Would anyone know what a taxi fare should be from the airport (IST) to the Dedeman Istanbul hotel? Our flight arrives around 2:00 pm on a Saturday.
Thanks

Hi

You can get an estimate using - http://www.worldtaximeter.com

Too bad this sight doesn't work for istanbul

i think about $50 but you have to agree on the fare before you leave the airport.

There is good public transport from IST to downtown - http://www.ataturkairport.com/en-EN/...portation.aspx.

You need to be careful with cabbies in Istanbul - they will try to go the long way round if they're on the meter.

All taxis are metered in istanbul and have been for at least 20 years.

If you try to negotiate a fare you are opening yourself for being cheated.

The fare should be abou $35-40 or TL70-80 from IST to Dedeman. depending on route he takes.

about TL5 tip is fine.

E5 Highway will be the shortest route.

Using a meter doesn't stop taxis from cheating. As I said, they will try to go the long way round.

thursdaysd, you may have been cheated when in Istanbul but I have heard of people being cheated only a few times. The long route is a not a typical scam unless the mark gets in the cab and wishes to go somewhere just around the corner. The traffic can be really atrocious and the cab driver would loose if he takes a much longer route also, especially an airport cab.

The "Italian Scam" is when the driver takes your high denomination note and exchanges it to a lower one, saying you have to pay more.
This was done to me in Rome and one of my daughters in Istanbul.

The scams are usually by specific drivers looking for marks at typical tourist spots.

Airport rank taxis are fine, but do not take one off the rank.
At other locations, it is better to get a rank cab rather than one which has just stopped and seemed to be waiting. Even a cruising taxi is better than a taxi stopping at a touristic location.

This is from the TR I wrote after my last visit but one to Istanbul. (My last visit I just used public transport, which worked very well.)

"I had my hotel call for the taxi, and tell the driver both my destination, and my route. Using Kennedy Caddesi along the shore, the driver would have no opportunity to take a winding route through the old town. So what happened? He turned the wrong way onto Kennedy and it took me a while to get us going in the right direction!"

Otherchelebi - I should of said there are 4 in our group. Would they charge more for 4 people?

There are no charges based on number of people. Hpwever, the taxis are small, usually Fiat Linea, and I hope none of you in the group would occupy more than his share of space like I would. -

Some are taxis are small mini vans, and you may wait for one from the rank, especially id you have too much luggage.

Another option would be to check some of the shuttles on the web, although the cost could be higher even at $12-15 per person.

turkeytravelplanner.com is the site I used to plan my trip to Turkey. Great site. Run by a guy who has lived in Turkey and is, I believe, an American. I found the site invaluable. I have no financial interest in the site and would use it again if I were going again.

Turkey is a great destination as there is so much history there. I went to Istanbul and Cappadocia. You can find some information on my website:

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

I have other pieces as well but am not an expert--just someone who has been to Turkey once.

For the nuts and bolts, check turkeytravelplanner.com.