Questions about Transfers in Istanbul
 

Hi, We are considering a trip to Turkey in the Fall. We would be staying with a tour at the Grand Surmeli Hotel. Do the "scheduled" shuttle busses from Ataturk Airport come into this area? I've checked the airport site and couldn't determine their directions.

We are also looking for a small hotel in that area for one night, prior to our tour departure. Any suggestions?

I've looked on the Turkey Board, and nothing exactly fits my question. Ciao. mhm

You neglected to say where the hotel is.

The shuttles go to Sultanahmet and Taksim.

I would ask the hotel or the tour about the transfer.

Opps! I should have included this info about the hotel which has an address in Taksim. We have also looked at the Hotel Ceasar, from which another tour departs. I think it is in the same area.

If we were arriving on the tour schedule, it wouldn't be a question, but we want to arrive a day early and will need to provide our own tranport.

I guess one other thing I really want to know is if the busses have room for baggage storage, or do we keep it with us on the ride, as you would on a tram, etc.

Thanks for the reply. Ciao. mhm

Many hotels offer shuttle services to/from the airport. ALso, I found taxi prices in Istanbul to be quite reasonable.

Dear Mercy,

I believe you have wrong information about the location of the Grand Surmeli Hotel. It is located at Gayrettepe not in Taksim area. So your options for an airport city transfer can be as follows:

1. Take the scheduled Havas bus from airport to Taksim and then take a taxi to Gayrettepe from Taksim. (It is not far away from Taksim to Gayrettepe but you definitely need a taxi for your luggage. By the way, the busses have ample room for baggage storage.

2. Take a taxi from airport to hotel (which is a bit pricey)

3. Ask the hotel to arrange a transfer.

As for a small friendly hotel prior to your departure I would recommend Celal Sultan Hotel

http://www.celalsultan.com/

They will happily arrange your return flight transfer.

I hope this piece of information helps.

Hi, I thought I posted a reply to the above post, but it must have gone into cyberspace.

The information I had, from the Internet, gave the address of the Surmeli as being in Taksim. I've done a bit more searching and it appears to be one of a few hotels in Gayrettepe. I have not been able to find a full map of Istanbul, to orient myself to the various points of interest--knowing, however, where the BIG sites are.

Thanks for the info about the shuttle. I also checked out the Celal Sultan and have added to my list. I have had a reply from the Apricot Hotel and a few others.

I appreciate the time others take to post information. Even with all the Internet resources available, getting info from "real" people is a huge plus when planning travel. Ciao! mhm

you have wrong information.
This hotel is in gayrettepe almost
10 min drive away from taksim area.
each time you need to come to center or sites you need taxis.
my suggestion forget about this hotel.
there are a lot of other hotels at taksim.
regards
nejat incedogan

Thank you for confirming the info that I had last posted, just above yours, that the hotel is in Gayrepptte. However, that is the hotel where we will join the tour, so we have little choice about the Grand Surmeli. We are checking out other hotels in both the Taksim and Sultanament area and since we only want the hotel for our first night, we are mostly interested in something
clean and comfortable. I appreciate your reply. Ciao. mhm