Airport Transfer
There are two international airports in Istanbul. The biggest and the most used one is called İstanbul International Airport and it is located on the European side of Istanbul. The other airport, Sabiha Gokcen International Airport, is located on the Asian side of Istanbul. Sabiha Gokcen Airport is 20 minutes drive away from the Sabancı University Campus, and there are many charter flights from Europe arriving at Sabiha Gokcen.
You will find that going through passport and customs control is fairly easy as long as your passport and work visa are in order and you are not bringing in goods that are prohibited by Turkish law. Do check with the Turkish Consulate before coming, particularly if you are planning to bring in electronic equipment.
If you do not have Turkish liras with you, you will need to exchange some foreign currency at the airport. There are money exchange windows conveniently located near the entrance doors.
How to get to the campus:
From Istanbul Airport to Campus:
◎ Havaist Shuttles:
To 4. Levent (~40 TL):
• First step: Take the Havaist Shuttle from İstanbul Airport to 4. Levent.
• Second Step: Take Sabancı University Shuttle from 4. Levent
To Kadıköy (~50 TL):
• First step: Take the Havaist Shuttle from İstanbul Airport to Kadıköy.
• Second Step: Take Sabancı University Shuttle from Kadıköy.
To Pendik Tavşantepe Metro (~50-130 TL):
• First step: Take the Havaist Shuttle from İstanbul Airport to Pendik Tavşantepe Metro.
• Second Step: Take Sabancı University Shuttle from Pendik Tavşantepe Metro.
• Alternative Second Step: Take a taxi from Pendik Tavşantepe Metro to campus.
For Havaist Shuttle Schedule and ticket booking/buying please visit their website: https://hava.ist/en
For Sabancı University Shuttle Schedule and shuttle stops please visit:
https://www.sabanciuniv.edu/en/shuttle-hours
◎ Taxi (~250-300 TL):
If you take a taxi to the campus, it should cost between 250-300 TL. Please note that prices for bridges and paid roads are not shown on taximeters. They are added to taximeter prices later on, when you are
making the payment. However, the trip should not cost much more than 300 TL. There are also price tables inside the airport that offer a more standardized version of costs for taxis. For estimating taxi costs, you can use apps like iTaksi or BiTaksi.
From Sabiha Gökçen Airport to Campus:
◎Option 1 (~45 TL):
Because Sabancı University is very close to the airport and there is no direct or useful indirect public transportation,we kindly recommend you to take a taxi.
◎Option 2 (~25 TL):
• First step: Take a taxi and go to Viaport Shopping Mall
• Second step: Take Sabancı University Viaport Shuttle from Viaport Shopping Mall
You should check the latest shuttle schedule from the web site before you depart from home.
https://www.sabanciuniv.edu/en/shuttle-hours
From European Side / By Taxi / Private Car & Bus
If you are planning to come with a private bus/car, please give the attached directions* to the bus driver.
Depending on the traffic, from the old city, it approximately takes 70 minutes to SU Campus.
Also, we have a shuttle service from Kadıköy and 4. Levent, below please see the timetable:
International Relations Office is located in the Faculty of Management. Please make sure that you get off at the second stop – which is FMAN (Faculty of Management / YBF – Yönetim Bilimleri Fakültesi) parking lot (P12).
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* Below, there are directions to give to the driver in Turkish.
Directions to give to the driver coming from European side.
In addition here is an English version, so you can get a sense of how what the driver is doing:
From the airport, take the TEM freeway. After you cross Bosporus via the Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge you will drive for approximately 39 kilometers. Exit the TEM freeway at the Seker Pinar exit (you will actually see the university from the freeway as the exit is a bit beyond the university). 400 meters after passing through the Sekerpinar tollgate turn right. You will see a Suzuki sign, keep going until you see the Shell gas station where you need to turn right. Keep on this road for 700 meters until you see the Opet gas station. Keep going until you see the entrance to BOSB, then turn left at the lifts. There will be several training offices of banks on your right. The entrance to Sabanci University is at the third traffic light.Welcome!
International Relations Office is located in the Sabancı Business School. Please make sure that you get off at the second stop – which is FMAN (Sabancı Business School (Faculty of Management) / YBF – Yönetim Bilimleri Fakültesi) parking lot (P12).
From Asian Side / Kadıköy to SU Campus
There is a regular shuttle service from Kadıköy, on these shuttles, it says Gürsel in big letters. (Attached please find the logo of Gürsel) For timetable please click here and please see the interactive map of the departure point:
The departure point is in front of Simit Sarayı which is next to Rıhtım Hotel.
Time: From Kadıköy to SU Campus it takes approx. 60 minutes.
Cost: The shuttle costs 11 Turkish Liras per person; the payment is made on the bus upon arrival to campus.
International Relations Office is located in the Sabancı Business School. Please make sure that you get off at the second stop – which is FMAN Sabancı Business School (Faculty of Management / YBF – Yönetim Bilimleri Fakültesi) parking lot (P12).
Car sticker
If you wish to drive your own car to Campus, you need to obtain a car sticker. If you fill out the Car Information section in your Personnel Information Form (PIF) when you start work, you will automatically get your sticker with your Personnel ID Card. Those employees, who did not fill out this section, can contact University Operations / Security.
