00 TL (~0,80 Euro), or 1.75 TL with an prepay "akbil". At the ''Sanayi Mahallesi'' station (not to be confused with Atatürk Oto Sanayi which is the last station en route), get out of the Metro. You will find yourself along the ''Büyükdere Caddesi'' avenue. Walk along the main street direction north (watch out for big signs that are leading drivers to the motorway to Edirne. After 3-4 min and passing a military camp you'll see the [[on-ramp]]. Unfortunately, there is no way to cross the street from right to left then by attempting suicide, because the main street is mostly full of fast traffic. If you are not brave enough to do so, walk another 10 min further and cross the street over a bridge and walk back the way along the other side.
 
  
Or better, you may get off the metro at ''İTÜ-Ayazağa'' station (the first one after ''Sanayi Mahallesi''), cross the street on an pedestrian overpass close to that station's exit and then walk ''south'' for about 10 min to get to the on ramp to the motorway. You will have to walk past the military park on the right side of the road, and then you will see the big motorway below.
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==== Getting to suburbans of Istanbul ====
  
Go somewhat down the ramp and you can find a good spot to stand and stop cars. Also try to get short lifts (even some kilometres can help in Istanbul).
 
  
==== Other buses ====
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Another way to get to city's western outskirts is to take the metro from Aksaray close to Sultanahmet in the old city centre, and ride it till ''Yenibosna'' station (2.0 TL pp, roughly €0.80). Then, take the public bus #448 (''Yenibosna Metro-Mimarsinan''; an extra 2.00 TL pp), which departs from the stops right next to metro station. You will ride this bus for a ''long'' time, roughly an hour, until where it quits the motorway west and turns to right in a cloverleaf interchange near the village of [[Mimarsinan]], where the bus eventually heads. Get off at the stop right at the very location bus turns right, this is where as much west as you can get on Istanbul's public transportation. Then walk a bit further from the junction, and start thumbing.
  
Other buses pass the toll booth. One is 98H from Bakırköy, a suburb in the west.
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==== Trains out of city ====
  
From Yenikapı, near Sultanahmet, one can take bus 146T and get off at the stop just after the bus turns north into the suburb Başakşehir. From the bus stop, you can walk a couple of hundred metres down to the toll booth (there is a handy gap in the fence).
 
  
=== Westwards towards [[Greece]] (via [[Tekirdağ|Tekirdag]]) {{E|84}} ===
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For those who rather not try hitchhiking through the overgrown western suburbs of the city, a slightly more expensive but a lot easier way to follow this westbound route to Greece may be to take the morning train to [[Muratlı]] from Sirkeci station in central Istanbul, and then hitch your way forward to Greece via [[Tekirdağ]] from there. See [[Muratlı]] article for full details.
  
Take the suburban train (''banliyö treni'') from the very city center (Sirkeci) towards Halkali. It's only 2.00 lira. Get off at ''Küçükçekmece''. If the train station is 6 o'clock, walk in the direction of 12 o'clock in order to find the on ramp towards [[Tekirdağ|Tekirdag]]. This is the same road that will take you directly to Greece, although you will still be well within the congested motorways of suburban Istanbul. Be aware that you cannot cross this border walking! You have to find somebody to take you across. Knowing [[Western Europe phrasebook|German]] will help you a lot to explain that you need help to cross the border due to many drivers with a Turkish-German background.
 
  
* Hitchhikers experience: I took the train to Küçükçekmece like I read on here, and found the highway. To my dismay it was '''impossible''' to hitch. After walking 2 miles, hoping there would be a spot for people to pull off, there was nothing. I noticed these buses that road in the middle of the highway, and decided to take one down the road. After two stops, it was the end of the line. Fortunately, there was a huge spot to hitchhike. For anyone who goes this way, I '''highly''' recommend taking the bus the whole way instead of trying to walk like I did. Or, use another method to hitch. - Jon
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*
  
