Buses and coaches terminate at the colossal Esenler Otogar, about 10 km west of the city center, located on the European side. Courtesy minibuses or taxis will easily get you into the center. The metro also stops at the Otogar.
There are several daily buses to/from cities in Bulgaria, Greece, Republic of Macedonia and Romania.
With 168 ticket offices and gates, shops, restaurants, hotel, police station, clinic and mosque, the Büyük Otogar is a town in itself.
From/To Thessaloniki (Greece): ticket prices are around €35 (one way). From/To Sofia and Varna (Bulgaria): ~25€ (one way). From/To Skopje (Macedonia): ~40€ (one way)
"Harem" is the major hub for the buses on the Anatolian (Asian) side, which can be reached easily from the European side with a Ferryboat.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Istanbul
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Istanbul - updated May 2024
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Istanbul Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
