Istanbulkart
The one card for everything that moves in Istanbul — metro, tram, bus, Marmaray, funiculars and the ferries — bought from a yellow machine, shared by a family, and cheaper than any single ticket.
Istanbulkart is a contactless card issued by the city. You tap it on the reader at every metro gate, tram platform, bus door and ferry pier; the fare is deducted and each transfer within two hours is charged at a falling rate. There is no daily cap, but with fares at roughly a dollar a ride it hardly matters. The anonymous card is what visitors want; personalised cards are for residents.
Buying and topping up
- Buy from the yellow Biletmatik machines in both airports' metro halls and at every metro, tram and Marmaray station, or from kiosks marked İstanbulkart; the card itself costs about TRY 130 and comes empty.
- Top up at the same machines with cash (lira only) or card, at kiosks, or with a foreign bank card through the İstanbulkart app.
- Load TRY 300–500 per person for a few days of heavy use; unused balance is not refundable, so do not overload.
- The app also lets you pay by phone, but the physical card is more reliable at the gates.
Rules worth knowing
One card can pay for several people — tap once per person and the reader deducts each fare; transfer discounts apply only to the first person. Children under six ride free. Ferries to the Princes' Islands and the Bosphorus tours charge a higher fare from the same card. If the reader shows red, the balance is too low; there is always a machine within sight.
Frequently asked questions
Yes — tap it once for each person at every gate or reader; the transfer discount only applies to the first tap.