Another way to get to city's western outskirts is to take the metro from Aksaray close to Sultanahmet in the old city centre, and ride it till ''Yenibosna'' station (2.0 TL pp, roughly €0.80). Then, take the public bus #448 (''Yenibosna Metro-Mimarsinan''; an extra 2.00 TL pp), which departs from the stops right next to metro station. You will ride this bus for a ''long'' time, roughly an hour, until where it quits the motorway west and turns to right in a cloverleaf interchange near the village of [[Mimarsinan]], where the bus eventually heads. Get off at the stop right at the very location bus turns right, this is where as much west as you can get on Istanbul's public transportation. Then walk a bit further from the junction, and start thumbing. Hitchhiker [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] tried this route in 2002 or 2003, when he wasn't very experienced at hitchhiking. The first lift offer arrived so late (after about 2 hours of thumbing) and the following lifts were so short (and, again, late) that he could make it to [[Tekirdağ]], a mere 120 km away from this hitching spot, after the night falls, despite starting early in the morning.
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Once you have passed the border, try to stay in the car which took you through, as the first 20-30 km on the Greek side is one of the worst places to hitchhike in Europe. Local people there are afraid of stories about immigrants from Iran and Afghanistan etc. so it's especially hard to get a ride.
  
For those who rather not try hitchhiking through the overgrown western suburbs of the city, a slightly more expensive but a lot easier way to follow this westbound route to Greece may be to take the morning train to [[Muratlı]] from Sirkeci station in central Istanbul, and then hitch your way forward to Greece via [[Tekirdağ]] from there. See [[Muratlı]] article for full details.
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=== Westwards towards [[Cannakale]] (via [[Tekirdağ|Tekirdag]])  ===
  
Once you have passed the border, try to stay in the car which took you through, as the first 20-30 km on the Greek side is one of the worst places to hitchhike in Europe. Local people there are afraid of stories about immigrants from Iran and Afghanistan etc. so it's especially hard to get a ride. It took hitchhiker [[User:Lapulevel|Lapulevel]] a full day to get out of this area—and that wasn't simply a shortage of luck as that happened twice!
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Take Bus #34B/C/BZ/G to the last stop and start hitchhiking with a Tekirdag sign there
  
=== East towards [[Ankara]], Black Sea coast {{E|80}} ===
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=== East and south towards [[Ankara]], Black Sea coast, Antalya {{E|80}} ===
  
For going east there are different options:
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==== From parking on motorway O4 ====
  
* '''From parking on motorway O4'''
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Take bus 19, 19C, 19Y, 19T or just ask which bus is going to '''Ferhatpaşa''' the stop you have to get off at you will see a road going in a circle like a big roundabout its Flat Prof Dr Necmettin Erbakan Park from there search Mirkelam Dinlenme Tesisleri İstanbul rest stop on E-80 / O-4
Take ferry to ''Kadıköy'' on Asian side. Next to the ferry terminal there is a bus terminal where you can take bus 19, 19C or 19Y. Get off at the stop ''Ferhatpaşa'' (you will see a road going in a circle like a big roundabout). From there walk northeast until you get to the motorway O4 Anadolu Otoyolu. There is a fence along the motorway but it has many holes, so getting to the other side is not difficult. Once you get to the parking area, you can ask around or make a big sign and show it at parking area's exit to the drivers passing by on the  motorway, so they can stop on a merge lane. There's one small restaurant in the parking area where many drivers stop for a short break.
 
  
* '''From Gebze'''
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==== From Şekerpınar close to Gebze ====
  
Get on a ferry to Haydarpaşa (1,75 TL) and from there a suburban train to the last station Gebze (also 1,75 TL). There is only one train line. After you walk up the train station stairs and come to the street, go left and at the intersection turn left again. You'll see a signpost for the Istanbul-Ankara road. Follow the signs, and you can hitch from where the road branches off with the sign "Izmit Ankara". There is little long-distance traffic here, so get a lift going to Izmit and get out at the service station 9 km before Izmit.
 
 
* '''From Şekerpınar close to Gebze'''
 
 
Get on the 111, 112 or 200 and stay on the bus almost all the way to the last stop (get off approximately two or three stops before).
 
Get on the 111, 112 or 200 and stay on the bus almost all the way to the last stop (get off approximately two or three stops before).
  
