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From Zeytinburnu there is an extensive choice of public transportation into Another option, from close to the city such as trams to Sultanahmetmotorway toll booth, buses are the frequent minibuses to Taksim/Beyoğlu (93C)Topkapı or Yenibosna, or the ''Metrobüs'' heading for the Asian side across from which you can find transportation further into the Bosphoruscentre.
The other A third option, from close is possible if your driver is going to the motorway Asian side of Istanbul. If he will cross the bridge ''Fatih Sultan Mehmet kuprusu''. ask him to drop you at the last exit before the bridge's toll booth, are which is right after you pass the frequent minibuses to Topkapı or Yenibosnanew stadium. if you walk/hitch down that road, very soon you will arrive at a metro station, from which will take you can find transportation further into the centredirectly to Taksim.
There are no ATMs on == Hitching out == Generally, you can just start hitching anywhere in the city center. Just walk to the outskirts of Istanbulnearest highway and stick your thumb out. If It might need a few lifts until you have no Turkish moneyget out of the border, the driver may let but given that you travel hardly ever wait more than 10 minutes for freea lift, or it can be faster than public transport. ''Taksim Square in the center of the European part of Istanbul is chosen as a friendly local may pay 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}} === There are several ways to get out of the city centre and onto the main highway. If you; arrive with some Turkish lira stop a car that is not going a long distance, then it is best to aim for the Mahmutbey toll booths in your pocket to not be reliant on the kindness northwest of strangersIstanbul where the E80 really begins. ==== Test option - Ispartakule Park Area North ==== Ispartakule Park Area North is a fuel station on E80 highwaySee Google maps for getting there and update how its
* 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.
One option [[User:Damaniacle]] uses is for the (quite common) situation of your driver crossing the second bridge, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Kuprusu (bridge). get them to drop you at the last exit before the bridge's toll booth, which is right after you pass the new stadium. if you walk/hithc down that road, very soon you will arrive at a metro station, which will take you directly to Taksim.
GenerallyGet to the Mahmutbey toll booths (Mahmutbey Gişeleri) where it is possible to stop long-distance cars and trucks.TOLL BOOTHS WERE DEMOLISHED. FAST TRAFFIC. Some buses pass this spot. One is 98H from Bakırköy, a suburb in the west. Another one (146T) departures from Yenikapı, near Sultanahmet and you can get off at the stop just start hitching anywhere 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 city centerfence). Just You can also go by metro to Ikitelli Sanayi stop (M3 line) walk to south until you see the nearest highway and stick your thumb outfollow it until you reach the toll booths (about 1 km walk). It might need For the metro, one ticket costs 3,00 TL or a few lifts until you get out bit less with an prepay "akbil". But beware of the borderfact that everytime you change metro's, but given that you hardly ever wait more than 10 minutes for 'd have to pay the 3TL again. Strictly speaking, pedestrians are not permitted here; if a liftbored traffic police officer asks you to leave, but ignore him and feign misunderstanding, it can be faster than public transportand walk a few metres away and thumb.
''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.''
There are several ways Hitchhikers experience: we don't understand what means when you write "last stop". And turkish people didn't understand when you try to explain them that you whant to get out of the city centre and onto the main to highway. If They offer to you stop a car that is not going a long distance, then it is best their buses. It's easier to take bus from this bus station to aim for the Mahmutbey toll booths in the northwest of Istanbul where the E80 really begins. From herenearest village Catalca, it is possible get out before bus turn 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 thumbCatalca.
==== Bus 83O ====Hitchhikers experience 2014: Not the best place to stay, eventually we got a ride of a guy that wanted to help us, but after 2 hours going around Istanbul, left us in a much worse place close to the airport. So be strict with where you want to go. Ask at least for the toll.
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).
From Yenikapı'''Update (as of August 2018)''': the train to [[Muratlı]] is operating twice a day, near Sultanahmet, one can take bus 146T and get off at departing from Halkalı train station in the stop just after West of the bus turns north into the suburb Başakşehircity. The fare to Muratlı is 13.5 TL (11 TL if you're under 26). From the You can get to Muratlı train station by direct bus from Eminönü, or by metrobus (Cennet Mahallesi metrobus stop, you can walk a couple is nearly 1 hour of hundred metres down walking from the train station). Be aware that it is currently impossible to pay by the toll booth (card at Halkalı station, and there is a handy gap no ATM nearby, so prepare cash in the fence)advance.
=== Westwards '''EDIT''': The train doesn't run anymore. Also to avoid lots of local traffic, many people going in that direction rather take the highway towards [[Greece]] (via [[Tekirdağ|Edirne, and turn off the highway to Kinali and further to the west. So the best to do is to use the same spot as for going towards Edirne, Mahmutbey pay-tolls, try to hitchhike a car to Tekirdag]]) {{E|84}} ===, or at least to the Kinali exit, take off the highway and hitchhike further to the west.
* '''==== From parking on motorway O4'''====Take a 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'''have 2 options:
Get on a ferry # Take bus 19, 19C, 19Y, or just ask which bus is going to '''Ferhatpaşa''' the stop you have to Haydarpaşa get off at (1,75 TLyou will see a road going in a circle like a big roundabout) and from . From there walk northeast until you get to the motorway O4 Anadolu Otoyolu. There is a suburban train fence along the motorway but it has many holes, so getting to the last station Gebze (also 1other side is not difficult,75 TL). There or can just go to the gate where is only one train linepossible to entre freely. After Once you walk up get to the train station stairs parking area, you can ask around or make a big sign and come show it at parking area's exit to the streetdrivers passing by on the motorway, go left and at so they can stop on a merge lane. There's one small restaurant in the intersection turn left againparking area where many drivers stop for a short break. You# Take bus 130 and after half an hour or so you'll see arrive to a signpost for Gas station where the Istanbul-Ankara roadbus stops (near Gebze). Follow the signs, Get down and from here 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 Izmithike either asking or stopping cars.
