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Istanbul · Turkey

Car hire and driving in Istanbul

Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.

OverviewFlightsHotelsTrainsBusesCar rentalToursFerriesCruises

In Turkey traffic drives on the right. Picking up at SAW means 33 km (21 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1061257 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25743529.

Drives from Istanbul

Car rental from Istanbul: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Istanbul to ArnavutköyTurkey26 km (16 mi)about 24 min
Istanbul to BeylikdüzüTurkey26 km (16 mi)about 24 min
Istanbul to SultanbeyliTurkey28 km (17 mi)about 25 min
Istanbul to BüyükçekmeceTurkey31 km (19 mi)about 28 min
Istanbul to GebzeTurkey47 km (29 mi)about 43 min
Istanbul to DerinceTurkey78 km (49 mi)about 1 h 11 min
Istanbul to İzmitTurkey87 km (54 mi)about 1 h 19 min
Istanbul to NilüferTurkey89 km (55 mi)about 1 h 21 min
Istanbul to BursaTurkey91 km (57 mi)about 1 h 24 min
Istanbul to ÇorluTurkey98 km (61 mi)about 1 h 29 min
Istanbul to BandırmaTurkey110 km (68 mi)about 1 h 41 min
Istanbul to İnegolTurkey114 km (71 mi)about 1 h 45 min
Istanbul to AnkaraTurkey352 km (219 mi)about 5 h 22 min
Istanbul to BerlinGermany1,736 km (1,079 mi)about 26 h 28 min
Istanbul to KyivUkraine1,057 km (657 mi)about 16 h 7 min
Istanbul to İzmirTurkey328 km (204 mi)about 5 h
Istanbul to RomeItaly1,371 km (852 mi)about 20 h 55 min
Istanbul to GaziantepTurkey850 km (528 mi)about 12 h 58 min
Istanbul to BucharestRomania445 km (277 mi)about 6 h 48 min
Istanbul to DiyarbakırTurkey1,026 km (637 mi)about 15 h 39 min

Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.

Where to compare car hire

ExpediaCar hire from the major suppliers, and the one to look at if the flight or hotel is already booked there. Part of Expedia Group.Check car hire on Expedia (opens www.expedia.com in a new tab)
DiscoverCarsCompares local and international suppliers. Read the counter reviews before you pick.Check rental cars on DiscoverCars (opens www.discovercars.com in a new tab)
Auto EuropeA broker specialising in Europe, often with clearer all-in pricing for US renters.Get European rates on Auto Europe (opens www.autoeurope.com in a new tab)
Rentalcars.comBooking.com's car arm, with wide airport coverage worldwide.Compare suppliers on Rentalcars.com (opens www.rentalcars.com in a new tab)
Every link above leaves this site.

We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.

Common questions

Which side of the road do they drive on in Istanbul?

The right, as everywhere in Turkey.

How are the journey times on this page worked out?

From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.

Where these facts come from

  • GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
  • Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
  • OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
  • Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines

Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.