Line 81: Line 66:
 
If you want to avoid 30km of urban hitch hiking, from the last stop of 112 take bus 134BK (other 134 buses may work as well) which leaves across the road from where 112 ends. Ride until the end and transfer onto 133Ş and ride it until the last stop. You are then in Şekerpınar and can walk the 2km to the main motorway O4 Anadolu Otoyolu.
 
If you want to avoid 30km of urban hitch hiking, from the last stop of 112 take bus 134BK (other 134 buses may work as well) which leaves across the road from where 112 ends. Ride until the end and transfer onto 133Ş and ride it until the last stop. You are then in Şekerpınar and can walk the 2km to the main motorway O4 Anadolu Otoyolu.
  
* '''From Bostancı Köprüsü (Bostancı Bridge)'''
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From ''Taksim'' Square take bus 129T (''Taksim - Üst Bostancı'' line), which, like the other transcontinental bus lines, requires two tickets (3.50 TL). Get off at the leaf-clover interchange called in Turkish ''Bostancı Köprüsü'' (literally Bostancı Bridge), close to its last stop. You can recognize the interchange by big signs saying ''Bostancı'' and ''İçerenköy'' (besides the usual ''İzmit'' and ''Ankara'' signs) there. Then, after getting off the bus, walk past the interchange until you see a safe shoulder down the road a couple hundred metres away. Start hitching there ready with a [[Signs|sign]] saying at least ‘[[Gebze]]'/'[[Izmit]]’, it’ll make you more visible and look like a total hitchhiker. Drivers around here seem to have some concerns about sharing their car with a stranger and looking like a total hitchhiker seems to somewhat ease their anxiety. However, there are also many minibuses heading for ''Gebze'' on this road, so hiding your sign when they are passing by and shaking your head both sides when its headlights flash (to ask whether you’d like a ride … for a fee) may prevent some of the unwanted attention. Expect to wait at least 30 minutes until you are offered a lift. Morning hours (approx. between 6:30-8:30) are best since the road is congested at that time and vehicles move slowly, which lets the drivers to think more about taking you in. Beware of the motorcycles by the way, which sometimes illegally drive inside the shoulder and literally skim you over.
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==== From Bostancı Köprüsü (Bostancı Bridge) ====
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From ''Taksim'' Square take bus 129T (''Taksim - Üst Bostancı'' line), which, like the other transcontinental bus lines, requires two tickets (3.50 TL). Get off at the leaf-clover interchange called in Turkish ''Bostancı Köprüsü'' (literally Bostancı Bridge), close to its last stop. You can recognize the interchange by big signs saying ''Bostancı'' and ''İçerenköy'' (besides the usual ''İzmit'' and ''Ankara'' signs) there. Then, after getting off the bus, walk past the interchange until you see a safe shoulder down the road a couple hundred metres away. Start hitching there ready with a [[Signs|sign]] saying at least ‘[[Gebze]]'/'[[Izmit]]’, it’ll make you more visible
 +
 
  
 
There is a petrol station exactly 9km before [[Izmit]] where you can be dropped off. It is recognizable for its BP petrol station and Burger King restaurant. Trucks are regularly parked here and bound for all points in Turkey, while sometimes one can even find a lift all the way to neighbouring countries.
 
There is a petrol station exactly 9km before [[Izmit]] where you can be dropped off. It is recognizable for its BP petrol station and Burger King restaurant. Trucks are regularly parked here and bound for all points in Turkey, while sometimes one can even find a lift all the way to neighbouring countries.
 +
  
 
For Mediterranean cities such as [[Antalya]], you should also take this eastwards route till [[Adapazari]], then head south via motorway D650 from there.
 
For Mediterranean cities such as [[Antalya]], you should also take this eastwards route till [[Adapazari]], then head south via motorway D650 from there.
  
