By ship
Unique Istanbul liners large conventional ferry boats, sea-buses high speed catamarans, or mid-sized private ferries travel between the European and Asian sides of the city. The crossing takes about 20 minutes and costs 1.50 TL, and gives great views of the Bosphorus. Be aware that sometimes the ferry when arriving at a dock can bounce off the pier accidentally, even on calm days. This can cause people to fall over if they are standing up, so it is advisable to remain seated until the ferry has come to an absolute stop.
In Istanbul, liners from any given quay generally take only a certain route, and these quays are signposted ‘X Iskelesi’ “X Landing stage/pier”. For instance, Eminönü alone has more than 5 landing stages including the ones used by other ferries apart from liners, so if you should head for, say, Üsküdar, you should take the ferry which departs from ‘Üsküdar Iskelesi’. Replace ‘Üsküdar’ with the destination of your choice.
Istanbul liners (http://ido.com.tr) travel on the following routes:
Karaköy - Haydarpaşa - Kadıköy
Kadıköy - Eminönü
Üsküdar - Eminönü
Üsküdar - Karaköy - Eminönü - Eyüp The Golden Horn Route
Kadıköy - Besiktaş
Kabatas - Uskudar - Harem
Istinye - Emirgan - Kanlıca - Anadolu Hisarı - Kandilli - Bebek - Arnavutköy - Çengelköy The Whole Bosphorus Route
Anadolu Kavağı - Rumeli Kavağı - Sariyer
Eminönü - Kavaklar Special Bosphorus Tour-Recommended For Tourists
Sirkeci - Adalar - Yalova - Cınarcık The Princes' Islands Route
Furthermore, the sea-buses deniz otobüsü follow the same or more routes, usually much faster than liners.Returning to Yenikapi from Kadikoy by sea-bus is a fast and convenient way to cross the Bosphorus; at Yenikapithere is a railway station with frequent trains to Sirkeci/Eminönü and the Yenikapi fish restaurant area is close by or one stop on the train.
Four main private ferry routes for travelling between Asia and Europe sides are:
Besiktaş - Üsküdar
Kabataş - Üsküdar close to tram and funicular system in Kabataş
Eminönü - Üsküdar close to tram in Eminönü
Eminönü - Kadıköy close to tram in Eminönü
Very useful are the fast ferryboats travelling at 55 kilometers running from several points, such as the Yenikapi - Yalova one, that allows you with a connecting bus in Yalova to be in Bursa centre in less than three hours. Prices are marginally higher and the gain in time is considerable, though the view is not as nice.
All of the ferries, including private ones, can be paid for using the AKBIL system or the new Smart RFID Card that is in the process of introduction.
A new metro line extension crossing the Bosphorus in a tunnel is under construction. This will change the ferry provision and is perhaps a good reason to visit Istanbul before it is completed.
By train
Suburban/commuter trains banliyö treni using somewhat dilapidated stock and running on national rail network, connect suburbs along the European and Asian coast of the Sea of Marmara to main stations at Sirkeci and Haydarpaşa, respectively. These trains are one of the fastest connections between the old city and western suburbs, especially Bakırköy, although they, especially the line on European Side, are best avoided late at night.
By Shared Taxi
Dolmuş Turkish: "full" is a shared taxi, travelling on a fixed route, which costs more than a city autobus but less than a normal taxi. They can carry up to 8 passengers. They are easy to recognize, because they also have the yellow painting as taxis and carry a Dolmus sign on its top. They will only start driving when all eight places are filled, which is also where the name derives from.
The main and most important routes for Dolmuses are :
Taksim - Eminönü Taksim stop, near the Ataturk Cultural Center, in Taksim square
Taksim - Kadıköy
Taksim - Bostanci
Taksim - Aksaray Taksim stop, Tarlabasi Avenue, close to Taksim square
Kadıköy - Bostanci Bostanci stop, in front of the Bostanci ferry port
Taksim - Tesvikiye Taksim stop, in front of Patisserie Gezi, in Taksim square
Beşiktaş - Nisantasi Beşiktaş stop, in front of the Beşiktaş - Üsküdar ferry port
Kadıköy - Üsküdar Üsküdar stop, Near the Üsküdar - Beşiktaş and Üsküdar - Kabataş ferry port
If you want the driver to make a stop, you can say İnecek var.EE-neh-djek war! Someone's getting out. or Müsait bir yerde.mU-sa-EEt bir yer-deh. At a convenient spot..