Bikes in Istanbul: Island and City Prices, Bike Types and Deposits
Bicycle rental in Istanbul starts from ₺300 a day on the Princes' Islands and runs to ₺600–750 a day in the city, with hourly hire from ₺100 and monthly hire from ₺4,000. Below: where the bikes are, how the three price units compare, which bike suits which ride, how the car-free islands work and what to leave as a deposit.
Two bike markets: the islands and the city
Hiring a bike in this city means choosing between two very different markets before you choose a bike. One is a short leisure ride on islands where cars are not allowed; the other is a day, a week or a month of riding in a city of districts, ferries and hills. They differ in price, in the kind of bike on offer and in how you pay.
The islands: bikes by the ferry pier
On the Princes' Islands, rental points sit close to the ferry piers on Büyükada and Heybeliada. You step off the boat, pick a bike and ride. Motor vehicles are banned on the islands, so a bicycle is one of the few ways to cover distance on your own, and the islands are where most visitors first think of hiring one. Rides here are short and paid by the hour or the day, and the island day rate is the cheapest in the city.
The Asian shore: Kadıköy, Bostancı, Acıbadem, Kartal
Most city rental points are on the Asian side. Bikes are handed out in Kadıköy, including Selamiçeşme, in Bostancı, in Acıbadem and further east in Kartal. This is where daily and monthly hire makes sense: people who stay a while, or live in the area, take a bike for days or weeks rather than hours.
The European shore: Beşiktaş
On the European side, Beşiktaş is the main rental point. If your hotel is near the historic centre, the practical choice is often between riding from Beşiktaş and taking a ferry to the Asian shore, where the choice of points is wider. In my experience the ferry is part of the plan rather than an obstacle: decide where you will ride first, then pick the closest point to that route, not the closest point to your hotel.
The same bicycle can cost twice as much a day in the city as on an island, so the first question for any bike hire in Istanbul is not "which bike" but "which side of the water". The next section puts both markets side by side.
Hourly, daily and monthly prices in lira
Rental prices for a standard bicycle are quoted in Turkish lira and in three units: per hour, per day and per month. The table shows the market range for each unit; it is a range for the city, not a price for a particular bike.
| Unit | Price range | What the price covers |
|---|---|---|
| Hour | ₺100–150 | Standard bike |
| Day | ₺300–750 | Standard bike; ₺300–400 on the islands, ₺600–750 in the city |
| Month | from ₺4,000 | City or mountain bike |
The day rate is the widest range in the table because it mixes two markets. On the islands a standard bike costs ₺300–400 for the day; in the city the same kind of bike costs ₺600–750, and ₺600 is the most common city day rate. In other words, a city day is 1.5 to 2.5 times an island day.
On the islands: when a day beats paying by the hour
The hourly rate of ₺100–150 is an island rate. Two hours at ₺150 already cost ₺300, the bottom of the island day range, and three hours cost ₺300–450 depending on the rate. So if you plan to ride for more than two or three hours, or you are not sure how long you will stay, ask for the day price first. If you only want a single loop and then a café, an hour or two is the cheaper choice.
In the city: when a month beats a week
Monthly hire starts from ₺4,000. At the typical city rate of ₺600 a day, seven days cost ₺4,200, which is more than a whole month from ₺4,000. Put another way, the monthly price equals about 5.3 days at ₺750 or about 6.7 days at ₺600, and spread over 30 days it works out to roughly ₺133 a day. If you need a bike for more than five or six days, ask about monthly terms before you pay day by day. Monthly hire was quoted for city and mountain bikes, not as an island option.
What the range does not include
These are starting prices for standard bicycles. Electric bikes are a separate category with their own prices and are not covered by this table. The ranges do not reflect seasonal changes, so do not assume that a summer quote and a winter quote will match: confirm the rate for your dates. A quote is comparable only when you know the unit, the type of bike and where you collect it.
City bike or mountain bike
The bikes offered in the city fall into two groups: city bikes with 28-inch wheels and mountain bikes with 26-inch or 29-inch wheels. At the city day rate both groups cost the same, so the choice depends on your route, not your budget.
| Model | Type | Wheel size | Day rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salcano City Life 28" | City | 28" | ₺600 |
| Kron TX-100 28" | City | 28" | ₺600 |
| Bisan Leon 29" | Mountain | 29" | ₺600 |
| B'twin Rockrider 340 26" | Mountain | 26" | ₺600 |
| Kron Echo Vortex 4.0 26" | Mountain | 26" | ₺600 |
City bikes on 28-inch wheels
The Salcano City Life and the Kron TX-100 both roll on 28-inch wheels. Large wheels keep a steady pace on smooth tarmac and promenades, and a city frame lets you sit upright and watch traffic. If your plan is a flat ride along the water, short hops between districts and stops for coffee, a city bike is the natural pick.
Mountain bikes on 26-inch and 29-inch wheels
Three of the five models are mountain bikes: the Bisan Leon on 29-inch wheels, and the B'twin Rockrider 340 and the Kron Echo Vortex 4.0 on 26-inch wheels. A mountain bike is the safer choice for steep streets, rough surfaces and longer rides where you want lower gears. The 29-inch wheel rolls over bumps more easily; the 26-inch wheel feels more nimble and usually suits shorter riders better.
