Istanbul Getting There

Istanbul’s main airport, Ataturk International (IST), is on the European side at Yesilkoy; it connects to the town center by metro. On the Asian side at Pendik, the smaller Sahiba Gokcen (SAW) is serviced mainly by charter and low-cost airlines.

Turkish Airlines, which flies non-stop from Chicago, is the main operator out of Ataturk International (IST). Most national carriers also serve the airport, including Delta, which flies non-stop from JFK. EasyJet, Germanwings, and other smaller airlines use Sahiba Gokcen (SAW).

Ataturk International is about 10-11 hours nonstop from the East Coast; 11 hours nonstop from the Midwest; 14-16 hours from the West Coast depending on layover time. It is about 4 hours from northern Europe.