You’ve arrived in Istanbul in the morning but you can’t check into your accommodations until late afternoon (usually around 3pm). Hotels and B&Bs often offer to hold your bags until you can check in, but if you’ve booked a private apartment you may be in a quandary about where to leave your bags in the interim.
Alas, Istanbul no longer offers staffed storage facilities in their train stations, however the good news is that self-service luggage lockers are still available at some of Istanbul’s railway stations and the main bus terminal.
The Ankara Gar station, for instance, is less than a kilometer southwest of Ulus Square in the historic district and has ample banks of brightly colored lockers where you can place your bulky, heavy bags while you stroll around the center.
If you find yourself at Istanbul’s Atatürk International Airport with a long layover (four hours or more), you can leave your luggage for safekeeping and take the metro or tram into the city to see the sights. Emanet Bagai is located outside the customs area. Once you exit, turn right and walk toward the end of the terminal. There are also baggage lockers in the Departures Hall of the International terminal (at the far end of Row B check-in desks near the toilets/WC). *Note: You’ll need to allow about an hour to return to the airport to retrieve your bags before catching your next flight.
The lockers are available 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays. You pay by the hour, so it can be a bit pricey but it can be worth it – having peace of mind knowing your bags are safe and you’re free to see the sights without having to drag your bags behind you.
Emanet Bagai
Contacts:
(+90) 212 465 34 42 (International Terminal)
(+90) 531 942 39 80 (International Terminal)
(+90) 537 505 79 93 (Domestic Terminal)
(+90) 212 463 77 77 / 6650 (International Terminal)
(+90) 212 463 77 77 / 6651 (Domestic Terminal)
