How To Get From Sabiha Gokcen to Istanbul Airport and Vice Versa

How Far is Sabiha Gokcen to Istanbul Airport?

Sabiha Gokcen Airport is located on the Asian side of Istanbul, whereas Istanbul Airport is located on the European side. The distance between Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW) and Istanbul Airport (IST) is around 80 km.

Even though Sabiha Gokcen Airport is only 80 km away from Istanbul Airport, a giant metropolitan city, Istanbul, is located in between the two airports with the Bosphorus as a bottleneck. As a result, traveling between these two airports often takes longer than it should. How long does it take to travel between the two airports? Let's find out.

How Do I Get From Sabiha Gokcen to Istanbul Airport and Vice Versa?

With Havaist Direct Transfer Bus (New)

Great news! Havaist now operates a direct airport bus between Istanbul Airport (IST) and Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW), so you no longer need to transit via Taksim Square. If you are transferring between the two airports without a private car, this is the option I would use today.

The direct journey is scheduled to take around 2 hours, although Istanbul traffic can easily make it longer, especially during rush hour. If you are connecting between separate flights, make sure you leave plenty of extra time for delays, collecting luggage, check-in, and security.

You can catch the bus from the IETT platforms at the passenger arrival terminal in SAW or at the parking lot in IST, depending on which airport you are planning to catch the bus from.

As of September 2026, the direct Havaist transfer costs around 530 TRY per person. Services run throughout the day, but the timetable changes, so check the current departure time before your flight. You can check the official schedule and book the transfer from the official Havaist website. Simply select İstanbul Havalimanı on one side and Sabiha Gökçen HL on the other, depending on which direction you are traveling. That's it, easy-peasy!

With Havabus/Havaist Airport Bus

Before the direct Havaist service between SAW and IST became the obvious option, I used to transfer via Taksim Square: first taking Havabus between Sabiha Gokcen Airport and Taksim, then changing to Havaist for Istanbul Airport. I used this route several times without missing a flight, so it is still a useful fallback if the direct Havaist schedule does not work for you. It is no longer the cheapest option, though, as you now have to pay for two separate airport buses.

The Havabus leaves from the bus stop in front of Sabiha Gokcen Airport. As of 2026, buses to Taksim generally depart every 30 minutes from 6:30 AM until 12:30 AM, with additional late-night services for delayed flights. The buses are marked with the blue Havabus logo and are easy to spot outside the terminal.

There can be a long queue of people waiting to get on the bus, but in my experience, it moved pretty quickly. As of September 2026, the official Havabus fare between Sabiha Gokcen Airport and Taksim is 485 TRY per person. Fares can change, so check the current price on the official Havabus website before relying on this figure.

It will take around 1 hour before the bus drops you off at the Havabus terminal in Taksim Square, where you can then ask the guy behind the Bus Kiosk where the Havaist bus to Istanbul Airport is. More often than not, the bus that travels from Taksim Square to IST is at the back of the line, but ask the operator just in case.

From Taksim, you can continue to Istanbul Airport on the Havaist airport bus. As of September 2026, the Taksim - Istanbul Airport Havaist fare is around 470 TRY per person. That makes the full SAW - Taksim - IST journey roughly 955 TRY before any future fare changes, which is why I now recommend taking the direct Havaist airport-to-airport bus instead whenever the schedule works for you.

The journey from Taksim Square to IST airport will take about another 1 hour before you arrive at the Havaist Bus Stop on the upper ground floor of IST Airport.

If you are traveling from IST to SAW instead, your journey will be the same as above but in the opposite direction, with the Havaist Bus Stop located on the ground floor instead. Simply follow the Havaist bus sign in the airport terminal, and you will be there in no time. With this, you can utilize the same information I have provided here to transfer from IST to SAW.

With Private Transfer

If you are in a rush and would rather not deal with public transportation, you can also opt for a private transfer, which is a more comfortable and stress-free way to travel between the 2 airports without having to deal with taxi drivers.

A private transfer is considerably more expensive than the direct Havaist bus, but it gives you a door-to-door ride without having to wait for a coach. The drive between IST and SAW usually takes around 1.5 - 2 hours in normal traffic and can take longer during busy periods. Transfer prices vary by vehicle, provider, and date, so check the current price with the link below rather than relying on the old fixed fare I paid.

Book a Private Transfer

With Taxi

You can also take a taxi directly between the two airports. The old 300 TRY estimate is long gone: under Istanbul's July 2026 taxi tariff, yellow taxis start at 71.94 TRY and charge 47.92 TRY per kilometer, with road and bridge tolls added where applicable. For a journey this long, expect the final fare to run into several thousand lira and vary depending on traffic and the route taken.

I would still choose the direct Havaist bus or a pre-booked private transfer instead. If you do use a taxi, take one from the official airport rank and make sure the meter is used rather than negotiating an unofficial fare.

How Long Does It Take to Transfer Between SAW and IST Airport?

Transiting between Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW) and Istanbul Airport (IST) usually takes around 1.5 - 2 hours by car in normal traffic. The direct Havaist airport bus is scheduled for roughly 2 hours, although either option can take considerably longer when Istanbul traffic is heavy. The older Havabus/Havaist route via Taksim can take around 3 - 4 hours once you include the transfer between buses.

From my experience taking the Havabus/Havaist buses to transit between the two airports, it took me around 1 hour to pass through IST immigration, withdraw money from an ATM, get my luggage, and queue up for the bus before it departed. It took another 1 hour to travel from IST airport to Taksim Square, around 30 minutes to transfer to the bus heading from Taksim Square to SAW airport, and another 1 hour to reach SAW airport.

So, to answer the more important question of how much time you should leave between flights at SAW and IST: I would personally allow at least 5 - 6 hours between separate international flights, and I would be even more conservative during Istanbul's rush hours. For domestic flights, I would still want around 4 - 5 hours. Remember that this is not an airside connection: if your flights are on separate tickets, you may need to collect your luggage, leave the airport, cross Istanbul, check in again, and clear security at the other airport.

The direct Havaist has made the transfer much easier than when I used to go through Taksim, but I would not use its roughly 2-hour scheduled journey time as the basis for a tight connection. Istanbul traffic is unpredictable, and missing a separately ticketed flight can be far more expensive than allowing an extra hour or two.

And there you have it, a complete travel guide on how to transit between Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW) and the new Istanbul Airport (IST), how long your transit should be between 2 flights from IST and SAW airports, and how much you will be paying for the transit.

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