İzmit is a weird place. A city so close to İstanbul but one that is unknown for many. This was exactly the reason me and a few friends decided to take the leap into the unknown and discover this place.
İzmit is one of the better connected cities in Turkey, thanks to its proximity to İstanbul. For this trip, we decided to use two of the many services serving the city:
| Trip | Ticket price / Travel card | Length | Where/How to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local commuter station to Söğütlüçeşme | Traveled with my personal istanbulkart. Price dependant on distance | ca. 15 minutes | Ticket counters at Marmaray stations, istanbulkart vending machines |
| Söğütlüçeşme to İzmit | 68₺ (09.23., youth discount) | ca. 1 hour | bilet.tcdd.gov.tr, ticket counters |
| İzmit to Gebze | 46₺ (09.23, youth discount) | ca. 35 minutes | bilet.tcdd.gov.tr, ticket counters |
| Gebze to local commuter station | Traveled with my personal istanbulkart. Price dependant on distance | ca. 25 minutes | Ticket counters at Marmaray stations, istanbulkart vending machines |
The trip with the YHT was as expected. Modern CAF EMUs with the usual 2+2 seating are pretty okay for the short trip. Restaurant car was not available during our trip.
Once you arrive at İzmit, you are met with the view of the aforementioned clock tower and a highway overpass. Just under it you will find the “Tren Garı” station of İzmit’s tram line. We chose to walk instead, but this tram is also quite a good connection to the city center.
After some time exploring the city, it was sadly time for the return journey. This started off with a short walk back to the station. The station is sadly only accessable from one side of the highway, due to there being X-Ray and metal detector controls at the entrance. This meant having to walk over a shady overpass.
After entering the station, we were let onto the platform after a ticket check and an additional ID check by police. We were told that the city was in general on high alert, thus the need for extra ID checks by police. Once on the platform, one could do some railspotting:
After boarding, it was a comfortable 35m to Gebze, at which point we called it a day and went home. Overall, this journey was a nice getaway from the stress of daily life in İstanbul and comes as a strong recommendation to anyone who has a few extra days and doesn’t know what to do.
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