Istanbul Otogar (Main Bus Terminal), Turkey

Istanbul’s Main Bus Terminal, widely known as the Büyük İstanbul Otogarı, holds the title of the largest bus terminal in Europe. With 168 ticket offices and gates, its own metro station, shops, restaurants, hotel, police station, clinic and mosque, the Büyük Otogarı is virtually a town in itself.

You can catch a bus to Berlin or Baghdad, though you’re more likely to be looking for one to Edirne, Ephesus, Gallipoli or Cappadocia.

Top Facts About Büyük Istanbul Otogarı

Spanning an impressive 258,980 square meters, Büyük Istanbul Otogarı houses over 20 hair salons, 100 gift shops, 169 dining establishments, 271 bus companies, and 735 shops of various kinds.
With approximately 1,400 buses departing each day, Istanbul Main Bus Terminal serves as the primary transportation hub for the entire Istanbul metropolitan area and serves all of Turkey, plus Greece, Romania, Bulgaria and the Balkans, central Europe and even the Middle East!
It is worth noting that, while widely known as the Büyük Istanbul Otogarı or Esenler Otogarı, it was renamed the 15 Temmuz Demokrasi Otogar (also called the 15 Temmuz Şehirler Otogar) in memory of those who died during the abortive coup attempt of 15 July 2016.

Intercity Bus Routes

Hundreds of companies run thousands of buses, mostly big, comfortable and new, day and night. Dozens of companies connect Istanbul and Ankara, with a bus leaving at least every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day.

While the Büyük Istanbul Otogarı allows you to reach your destination with a single bus, it is important to note that if you’re starting your trip from the center of Istanbul and heading east into Asian Turkey, you may want to consider departing from the Harem Otogar on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus. And if you’re going to the Balkans, Armenia, Georgia or Iran, consider departing from the Emniyet Garajı, helping you minimize the risk of getting stuck in city center traffic.

Reliable Bus Companies

Pamukkale Turizm: Pamukkale offers a wide range of routes from the Büyük Istanbul Otogarı, connecting to major cities and smaller towns across Turkey.

Kamil Koç: Kamil Koç also has many bus routes from terminal to most major cities in Turkey. Most popular destinations from Istanbul are Ankara, Eskişehir, and Çanakkale.

Metro Turizm: Metro Turizm is another reliable bus company that you can find in most bus terminals in Turkey. Popular destinations from the Büyük Istanbul Terminal include Izmir and Antalya.

Here are Turkey’s major bus companies.

Buying Bus Tickets

Except at holiday times, when many buses may be fully booked in advance, you can usually just show up at the Büyük Otogar 30 to 60 minutes before you want to depart and catch the next coach to your destination in less than an hour. Alternatively, you can use a third-party platform such as Obilet or Enuygun.com to buy your ticket in advance. Here’s more info on how to buy bus tickets in Turkey.

Keep in mind that, some major bus companies have ticket offices in or near major tourist areas such as Sirkeci, Laleli and Taksim. Ask at your hotel for the nearest one.

Istanbul‘s Main Bus Terminal (Coach Station) is located 10 km (6 miles) northwest of Sultanahmet Square in the district of Bayrampaşa, near the district of Esenler. There are multiple ways to reach Büyük Istanbul Bus Terminal:

Metro Lines to/from Büyük Istanbul Bus Terminal

You can reach the Büyük İstanbul Otogarı using the M1A Yenikapı-Atatürk Airport Metro Line or the M1B Yenikapı-Kirazlı Metro Line. If you are not near a metro line, you can take most metrobus lines to a nearby station and easily transfer to the metro. Here is more information on the Metro and Trams in Istanbul.

Havaist Buses to/from Büyük Istanbul Otogarı

You can also use the Havaist buses that operate between the Büyük Istanbul Bus Terminal and many destinations in Istanbul, including the new Istanbul Airport, 40 km (25 miles) to the north, near the Black Sea. You can see the available destinations and departure times on the official Havaist website.

Bus Routes to/from Büyük Istanbul Terminal

Using buses is also an option. The following bus lines provide direct access to the bus terminal from various parts of the city.

39O: Yeşilpınar - Otogar
76O: Cihangir Mahallesi - Avcılar - Otogar
303B: Silivri Cezaevi - Otogar
83O: Taksim - Otogar
75O: Mecidiyeköy - Otogar

4. Transportation from Bus Terminal to Popular Tourist Destinations

You can use public transportation to reach most popular tourist destinations in Istanbul:

a. Istanbul Otogar to Sultanahmet

You can travel between the Büyük Istanbul Otogar and Sultanahmet and Sirkeci via Metro and tram (map). Here is more info on how to.

b. Istanbul Otogar to Taksim Square

To travel between the Istanbul Bus Terminal and Taksim Square, the most direct way is via IETT city bus 83-O (Otogar-Taksim), which runs every 20 to 25 minutes from 06:30 am to 21:30 (9:30 pm). The trip. Alternatively, you can take the M1 Metro line to Yenikapı, then change there for the M2 Metro line toward Hacıosman, and get out at Taksim.

—by Can Turan