If you are planning to travel around İstanbul any time soon, you'll be glad to learn that its ferry service has been expanded to run on a 24-hour basis at weekends.
The Turkish city is the one in the world spanning two continents, as a small stretch of water known as the Bosphorus divides Europe from Asia. Ferries are one of the most popular ways to get around the city, and they transport hundreds of thousands of people each day. The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality recently announced that piers in Kadıköy and Üsküdar on the Asian side of the city, and Karaköy and Beşiktaş on the European side will now operate on Friday and Saturday nights.
The Kadıköy-Karaköy-Beşiktaş line will see one ferry sailing on a loop four times through the night between three of the busiest piers. There will be 13 trips carried out through the night between Beşiktaş and Üsküdar. They will take place at 15-minute frequencies between midnight and 1am, 30-minute frequencies between 1am and 3.30am, and then at a one-hour frequency until 6.30am. There will also be a shuttle between Beşiktaş and Üsküdar.
The new ferry services will bring the 15 million people living on the Asian and European sides closer, as well as making things easier for visitors. It will also help to prevent people being stranded on either side of the city after dark.