İZBAN Train from İzmir Airport

Fares last verified: 11 September 2026

The cheap default into İzmir — and the only rail option south to Ephesus

İzmir Airport (ADB) has its own İZBAN station directly beneath the terminal — follow the train icon down the escalators from Arrivals. From that one platform you can go either direction: north into İzmir city, or south toward Tepeköy and on to Selçuk for Ephesus, so picking the right one before you board matters. Payment is by physical İzmirim Kart, tapped at the turnstile on the way in and again on the way out — the free app card is not valid on İZBAN. It’s the cheapest way off the airport, and the best choice for solo travelers and couples comfortable with stairs and a short walk with their bags.

1. Where is the İZBAN station at İzmir Airport?

The station is below the terminal, signed from Arrivals — follow the train icon down the escalators. It has a single platform serving both directions, so there’s no separate "north" or "south" entrance to look for.

1
Buy an İzmirim Kart
At the airport İZBAN station there is a blue machine/kiosk selling the İzmirim Kart and adding credit. The physical card is 200 TL, and you need it: the free Digital İzmirim Kart in the app is explicitly excluded from İZBAN, so it will not get you through the turnstile here. Each traveler needs their own card.
2
Go down to the platform
The station is below the terminal — follow the train icon down the escalators. The airport is on the line, so trains run in both directions from here.

2. Which direction should you take?

This is the point most English-language sources miss: from the airport you can go both ways on the same platform, and the southbound train lets history travelers reach Ephesus without ever entering İzmir city. There is no through train to Selçuk — you change at Tepeköy — but it is still one İZBAN journey on one card, so you tap in at the airport and tap out at Selçuk. Check the departure board for your train's destination before you board.

Destination / direction	Line direction	Key interchange or stop	Typical journey time	Fare / payment	Last-train / late-night
İzmir city (Alsancak · Basmane)	Northbound	None — direct, no change	~28 min to Alsancak	₺40 per person with İzmirim Kart	First ~05:12, last ~23:50, a few until ~00:54
Selçuk & Ephesus	Southbound	Change at Tepeköy — the Selçuk branch runs ~14 times a day	~1 h 30 – 2 h 30 depending on the connection	₺102.64 per person — one İZBAN journey, no second ticket	Selçuk branch runs ~06:40 – 23:50

Going to Ephesus?

Change at Tepeköy onto the Selçuk branch, and do not tap out there — it is one journey, so tapping out mid-route ends it early. The branch currently runs about fourteen times a day (06:40, 07:50, 08:50, 10:05, 11:25, 13:00, 14:30, 15:45, 17:20, 18:35, 19:40, 20:45, 21:50, 23:50), taking 26 minutes, so the wait at Tepeköy can be short or over an hour. Check the official İZBAN timetable for your day, and see the full route on the Selçuk & Ephesus destination page.

3. How to pay: İzmirim Kart and ticket options

İZBAN runs on the physical İzmirim Kart — tap it at the turnstile on the way in and again on the way out. Two things to be clear about, because most guides get them wrong: the free Digital İzmirim Kart in the app does not work on İZBAN, and an İZBAN journey does not carry the 90-minute free transfer that ordinary city bus, metro, tram and ferry journeys get. A connecting ride after you leave the station is a new fare. See the full İzmirim Kart guide for how to buy one and what it costs.

Fare to the city: ₺40 per person with the İzmirim Kart — the suburban tariff for the first 20 km, checked 11 September 2026. Alsancak is 17.7 km from the airport, so it falls inside that band.
Fare to Selçuk: ₺102.64 per person for the full 61.8 km, as one journey.
Blocked balance at the airport: İZBAN reserves ₺122.16 on your card when you tap in here — load at least ₺125. See the İzmirim Kart guide for why.
Bilet35 does work on İZBAN, costing 3 kontör to enter. A 3-ride Bilet35 is ₺205, which beats ₺200 for a new card plus the ₺40 fare if you are making exactly one journey. The card wins from the second journey on.

The same machines that sell the İzmirim Kart also add credit. Tap out on the orange Artı Para refund validator when you leave İZBAN and the unused blocked balance is returned to your card — you must do this within three hours and after travelling at least one station, or nothing comes back. Keep the card if you are staying a while: you will reuse it on buses, the Metro and ferries, where the 90-minute transfer does apply. Check the current fare for any journey on the official İZBAN fare calculator.

İzmirim Kart top-up and refund machine screen

4. Frequency and first/last-train guidance

First and last trains to the city: on the published timetable the first airport departure toward Alsancak is about 05:12 and the last about 23:50, with a handful of later trains at roughly 00:04, 00:29 and 00:54.
Frequency: roughly every 13 minutes through the day, thinning out late evening. That makes it far more frequent than any bus or coach from the airport.
Southbound to Selçuk depends on the Tepeköy branch, which runs about 14 times a day between roughly 06:40 and 23:50.
These are published times, not live data — İZBAN publishes them as approximate and does not guarantee them, so check the official timetable on the day you fly.

The airport buses take over when the train stops

All four Eshot airport lines are overnight services, running every two hours in the small hours and not at all during the day: 202 to Cumhuriyet Meydanı in the city centre at 01:00, 03:00 and 05:00, 200 to Mavişehir at 01:20, 03:20 and 05:20, 206 to Şirinyer at 01:30, 03:30 and 05:30, and 204 to Bornova Metro at 01:40, 03:40 and 05:40. They cost ₺77 with an İzmirim Kart. Eshot publishes these as planned times that weather or traffic can change, so check the official timetable on the day you travel.

⚠️ Expecting to be out of the terminal after ~23:30?

This is about when you reach the platform, not when the aircraft lands: allow 45 to 60 minutes for taxiing, passport control and bags. If you expect to be out of Arrivals by roughly 23:35 you should still have a margin for the last train at about 23:50, with further departures around 00:04, 00:29 and 00:54. If you have missed those, the Havaş coach has 01:30 and 02:30 departures to Alsancak, the airport bus 202 runs at 01:00, 03:00 and 05:00, and beyond that it is an official-rank taxi or a pre-booked transfer. See late-night arrivals.

5. Luggage and accessibility

İZBAN works with luggage, but it is tight in rush hour and there are stairs at some exits. Solo travelers with a backpack are fine; if you have two large suitcases, a taxi or transfer is far easier than the platform, turnstiles and any onward change.

6. Common mistakes to avoid

Boarding the wrong direction — there’s one platform for both ways, so check the departure board before you get on.
Relying on the free app card — the Digital İzmirim Kart is excluded from İZBAN. You need the physical card, and there is no way around it at the turnstile.
Not loading enough balance — İZBAN blocks ₺122.16 on your card when you tap in at the airport, even for a short ride.
Forgetting to tap out — the system then assumes you rode to the end of the line and keeps the whole blocked amount. Tap out within three hours.
Expecting a free onward transfer — İZBAN journeys carry no 90-minute transfer, so the connecting bus or Metro is a new fare.
Not budgeting the Tepeköy wait if you’re headed to Selçuk — the branch runs about 14 times a day, so the gap can be over an hour.