How to choose in two questions
Ask yourself where you will ride and for how long. For level routes and short trips, take a city bike. For hills, mixed surfaces or a full day in the saddle, take a mountain bike, since it costs the same ₺600 a day. On a monthly plan the same logic applies, as the monthly price covers both city and mountain bikes. Before you ride off, check the saddle height and the brakes: a minute of adjustment matters more on Istanbul's slopes than the brand on the frame.
Büyükada and Heybeliada without cars
The islands are the most popular place to hire a bicycle in the city, and they work by rules that do not apply on the mainland.
A capped number of rental bikes
The number of rental bicycles on the islands is limited to 1,500, and 1,000 of them are allocated to Büyükada, which leaves 500 for the other islands. A fixed fleet on a busy island means bikes can run out at peak times. If you are travelling as a group, plan to collect bikes early in the day and keep them together rather than returning one and hoping to find another later.
Who runs the rental
Since 2022, bicycle rental on the islands has been handed over to İSPARK, a company of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB), and there were plans to close the private bike shops. In practice this means the way you rent on the islands may differ from what older travel guides describe. Treat any island price you read as a guide, and check on arrival who is renting bikes at the pier and on what terms.
The municipal bike system: an app and a credit card
The municipal İsbike system works through a mobile application and requires a credit card. Install the app and register before you board the ferry: setting up an account on a crowded pier with weak mobile signal is the slowest way to start a day on the island. A prepaid travel card is not the same thing as a credit card, so bring a card that can be charged.
Planning a day on the island
Island rates are ₺100–150 an hour and ₺300–400 a day, so a full day on Büyükada costs about half of a city day. Since the bike only goes as far as the island itself, the real decision is between a few hours and a full day. If you plan to ride around the island, stop at a beach and return to the pier for an evening ferry, take the day rate. If you are combining a ride with other plans on the island, two hours are often enough. Roads on the islands are shared with pedestrians, so ride slowly in the busy streets near the pier.
A Büyükada bike rental is a short leisure ride, not transport: plan the ferry back before you plan the route.
Riding from Kadıköy, Bostancı, Acıbadem and Beşiktaş
Away from the islands, the city rental points serve a different rider: someone who wants a bike for a full day, a week or a month.
Choosing a rental point
The city rental points are in Kadıköy, including Selamiçeşme, Bostancı, Acıbadem and Kartal on the Asian side, and Beşiktaş on the European side. Choose by route. If you want to ride along the Asian shore, start from Kadıköy or Bostancı. If your plans are on the European side, Beşiktaş saves you a ferry with a bike. Acıbadem and Kartal suit riders who live or stay nearby and want a longer rental close to home.
Longer rentals: the monthly price
The monthly rate from ₺4,000 is aimed at this kind of rider. As the price section shows, a week at the typical day rate already costs more than a month, so anyone staying in the city for more than five or six days should start with the monthly price. A monthly bike also removes the daily trip to the rental point: you collect it once and return it at the end.
What to ask before you ride off
A few questions turn a price into a plan. Ask whether the price is per hour, per day or per month, and how a late return is charged. Ask whether a lock and lights come with the bike, especially if you will ride after dark. Ask what happens with a flat tyre or a broken chain during the rental period. And ask whether you can return the bike to a different point, since in a city split by water, a one-way return can change the whole route. None of these terms appear in the price ranges above, so get them in writing before you pay.
Riding in traffic
Istanbul is a hilly city with heavy traffic, and a hired bike does not change that. Plan a route on quieter streets and waterfront paths where you can, walk the bike across the busiest junctions and give way to pedestrians in crowded areas. If you are not used to city riding, start with a short trip before committing to a full day.
Documents, deposit and payment
When you hire a standard bicycle, the paperwork is about security rather than about the bike itself.
A document as collateral
City rental points ask for your driving licence or your identity card as collateral. The document stays with the rental point until you bring the bike back. If you would rather not hand over your driving licence, ask whether an identity card is accepted, and keep a photo of whatever document you leave. Bring a second form of ID for the rest of the day if you travel with only one.
Paying for the municipal system
The municipal İsbike system on the islands needs a mobile application and a credit card. If you only carry cash or a debit card, check before the trip whether a private rental point near the pier is an option for you, bearing in mind the changes described above.
What to bring
Take the document you plan to leave as collateral, a charged phone with the app installed if you will use İsbike, and a card that can be charged. Add water and a light layer for the ferry. Many riders forget that the ride back across the water can be cooler than the ride itself, and a bike day on the islands is mostly spent outdoors.
A quote, a document for the deposit and a working phone cover almost every bike hire in the city; the rest is your route.
Key points before you hire a bike
Six figures to keep in mind
- Island prices: ₺100–150 an hour and ₺300–400 a day for a standard bike.
- City prices: ₺600–750 a day, with ₺600 the most common rate.
- Hour or day: on the islands, two hours at ₺150 already equal the cheapest day rate.
- Week or month: seven days at ₺600 cost ₺4,200, more than a month from ₺4,000.
- Bike type: city bikes on 28-inch wheels and mountain bikes on 26 or 29 inches cost the same ₺600 a day.
- Islands: the rental fleet is capped at 1,500 bikes, 1,000 of them on Büyükada; the municipal system needs an app and a credit card.
Before you pay
Confirm the unit, the bike type, the collection point and the late-return terms, and agree on which document you leave as collateral. On the islands, check who runs the rental at the pier on the day you arrive. In the city, if your stay is longer than five or six days, start with the monthly price.