Istanbul Airport sits 45 kilometres from the old city, and the option you pick makes a genuine difference to how your trip starts. Here's every route from IST and Sabiha Gökçen to Sultanahmet and Taksim, honestly compared on price, time and hassle.

Three days in Istanbul goes fast, but done right, it's enough to fall completely in love. This itinerary takes you from the historic peninsula on day one to the Bosphorus on day two and the city's most local corners on day three.