kathleen

We will be staying in the immediate area around Taksim Square and plan on using Istanbul’s public transportation to get from that area to the Sultanahmet area. I’m assuming that it’s relatively easy to use, even for first time tourists to the city?

Am I correct that we would first take the F1 Taksim-Kabatas Funicular; then we’d change to the T1 Kabatas-Bagcilar Tramway Line for stops in the Sultanahmet area? We plan on buying one Istanbul Kart for the two of us to use. I assume that is the usual tourist method, even for a short city stay?

Thanks.

lauren_s_kahn

I can't remember the tram number that goes to Sultanahmet.

I would recommend that you just buy individual tickets rather than a day pass. I got a card that I just recharged as needed. I don't know about the Istanbul card, but I suspect that you would each need one. Just check at your hotel when you get to Istanbul--and don't forget to take the ferries across the Bosphorus.

Public transportation throughout the tourist area is easy and cheap. I did not find Taksim very interesting by itself. It is just a terminal for buses and dolmuses (gang taxis that ply regular routes). If you are looking for charm, I'd stay in Sultanahmet. Taksim does have all the big hotels if that is what you want.

I was in Turkey in July 2011 and things could have changed since then. I do have a website and you can look at some of my stuff on Turkey. You might want to start here:

http://altecockertravels.weebly.com/...ange-ever.html

I haven't yet posted all the information from Istanbul. The website is a new venture for me and I've been traveling during the summer and mostly doing blogs about the trip. There will be more when I return and finish with my travels during July-August 2013.

You will love Turkey.

lauren_s_kahn

You might also want to take a look at turkeytravelplanner.com. That site has everything you need to know about Turkey. The guy who runs it has lived there, speaks Turkish, etc. Wonderful travel site focused only on Turkey. I used it a lot planning my trip.

kathleen

Thanks Lauren. The travel planner website you noted is terrific. I quickly browsed through it and will have to go back into it in a more thorough way. I'm also looking through your web info as well.

Our hotel is set, so we are where we are. Thanks for your info on the individual tram tickets. I don't fully understand the Istanbul Kart yet, so I have to think about that.

fourfortravel

Kathleen, our daughter and I spent four days in Istanbul in June and shared an Istanbul Kart for our transit around the city; there is no need for each traveler to purchase one. We bought the card at the airport (small fee), and added to it periodically at tram stations (instructions are in a number of languages).

Our trip report is posted here if you are interested; our notes on Istanbul are toward the end. http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rip-report.cfm

lauren_s_kahn

Thanks for clarifying on the Istabul card for the original poster. I did take a look at your trip report.

kathleen

Four, Yes, thanks for clarifying the Istanbul Kart. Your stay in Istanbul seemed wonderful. But I do hope someone else has something to say about the Funicular and Tram routes we think are correct for us. Wandering around might prove to be fun if we had lots of time. Ours will be an even shorter stay than yours, even though we plan to pack in as much as we can.

fourfortravel

Kathleen, your funicular and subway route (The F1 to the T1) will get you to Sultanahmet and the major sights easily. The transit is very straightforward.

Good luck packing in as much as you can. We had plans, as well, but Istanbul needs to be savored, and savor we did.

Loacker

If you're staying right in Taksim square, then your best best is to take the funicular to Kabatas then tram to Sultanahmet.

I was staying in Beyoglu, towards the end of Istiklal street, and found it easier to walk to Tophane and take the tram to Sultanahmet.

kathleen

Thanks Loacker and Four. The F1 and the T1 it is then. Just needed some verification on what I thought were the correct transit lines.