* '''The (free) walking option'''
 
  
While most people would find it more comfortable to take a bus to the outskirts and then start hitchiking from there hitchhiker [[Theo]] has, after hitchhiking out of Istanbul 10ish times, found that it is actually faster to just find a good piece of highway somewhere close to where you stay, get ON the highway and put your thumb up. You are unlikely to wait more than 3-5 minute before a car stops and the police is very unlikely to give you any trouble (they picked [[Theo]] up, gave him tea and chocolate-cookies and dropped him of 20 kilometers further down the road in the middle of the highway).
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==== The free walking option ====
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 +
While most people would find it more comfortable to take a bus to the outskirts and then start hitchiking there is another, slightly more challenging, option. Generally it is actually faster to just find a good piece of highway somewhere close to where you stay (even if it's in the centre of Istanbul), get ON the highway and put your thumb up. You are unlikely to wait more than 3-5 minute before a car pulls over (many people don't really mind stopping on the highway) and the police is very unlikely to give you any trouble  
  
From Taksim: Walk down Cumhüriyet Caddesi for about 40-50 minutes. It's a big avenue which is easy to find. After 40-50 minutes you'll see Cevahir shopping center on your right side and that's about 200 meters from where you'll start hitching. If you manage to get lost (hard as it's a big avenue without any real tricky intersection or anything) you should just ask your way to Cevahir shopping center.
 
  
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From Taksim: Walk down Cumhüriyet Caddesi for about 40-50 minutes. It's a big avenue which is easy to find (alternatively just follow the signs on Taxim for Şisli). After 40-50 minutes you'll see Cevahir shopping center on your right side and that's about 200 meters from where you'll start hitching. If you manage to get lost (hard as it's a big avenue without any real tricky intersection or anything) you should just ask your way to Cevahir shopping center.
 
After the 40-50 minute walk (about the time when you pass Cevahir shopping center on your right side) you'll see the highway. This is th spot where the Mercidiköy bridge starts and about 70-80 % of the traffic is bound for the Asian side. When you get to the highway (which is actually about 10 meters over you as you are under the bridge) you'll see the Mercidiköy bustation to your left. Turn left,walk 20 meters until you see a small footpath leading up to the highway, climb up, thumb up, and smile at your audience (often about 50-60 people) who are waiting for the Metrobus to come. They might even give you an applause if you just put up a show.
 
After the 40-50 minute walk (about the time when you pass Cevahir shopping center on your right side) you'll see the highway. This is th spot where the Mercidiköy bridge starts and about 70-80 % of the traffic is bound for the Asian side. When you get to the highway (which is actually about 10 meters over you as you are under the bridge) you'll see the Mercidiköy bustation to your left. Turn left,walk 20 meters until you see a small footpath leading up to the highway, climb up, thumb up, and smile at your audience (often about 50-60 people) who are waiting for the Metrobus to come. They might even give you an applause if you just put up a show.
  
Important: BE PATIENT AND DONT JUST ACCEPT ANY RIDE. Wait for someone who's going atleast past the main intersection in Atesehir (say that you want to go direction Gebze/Izmit on the autoyol). Even though almost no traffic is going far from here it is important that your first ride is gonna take you to the O4 highway after the two highways merges and that may mean declining 1,2 or 4 rides. Ask to get dropped of at the highway and not at some onramp or something even more silly.
 