* '''==== From Şekerpınar close to Gebze'''====
* '''==== From Bostancı Köprüsü (Bostancı Bridge)'''====
* '''==== The (free) walking option'''====
== Eating ==An alternative to - and depending on your luck, faster than - the ferry route is to catch a lift across the Osmangazi Bridge (Osmangazi Köprüsü) which opened in 2016. This suspension bridge carries the major O-5 motorway across the Gulf of Izmit, connecting Gebze, the city on the eastern outskirts of Istanbul, to Yalova Province. A way to get as close as possible to the bridge without having to hitch through the city traffic is to take the Marmaray (kind of metro) to its far Eastern stations. The Marmaray, which runs along the southern coast of Istanbul, can be caught on both the Asian and European sides of the city and many of its major stations, such as Yenikapı and Üsküdar, are connected to the city's metro, metrobus, bus and tram system.Catch the Marmaray east in the direction of Gebze. A ticket costs roughly 5.20TL (~USD 0.92) as of June 2019, and you must use an Istanbulkart which you presumably have. 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.
There is a community kitchen called "Karacaahmet Sultan Dergahi" on Nuhkuyusu street in Selimiye (ÜsküdarHowever, Asian Side)the majority of traffic here seems to be going to Izmit, some 200 meters which is past the bridge. Turn down from Karaca Ahmet Camii (rides if you have to until you get one going over the big mosque)bridge, to Yalova/Bursa/İzmir etc. You can just walk in around lunch time If you're really stuck, take a short ride and ask for food. They hardly speak English though so maybe your driver to drop you can ask someone off on the side of the road at the off-ramp going to translate a brief notethe bridge, and continue hitching from there or after the interchange.
__NOTOC__
→Northwest towards Edirne and Bulgaria {{E|80}}
=== From the west {{E|80}} ===
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. Note that 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.
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 will cost around 2.00* TL pp Turkish lira (~ €0.80)(see section below on Public transport). 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.
== Hitchhiking out == First option ====
=== Northwest towards [[Edirne]] and [[Bulgaria]] {{E|80}} = Second option ====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. Or even better get off one stop before the last: you will recognize it when the bus is passing from small urban street to a big 3 lanes road. 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. At the same time you are often disturbed by buses stopping, leaving or parking. 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).
==== Metro Third option ===='''This section needs an update!'''
Get into the metro at Taksim Square and take a train towards ''Atatürk Oto SanayiHaciosman''. 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". But beware of the fact that everytime you change metro's, you'd have to pay the 2TL again! 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.
If you don't feel comfortable at the on-ramp for whatever reason (eg the cars pass too close or drive too fast), try to start hitching from a bus stop just after the gasstation called 'Opet'. If you stand here, many taxi's might stop for you, but just wave them away, or say 'para yok' (no money) and wait for a normal car to stop for you.
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).
===Westwards towards [[Greece]] (via [[Tekirdağ|Tekirdag]]) {{E|84}} = Other buses ==== Other buses pass the toll booth. One is 98H from Bakırköy, a suburb in the west.
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.
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!
=== Westwards towards [[Cannakale]] (via [[Tekirdağ|Tekirdag]]) ===
Take Bus #34B/C/BZ/G to the last stop and start hitchhiking with a Tekirdag sign there. From Tekirdag continue with a Istanbul sign. Be prepared for a possible long waiting time at Tekirdag.
=== East and south towards [[Ankara]], Black Sea coast, Antalya {{E|80}} ===
For going east there are different options:
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).
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 ''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.
For Mediterranean cities such as [[Antalya]], you should also take this eastwards route till [[Adapazari]], then head south via motorway D650 from there.
While most people would find it more comfortable to take a bus to the outskirts and then start hitchiking there is another, slighlty 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 (they picked [[Theo]] up, gave him tea and chocolate-cookies and dropped him of 20 kilometers further down the road)
From Taksim: Walk down Cumhüriyet Caddesi for about 40-50 minutes. It's a big avenue which is easy to find (alternativvely 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.
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.
For some reason, the few kilometres before the bridge are exceptionally difficult to get a ride from. The traffic is thinner and, possibly to do with the expensive bridge toll, drivers are much less inclined to pick you up. Looking like a foreigner will help, as Turks often don't like stopping for other Turks or Arabs. 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.
== Public transport, sleeping, eating ==
Look at [http://nomadwiki.org/en/Istanbul Nomadwiki] for these info!
== Personal experiences ==
[[User:ESko|ESko]] Hitchhiking out was really a hassle. It is easy to get a lift, but people do not understand that you need to follow the highway. They think you want to take a bus, and thus it gets complicated. In other parts of Turkey I had a recorded message by Turkish friends explaining what I was actually doing and what I needed from drivers. I didn't have it when leaving IST, and it was a mistake. Get a Turkish friend to record a message on your phone which you can play to the drivers who give you a lift. It should say something like: "I'm from XY, and right now I'm hitchhiking from IST to X. Can you take me on this road as long as possible?"
2 times I hitchhiked from Istanbul to Asia and once back to Europe. I didn´t have any map of the city and I haven´t use any bus because hitchhiking from Istanbul is very easy. There are a lot of cars and turkish drivers will not let you wait. If you are goning to Asia and you´re still in european part so the best spot is probably on the start of Bosphorus bridge. To get out from Istanbul you always need to take more cars(about 3-5 cars). In this city you can use hitchhiking as a public transport, just raise you´re tumb and there is a big chance that you´ll come forexample to city center faster than by metro.(Král všech moří, 2016/17)
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