Visa, Travel and Accommodation Information

 
 
VERY IMPORTANT! VISA REQUIREMENTS:

 IMPORTANT! Please check via the following page whether you need to apply for an e-visa to enter Turkey: http://www.mfa.gov.tr/visa-information-for-foreigners.en.mfa
  • EU: Citizens of the EU countries are exempted from visa for their travels up to 90 days.
  • UK: Citizens of the UK (ordinary, service and special passport holders) are required to have visa to enter Turkey. Ordinary passport holders (British citizens) can obtain three month-multiple entry e-Visas via the website www.evisa.gov.tr. UK passports holders with “British National Overseas", “British Subject” and “British Protected Person” nationality are subjected to visa and they can only get their visas from the Turkish diplomatic or consular missions abroad.
  • USA: Official and ordinary passport holders of the USA citizels are required to have visa to enter Turkey. Ordinary passport holder USA citizens may obtain their visas through www.evisa.gov.tr website.
 
 
ISTANBUL - HOW TO GET THERE
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You can fly to one of the two airports in Istanbul located on the European and the Asian side of the city.
To get to a certain point, you can use "Google Maps", as it shows all the Public Transport information and the traffic-dependent shortest route information ( will be needed while using a taxi) in real-time. 
 
  • Istanbul Airport: Brand-new and located on the European side, and despite being quite far away from the city, this airport is the closest one to the Conference Venue. There are multiple ways to get from Istanbul Airport to the Conference Venue:
    • HAVAIST Shuttles: These shuttles belong to the Istanbul Municipality. They are the cheapest way to get to the city center. They operate 24/7. You can find them directly after leaving the airport. To use this service, you will need an "IstanbulKart" (the one and the only card to use the public transport), which you can buy and top-up by using the ticket machines in front of the shuttle stops. These shuttles stop at several checkpoints. 
      • The closest shuttle stop to the Conference Venue is "4. Levent". From here, you have 2 options to reach the Conference Venue:
        • ​Metro: M2 Line to "Levent" stop->Transfer to M6 Line to "Boğaziçi Üniversitesi" stop.
        • Taxi.
      • Please refer to the following website to find the closest HAVAIST stop to your hotel: https://hava.ist/en/stops
    • Yellow and Turquoise (electric) Cabs: You can find these taxis directly after leaving the airport. You will need to do the payment in cash and local currency (Turkish Lira). IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Unfortunately, not all taxi drivers in Istanbul are honest. Some of them tend to negotiate the price and/or deviate from the shortest route. ALWAYS go by the meter, NEVER negotiate the price, and always follow the route using a smartphone/maps app, whenever possible. 
 
  • Sabiha Gökçen Airport: Located on the Asian side of the city, and pretty far from the Conference Venue. As you can use the taxis at the exit of the airport, there are also public transport options to get to the European side and the Conference Venue. Please be aware that a trip to the European side of the city from this airport can take SEVERAL HOURS.
    • HAVABÜS Shuttles: This private shuttle service operates 24/7 from/to Sabiha Gökçen Airport for 18TL (single trip). You will have to pay in the bus by cash in local currency. There are two main stops: "Kadıköy" (Asian Side) and "Taksim" (European Side). Please refer to the following website for more information: https://www.havabus.com/default.aspx
      • From "Taksim", you can take a taxi or the public transport to the Conference Venue. 
        • Metro: M2 Line to "Levent" stop->Transfer to M6 Line to "Boğaziçi Üniversitesi" stop.
        • Bus: 559C line (Rumeli Hisarüstü direction) to "Boğaziçi Üniversitesi" stop.
    • Public Transport (Bus): SG-2 Line to "Taksim" or "4. Levent" with sigle shot. You will need an "IstanbulKart" (the one and the only card to use the public transport), which you can buy and top-up by using the ticket machines in front of the shuttle stops. This bus stops at several bus stops.
      • ​From "Taksim", you can take a taxi or the public transport to the Conference Venue. 
        • Metro: M2 Line to "Levent" stop->Transfer to M6 Line to "Boğaziçi Üniversitesi" stop.
        • Bus: 559C line (Rumeli Hisarüstü direction) to "Boğaziçi Üniversitesi" stop.
      • ​​​From "4. Levent", you can take a taxi or the Metro: M2 Line to "Levent" stop->Transfer to M6 Line to "Boğaziçi Üniversitesi" stop.
    • Yellow and Turquoise (electric) Cabs: You can find these taxis directly after leaving the airport. You will need to do the payment in cash and local currency (Turkish Lira). IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Unfortunately, not all taxi drivers in Istanbul are honest. Some of them tend to negotiate the price and/or deviate from the shortest route. ALWAYS go by the meter, NEVER negotiate the price, and always follow the route using a smartphone/maps app, whenever possible.