The tram you'll use the most in Istanbul is the T1 Bağcılar- Kabataş tram. (Click here for a map of Istanbul's Metro, tram, Tünel and funicular system.)
This Bağcılar Kabataş tram will be very useful, especially when visiting the historical parts of Istanbul, called the historical peninsula. With this tram, you can easily see Sultanahmet, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern, Sirkeci, Grand Bazaar, Topkapi Palace and much more. Therefore, the stops of this tram between Kabataş and Grand Bazaar will probably meet your needs. However, the tram has 31 stops in total and it takes 65 minutes to complete one trip. However, since other regions are not very touristic, you will probably not need those stations.
How to Use the Tram
Trams run about every 2 to 10 minutes from 06:00 am until 00:00 daily. Here's how to pay the fare. You need to obtain an Istanbulkart or you can pay with your contactless debit or credit card. You can use the Istanbulkart application to pay with a QR code, too. If you are unsure about which station to take off, the Google Maps application is always handy. in the public transport section, it gives you all the directions you need.
Stops on the Route
This route goes from the district of Bağcılar via Zeytinburnu on the shore of the Sea of Marmara northeast through the Byzantine city walls at Topkapı (the Cannon Gate, not the palace), then eastward via Yusufpaşa/Aksaray, then past the Grand Bazaar (Kapalı Çarşı) and along Divan Yolu to Sultanahmet—the Hippodrome—the historic center of Old Istanbul.
From Sultanahmet, the tram continues north past Sirkeci station and Eminönü (ferry docks), across the Galata Bridge over the Golden Horn to Karaköy Square (Galata, starting-point for the Tünel up to Beyoğlu's Istiklal Caddesi).
From Karaköy the tram continues to Tophane, near the Istanbul Modern Art Museum, then to Kabataş, with its "Sea Bus" catamaran ferry dock, and Füniküler (funicular tram) to Taksim Square. You can visit the Dolmabahçe Palace with just a 5-minute walk from the Kabataş Station.
Here's what the signboard on the front of the tram means:
Bağcılar: Westbound/outbound tram going all the way to the end of the line, stopping at Zeytinburnu, where you transfer to the Metro to go the Otogar (bus terminal).
Eminönü: Eastbound/inbound tram going into the center of the city (Laleli-Üniversite, Beyazıt-Kapalı Çarşı, Sultanahmet, Sirkeci) but only as far as the Eminönü ferry docks, not across the Galata Bridge to Karaköy.
Kabataş: Eastbound/inbound tram going to the end of the line at Kabatas, past all the stops, beyond Eminönü and across the Galata Bridge to Karaköy (change for Tünel), Tophane, and Kabataş.
Trams of Istanbul
Istanbul's other prominent tram is the T2 Nostalgic Istiklal Caddesi tram that runs along the former Grande Rue de Péra in Beyoğlu, from Tünel Square via Galatasaray Square to Taksim Square.
There is also the T3 Kadıköy-Moda nostalgic tram line on the Anatolian side of Istanbul.
The T5 Eminönü-Alibeyköy Bus Terminal tram is suitable for a panoramic journey with a view of the Golden Horn and for visiting Fener and Balat from Eminönü.
—by Tom Brosnahan, updated by Melike Kocaer
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