  
Ask to get dropped of at the highway and wait for your next ride. You may have to repeat it one or two more times but as the waiting times are so ridicilously short it's still faster than spending 2 hours on the Gebze train :).
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Important: BE PATIENT AND DON'T JUST ACCEPT ANY RIDE. Wait for someone who's going at least past the main intersection in Atesehir (say that you want to go direction Gebze/Izmit on the autoyol). Even though almost no traffic is going far from here it is important that your first ride is gonna take you to the O4 highway after the two highways merges and that may mean declining 1, 2 or 4 rides. Ask to get dropped of at the highway and not at some on-ramp or something even more silly (this is [[Turkey]] remember). You may have to repeat it one or two more times before you get out of Istanbul just because of the city's enourmous size.
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Alternatively you could wait for a ride to take you across the bridge and get dropped off at the paytolls on the Asian side and find a ride onto the 04 from there.
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=== South towards [[Yalova]], [[Bursa]] or [[Izmir]] ===
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See below the Eskihisar links for a road/bridge alternative. See [[Eskihisar]] for how to get to the ferry jetty on the route and how to get into the ferry for free. The route via [[Eskihisar]] is also the shortest way to [[Izmir]] and its adjacent area in western Turkey.
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Opet - Mehmetçik Vakfı Petrol petrol station / rest stop on E80 highway next to Mehmetçik Vakfı bus stop. Buses 130H, 132, 132B and KM 18 stopes there. Place isnt far from Sabiha Gokcen International Airport
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Doğalhane Dinlenme Tesisleri petrol station / rest stop on E80 highway next to Çayırova İtfaiye bus stop. Bus 133Ş stops there
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Marmaray metro east in the direction of Gebze. Get off at Osmangazi Station (two stops before Gebze) as this is closer to the D-100 highway that will carry you east. Walk roughly 300m north up the road from the station until you get to the circle-underpass junction with the D-100 highway. A nice position just after the start of the on-ramp, where cars are still moving slowly, should score you a ride in minutes.
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 +
However, the majority of traffic here seems to be going to Izmit, which is past the bridge. Turn down rides if you have to until you get one going over the bridge, to Yalova/Bursa/İzmir etc. If you're really stuck, take a short ride and ask your driver to drop you off on the side of the road at the off-ramp going to the bridge, and continue hitching from there or after the interchange. If you're really stuck on that road leading up to the bridge, you'll have to walk a few km along it until you get to the Petrol Ofisi fuel station, about a Kilometre before the bridge. Hitch at the on-ramp to the highway from there.
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== Wild camping ==
  
=== South towards [[Yalova]]/[[Bursa]] ===
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Hacı Osman Korusu park wild camping - ride metro line 2 to Darussafaka station and next to it on the circle corner of streets Buyukder and Ulu streets you can climb over the fance to Hacı Osman Korusu park https://ibb.co/RHmd9jb Get only a bit inside but be carefull there ar some sharp plants
  
See [[Eskihisar]] for how to get to the ferry jetty on the route and how to get into the ferry for free.
 
  
The route via [[Eskihisar]] is also the shortest way to [[Izmir]] and its adjacent area in western Turkey.
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Büyükada island wild camping - you can get by paid ferry there
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== Nomadwiki & Trashwiki ==
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{{nomadwiki}}
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== Eating ==
 
  
There is a community kitchen called "Karacaahmet Sultan Dergahi" on Nuhkuyusu street in Selimiye (Üsküdar, Asian Side), some 200 meters down from Karaca Ahmet Camii (the big mosque). You can just walk in around lunch time and ask for food. They hardly speak English though so maybe you can ask someone to translate a brief note.
 
  
 
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Revision as of 22:01, 30 December 2020

Istanbul is the biggest city of Turkey, partly in Europe and partly in Asia.

Hitching in

If you drive highway look around and ask your driver to let you out in place where you see a Istanbul in walking distance than ask local people for bus/metro. For example Paşaköy. You should have some small local cash to pay for ticket. Or walk :)

Also you can get out at fuel stations and ask there for ride to city

Hitching out

Just walk to the nearest highway and stick your thumb out. It might need a few lifts until you get out of the border, but given that you hardly ever wait more than 10 minutes for a lift, it can be faster than public transport.


Northwest towards Greece , Edirne, Bulgaria E 80 E 84

Test option - Ispartakule Park Area North

Ispartakule Park Area North is a fuel station on E80 highway (See Google maps for getting there and update how its. There is bus 76E going to Sehit Serife Bacı Lisesi bus stop not far place)


Out of city option

You can get out of city bus 303 from Yenibosna Metro to last bus stop Silivri Halk Otobüsü Bekleme Garajı (or bus 303B from Otogar Metro till bus stop Mimarsinan Mah, this bus stop is close to Silivri Halk Otobüsü Bekleme Garajı). Ticket cost 11 TL and you can pay only with Istanbulcard

There is Shell fuel station next to place.

Also 3 km walk away is another bigger E80 highway with Karbey Dinlenme Tesisi rest stop on it


Getting to suburbans of Istanbul

Another way to get to city's western outskirts is to take the metro from Aksaray close to Sultanahmet in the old city centre, and ride it till Yenibosna station (2.0 TL pp, roughly €0.80). Then, take the public bus #448 (Yenibosna Metro-Mimarsinan; an extra 2.00 TL pp), which departs from the stops right next to metro station. You will ride this bus for a long time, roughly an hour, until where it quits the motorway west and turns to right in a cloverleaf interchange near the village of Mimarsinan, where the bus eventually heads. Get off at the stop right at the very location bus turns right, this is where as much west as you can get on Istanbul's public transportation. Then walk a bit further from the junction, and start thumbing.

