Hello all,
I'm travelling with TK on LHR-IST & SAW-TBS on Friday/Saturday nights at the end of this week (around 20 hour stopover). I'm due to arrive into IST just after midnight and I'm trying to work out transport and accommodation options.
I'm aware that public transport schedules to/from the new airport have gone 24 hour since it's full opening. But after midnight, I'd prefer to get to my hotel quickly, so I'm more likely to take a taxi. Does anyone know the usual rate for taxis from the new airport to Taksim/Sirkeci/Uskudar? I don't think Uber is functional in Istanbul - are there any other taxi apps I should download beforehand to make things easier?
I'm choosing between Taksim, Sirkeci or Uskudar for hotel location. I've been to Istanbul a few times before so I won't be trying to see lots of sights. I simply want to maximise my time there and try to avoid travel to SAW on Saturday evening from being too bad. What's Istanbul traffic like on a Saturday evening (my flight is due to depart from SAW at 19:20)? Will having a hotel in Uskudar to leave my luggage in make the journey a lot easier compared to the European side?
This hotel in Uskudar has mixed reviews, but looks like a decent hotels for the current rates (~60USD) so I'm considering it:
Ramada Istanbul Asia -
https://goo.gl/maps/mZ3om2C1j3w
Thanks in advance for any experience on this.