Skip to main content
TurQuosian
Plan

Getting around · Plane · Car · Bus · Ferry · Train

How to get from Istanbul to Izmir

Every way we could verify, sorted by door-to-door time. Airport and terminal transfers are inside the figures — the number you see is the number you live.

Timetables checked · Fares are ranges, not live prices

At a glance

Choose by time or starting fare.

Fastest checked option

Plane

4 hr door to door · $30–95

Lowest starting fare

Bus

7 hr door to door · $22–26

These figures reflect the dates shown below, not live availability. Check the route, travel time and current fare with the operator or another reliable source before booking.

Istanbul to Izmir

  1. PlaneFastestOur pick

    4 hr door to door · $30–95 · checked Aug 2026

    15+ flights/day IST/SAW-ADB, ~1 h 15 m in the air; both airport transfers are inside these times.

  2. Car

    4 hr 41 min door to door · $62–130 · checked Sept 2026

    Self-drive: rent a car, ~4 h 41 m (478 km by road, OSRM, no stops). Cost shown: fuel plus a share of one-way rental.

  3. BusLowest starting fare

    7 hr door to door · $22–26 · checked Aug 2026

    600+ departures daily on the Istanbul-Izmir corridor via the Osmangazi bridge; ~7 h.

  4. Ferry

    11 hr door to door · $29–31 · checked Sept 2026

    No direct ferry. The midday İDO sea bus from Yenikapı (12:00 weekdays, 12:30 weekends) reaches Bandırma in about 2 h 55 m and connects with the 16:40 train, arriving İzmir Basmane about 23:00. Once a day each way.

  5. Train

    13 hr 47 min door to door · $27–34 · checked Sept 2026

    No direct train. The 05:30 high-speed train to Eskişehir connects with the 08:45 Ege Express, arriving İzmir Basmane about 19:15 (a 16-minute change). The İDO sea bus to Bandırma plus the train is usually faster.

Izmir to Istanbul

  1. PlaneFastestOur pick

    4 hr door to door · $30–95 · checked Aug 2026

    15+ flights/day IST/SAW-ADB, ~1 h 15 m in the air; both airport transfers are inside these times.

  2. Car

    4 hr 41 min door to door · $62–130 · checked Sept 2026

    Self-drive: rent a car, ~4 h 41 m (478 km by road, OSRM, no stops). Cost shown: fuel plus a share of one-way rental.

  3. BusLowest starting fare

    7 hr door to door · $22–26 · checked Aug 2026

    600+ departures daily on the Istanbul-Izmir corridor via the Osmangazi bridge; ~7 h.

  4. Ferry

    9 hr 50 min door to door · $29–31 · checked Sept 2026

    No direct ferry. The 08:40 train from İzmir Basmane reaches Bandırma about 14:50 and connects with the 15:30 İDO sea bus, arriving Istanbul Yenikapı about 18:30. Once a day each way.

  5. Train

    15 hr 20 min door to door · $27–34 · checked Sept 2026

    No direct train. The 06:40 Ege Express from İzmir Basmane reaches Eskişehir about 17:30, then a high-speed train reaches Istanbul about 22:00.

View this route’s checked mode sources

Both ends

The guides this route joins.

Turn the leg into a day

The planner already knows this route.

Pick your places at both ends and the planner slots this leg in at the right time — with the same verified duration you see here, not a guess.

Build this into a trip

Keep going

Other verified routes from either end.

From Istanbul