Trains out of city

For those who rather not try hitchhiking through the overgrown western suburbs of the city, a slightly more expensive but a lot easier way to follow this westbound route to Greece may be to take the morning train to Muratlı from Sirkeci station in central Istanbul, and then hitch your way forward to Greece via Tekirdağ from there. See Muratlı article for full details.


Once you have passed the border, try to stay in the car which took you through, as the first 20-30 km on the Greek side is one of the worst places to hitchhike in Europe. Local people there are afraid of stories about immigrants from Iran and Afghanistan etc. so it's especially hard to get a ride.

Westwards towards Cannakale (via Tekirdag)

Take Bus #34B/C/BZ/G to the last stop and start hitchhiking with a Tekirdag sign there

East and south towards Ankara, Black Sea coast, Antalya E 80

From parking on motorway O4

Take bus 19, 19C, 19Y, 19T or just ask which bus is going to Ferhatpaşa the stop you have to get off at you will see a road going in a circle like a big roundabout its Flat Prof Dr Necmettin Erbakan Park from there search Mirkelam Dinlenme Tesisleri İstanbul rest stop on E-80 / O-4

From Şekerpınar close to Gebze

Get on the 111, 112 or 200 and stay on the bus almost all the way to the last stop (get off approximately two or three stops before).

You are now located a little bit south of the O4 (E80) heading East towards Ankara. You will need to walk a little bit northwards in order to reach a ramp. There is a bus stop on the on-ramp. You can hitch out from there unto the O4 (E80) going East.

Most people who will take you might just drive for another 10km or so. There are lots of petrol stations on the way in this giant suburban maze but chances are only local people stop there. You will have to go for about nearly 20 or 30 km until you will actually be out of the Istanbul metropolis.

If you want to avoid 30km of urban hitch hiking, from the last stop of 112 take bus 134BK (other 134 buses may work as well) which leaves across the road from where 112 ends. Ride until the end and transfer onto 133Ş and ride it until the last stop. You are then in Şekerpınar and can walk the 2km to the main motorway O4 Anadolu Otoyolu.


From Bostancı Köprüsü (Bostancı Bridge)

From Taksim Square take bus 129T (Taksim - Üst Bostancı line), which, like the other transcontinental bus lines, requires two tickets (3.50 TL). Get off at the leaf-clover interchange called in Turkish Bostancı Köprüsü (literally Bostancı Bridge), close to its last stop. You can recognize the interchange by big signs saying Bostancı and İçerenköy (besides the usual İzmit and Ankara signs) there. Then, after getting off the bus, walk past the interchange until you see a safe shoulder down the road a couple hundred metres away. Start hitching there ready with a sign saying at least ‘Gebze'/'Izmit’, it’ll make you more visible


There is a petrol station exactly 9km before Izmit where you can be dropped off. It is recognizable for its BP petrol station and Burger King restaurant. Trucks are regularly parked here and bound for all points in Turkey, while sometimes one can even find a lift all the way to neighbouring countries.


For Mediterranean cities such as Antalya, you should also take this eastwards route till Adapazari, then head south via motorway D650 from there.


The free walking option

While most people would find it more comfortable to take a bus to the outskirts and then start hitchiking there is another, slightly more challenging, option. Generally it is actually faster to just find a good piece of highway somewhere close to where you stay (even if it's in the centre of Istanbul), get ON the highway and put your thumb up. You are unlikely to wait more than 3-5 minute before a car pulls over (many people don't really mind stopping on the highway) and the police is very unlikely to give you any trouble


