Changes

Get on a ferry to Haydarpaşa (1,50 75 TL) and from there a suburban train to the last station Gebze (also 1,50 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 ''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. *note about buses - At the time of this correction (07/09/11) all public transport in Istanbul is 1.75, however it is no longer possible to pay the driver as you are supposed to have 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 almot certainly impossible to ride for free, unless by permission of the driver.