Istanbul Shuttlebus

[lynn2002]

Hi

 

The Nieuw Amsterdam arrives at Istanbul at 4.00 p.m., and departs the following day at 5.00 p.m.

 

My friend uses a wheelchair and from all accounts the tram would not be suitable for us as it gets very crowded. However, do HAL put on shuttlebuses into the old part of the city? We want to tour by ourselves but have read so many reviews about being scammed by taxi drivers so a bit reluctant to pick up a taxi.

 

If they do provide a shuttlebus service, does anyone remember the cost?

[tooalto]

I don't recall a shuttle but I highly recommend a private tour. You can check on your roll call for any that are set up. Istanbul is very crowded, busy and difficult to navigate. A private tour or ship's excursion would be much safer and easier, IMO.

[catl331]

We hired a private tour and found out we were smart. The streets and sidewalks are quite old. Would this person be able to get into a van? It would be quite hard to navigate with a wheelchair by yourselves. The van would drop us off at Tokapi and then he would phone the van and it would pick us up and drop us off at the next sight. The area surrounding the bazaar is quite old with narrow lanes and lots of foot traffic. Check on the forum for Special Interest Cruising to get some hints from others.

[cruisemom42]

I was on the Westerdam about 3 years ago with the same schedule that you have (e.g., late afternoon arrival and full day the next day). I seem to recall that they had a shuttle bus running ONLY to the Grand Bazaar area and back, and I believe it was only on the 2nd day, not the afternoon of arrival.

 

For non-mobility impaired people, I disagree that Istanbul is difficult to navigate and it is not any more crowded than any other major city.

 

In your specific case, I think a taxi may be the best bet, if you aren't interested in a private tour. Go armed with information about how much it should cost (in whatever currency you plan to use -- they will accept Turkish lira, euro, or dollars, in that order of preference) and agree on the price before you get in. The Istanbul forum on TripAdvisor should be able to answer that question easily. (And by the way, they are very helpful, I would also ask them any specific questions you have.)

 

When you want to return, you should be able to stop into the lobby of any of the dozens of hotels in the immediate vicinity of the Blue Mosque or across the street and ask them to call a taxi for you. I have found you are much less likely to get ripped off this way, since the hotels seem to have a working relationship with whatever taxi company they use.