Istanbul/Western Suburbs

The Western Suburbs are a collection of Istanbul neighbourhoods, lying west of the Old City walls and sprawling across the Thracian (European) peninsula.

Understand
The Western Suburbs are residential, from rough slums to plush apartments but mostly bland burbs. The Marmara Sea coast has a string of resorts which the city has now engulfed; here and inland is commuter belt. The Black Sea coast has small resorts, lagoons and beaches and is less developed. Inland is rural, scarred here and there by quarries. In 2005 the city boundaries were extended to engulf "Istanbul Province" on both the European and Asian sides, so the "Western Suburbs" and scope of this page now reach 50 km west to the edge of Tekirdağ Province.

Get in
These suburbs are the main ports of entry into the city, as the major airport, the main bus station (otogar) and (for the time being) the European mainline railway terminus are all here. By car you cross this district on the way to central Istanbul from Gallipoli, Bulgaria or Greece.

Local transport radiates out from city centre, east-west. There are some north-south links near the centre, but not further out. Travelling between this area and Istanbul airport either means doubling back via the centre, or a taxi ride across the peninsula.

By air


The city's former main airport "Atatürk" closed in April 2019. Beware out-of-date road signage, maps, and crooked taxi drivers who will try to take you to what is now a demolition site.

By metro
Metro line M1 (red) runs from Aksaray downtown and runs northwest to Esenler bus station. It then divides: one branch goes west towards Kirazli, connecting with T1 (dark blue) from downtown, M3 (light blue) north to Başakşehir, and M9 (yellow) northwest to the Olympic Complex. The other branch goes south to Zeytinburnu transport interchange via Bakırköy (though the station is 3 km north of that township) and Ataköy. Tramline T1 runs from near Kirazli via Zeytinburnu to Aksaray then Sirkeci in the old city. Light rail line T4 (orange) runs from Topkapı just outside the city walls and serves the suburbs north of those along M1. Metro line M7 (pink) serves further north, and runs from Mecidiyeköy in the business district.

By bus


The most useful local bus lines are:
 * 71T Taksim-Ataköy (via Aksaray in old city and Bakırköy)
 * 72T Taksim-Yeşilköy (via Aksaray in old city and Bakırköy)
 * 81 Eminönü-Yeşilköy (via the coast road)
 * 94A Beyazıt-Bakırköy

The hybrid bendy Metrobüs runs up the centre strip of the crosstown D100 highway. These run from Beylikdüzü to the west via Zeytinburnu to Mecidiyeköy and then Söğütlüçeşme on the Asian side. Since the Metrobüs runs along its right-of-way, it cuts travel time dramatically, but expect crowds no less denser than some infamously packed Asian public transport systems.

The main dolmuş routes, which run virtually round the clock, are from Taksim to Bakırköy, Ataköy and Yeşilköy.

By ferry
There are several ferry routes connecting piers along the coast with central and eastern Istanbul.



See
Two lagoons indent the Marmara coast west of Yeşilköy, the little (Küçükçekmece) and the big lagoon (Büyükçekmece):
 * [[Image:StEphremSyriacOrthodoxChurchInYesilkoy.jpg | thumb | 300px | Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church]]
 * [[Image:StEphremSyriacOrthodoxChurchInYesilkoy.jpg | thumb | 300px | Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church]]
 * [[Image:StEphremSyriacOrthodoxChurchInYesilkoy.jpg | thumb | 300px | Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church]]
 * [[Image:StEphremSyriacOrthodoxChurchInYesilkoy.jpg | thumb | 300px | Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church]]
 * CaveMonasteryİnceğiz (1).jpg
 * There's a string of small resorts and beaches along the Black Sea coast. Those furthest east, Rumelifeneri and Kilyos, are described under Istanbul/Bosphorus. These continue west along the coast to Arnavutköy. This formerly quiet area (not to be confused with the downtown district of the same name) now hosts Istanbul's new airport, so it's likely to become rapidly industrialised.
 * Istanbul çayalca yalıköy açıkları.jpg
 * CaveMonasteryİnceğiz (1).jpg
 * There's a string of small resorts and beaches along the Black Sea coast. Those furthest east, Rumelifeneri and Kilyos, are described under Istanbul/Bosphorus. These continue west along the coast to Arnavutköy. This formerly quiet area (not to be confused with the downtown district of the same name) now hosts Istanbul's new airport, so it's likely to become rapidly industrialised.
 * Istanbul çayalca yalıköy açıkları.jpg
 * CaveMonasteryİnceğiz (1).jpg
 * There's a string of small resorts and beaches along the Black Sea coast. Those furthest east, Rumelifeneri and Kilyos, are described under Istanbul/Bosphorus. These continue west along the coast to Arnavutköy. This formerly quiet area (not to be confused with the downtown district of the same name) now hosts Istanbul's new airport, so it's likely to become rapidly industrialised.
 * Istanbul çayalca yalıköy açıkları.jpg
 * Istanbul çayalca yalıköy açıkları.jpg
 * Istanbul çayalca yalıköy açıkları.jpg
 * Istanbul çayalca yalıköy açıkları.jpg

Do

 * Swimming and beach – In the series of little beach resorts, and middle-of-the-forest beaches with no facilities, along the Black Sea coast west of the Bosphorus. Beware of strong currents when swimming anywhere along this coast. The Marmara coast also has resorts which are much more built up.
 * Forest hikes and cycling – The best areas are in Çilingoz Nature Reserve.
 * Paragliding – the beach north of Ormanlı is relatively popular, with flights launching from the cliffs just above. Mod Extrem offers tandem flights, where you are strapped to an instructor, so you don't need any prior training or experience.
 * Paragliding – the beach north of Ormanlı is relatively popular, with flights launching from the cliffs just above. Mod Extrem offers tandem flights, where you are strapped to an instructor, so you don't need any prior training or experience.
 * Paragliding – the beach north of Ormanlı is relatively popular, with flights launching from the cliffs just above. Mod Extrem offers tandem flights, where you are strapped to an instructor, so you don't need any prior training or experience.
 * Paragliding – the beach north of Ormanlı is relatively popular, with flights launching from the cliffs just above. Mod Extrem offers tandem flights, where you are strapped to an instructor, so you don't need any prior training or experience.

Budget
These are mostly near the transport hubs, set back from the beach front.

Mid-range
There is a string of places around the harbour/marina of all the resorts along the Marmara coast. The main concentrations are in Yeşilköy/Bakırköy south of the old airport, Büyükçekmece both sides of the lagoon, and away west to Silivri.

Drink
You're never far from a beer in all the conurbations of this district.

Sleep
Hotels in this district are mostly upmarket.



Stay safe
There are some sections of waterfront park between Bakırköy and old city walls, where you may feel uncomfortable due to the homeless people and inhalant abusers—best avoided at night.

Go next

 * Bus and train terminals for long-distance destinations to the west are all in this district.
 * Regional transport runs into Eastern Thrace, notably Saray, Vize, and Kıyıköy on the Black Sea coast.
 * Tekirdağ – The provincial capital to the west, a large coastal town noted for its meatballs and rakı.
 * Keşan – West of Tekirdağ. Either carry on west to the Greek border, or turn south down the Gallipoli peninsula.
 * Edirne – A beautiful city and former Ottoman capital near the Bulgarian border.