From Taksim: Walk down Cumhüriyet Caddesi for about 40-50 minutes. It's a big avenue which is easy to find (alternatively just follow the signs on Taxim for Şisli). After 40-50 minutes you'll see Cevahir shopping center on your right side and that's about 200 meters from where you'll start hitching. If you manage to get lost (hard as it's a big avenue without any real tricky intersection or anything) you should just ask your way to Cevahir shopping center. After the 40-50 minute walk (about the time when you pass Cevahir shopping center on your right side) you'll see the highway. This is th spot where the Mercidiköy bridge starts and about 70-80 % of the traffic is bound for the Asian side. When you get to the highway (which is actually about 10 meters over you as you are under the bridge) you'll see the Mercidiköy bustation to your left. Turn left,walk 20 meters until you see a small footpath leading up to the highway, climb up, thumb up, and smile at your audience (often about 50-60 people) who are waiting for the Metrobus to come. They might even give you an applause if you just put up a show.


Important: BE PATIENT AND DON'T JUST ACCEPT ANY RIDE. Wait for someone who's going at least past the main intersection in Atesehir (say that you want to go direction Gebze/Izmit on the autoyol). Even though almost no traffic is going far from here it is important that your first ride is gonna take you to the O4 highway after the two highways merges and that may mean declining 1, 2 or 4 rides. Ask to get dropped of at the highway and not at some on-ramp or something even more silly (this is Turkey remember). You may have to repeat it one or two more times before you get out of Istanbul just because of the city's enourmous size.


Alternatively you could wait for a ride to take you across the bridge and get dropped off at the paytolls on the Asian side and find a ride onto the 04 from there.

South towards Yalova, Bursa or Izmir

See below the Eskihisar links for a road/bridge alternative. See Eskihisar for how to get to the ferry jetty on the route and how to get into the ferry for free. The route via Eskihisar is also the shortest way to Izmir and its adjacent area in western Turkey.


Opet - Mehmetçik Vakfı Petrol petrol station / rest stop on E80 highway next to Mehmetçik Vakfı bus stop. Buses 130H, 132, 132B and KM 18 stopes there. Place isnt far from Sabiha Gokcen International Airport


Doğalhane Dinlenme Tesisleri petrol station / rest stop on E80 highway next to Çayırova İtfaiye bus stop. Bus 133Ş stops there


Marmaray metro east in the direction of Gebze. Get off at Osmangazi Station (two stops before Gebze) as this is closer to the D-100 highway that will carry you east. Walk roughly 300m north up the road from the station until you get to the circle-underpass junction with the D-100 highway. A nice position just after the start of the on-ramp, where cars are still moving slowly, should score you a ride in minutes.

However, the majority of traffic here seems to be going to Izmit, which is past the bridge. Turn down rides if you have to until you get one going over the bridge, to Yalova/Bursa/İzmir etc. If you're really stuck, take a short ride and ask your driver to drop you off on the side of the road at the off-ramp going to the bridge, and continue hitching from there or after the interchange. If you're really stuck on that road leading up to the bridge, you'll have to walk a few km along it until you get to the Petrol Ofisi fuel station, about a Kilometre before the bridge. Hitch at the on-ramp to the highway from there.

Wild camping

Hacı Osman Korusu park wild camping - ride metro line 2 to Darussafaka station and next to it on the circle corner of streets Buyukder and Ulu streets you can climb over the fance to Hacı Osman Korusu park https://ibb.co/RHmd9jb Get only a bit inside but be carefull there ar some sharp plants


Büyükada island wild camping - you can get by paid ferry there

Nomadwiki & Trashwiki

Check Nomadwiki for info on accommodation, showers etc. or Trashwiki for dumpsters...and share your wisdom :)



Turkish cities with more than 100.000 inhabitants

> 1.000.000: AdanaAnkaraBursaGaziantepIstanbulİzmir

500.000–1.000.000: AntalyaDiyarbakırEskişehirKayseriKonyaMersin

300.000–500.000: AdapazarıBatmanDenizliElazığErzurumGebzeKahramanmaraşMalatyaSamsunŞanlıurfaVan

100.000–300.000: AdıyamanAfyonAğrıAksarayAntakyaAydınBalıkesirBandırmaBeylikdüzüBoluCeyhanÇorluÇorumDarıcaDerinceDüzceEdirneEsenyurtİnegölİskenderunIspartaİzmitKarabükKaramanKayapınarKırıkkaleKırşehirKızıltepe