Living in Tuzla, Istanbul

Istanbul’s south-eastern corner: a working coastline of shipyards and a marina, a university town in the north, and three Marmaray stations linking it all to the rest of the city. A buyer’s guide to how the district fits together.

Tuzla on the map

Follow the Anatolian shore of the Sea of Marmara east from Kadıköy and Tuzla is the final Istanbul district you reach. Pendik borders it to the west and north; across the eastern boundary lies Gebze, in Kocaeli province. The district covers 138 km² and, by the 2025 count, is home to 313,865 people.

The settlement is old. The Greeks knew it as Akritas, and its railway station dates from 1873, when the Ottoman line from Istanbul to İzmit was laid. Administratively it is young: it belonged first to Kartal and then to Pendik before becoming a municipality in its own right in 1992. Fishing gave way to shipbuilding during the twentieth century, and the shipyards are still at work today.

Trains, roads and the airport

Commuters waiting as a suburban train pulls into a canopied platform near the sea

Rail in Tuzla means Marmaray. Since the full line opened on 12 March 2019, trains from Aydıntepe, İçmeler and Tuzla stations run west along the coast and beneath the Bosphorus to the European side, all on the same train. Heading east, the next stop, Çayırova, is already in Kocaeli.

Marmaray Suburban rail from Gebze to Halkalı that follows the shore and dives under the Bosphorus

  1. Aydıntepe
  2. İçmeler
  3. Tuzla

M4 No metro station in Tuzla yet. The M4 ends at Tavşantepe and at Sabiha Gökçen Airport, both in Pendik; a branch on towards İçmeler is planned but not built.

Marmaray stations in Tuzla, from the Pendik side to the Kocaeli side

Until the planned M4 extension is actually built, read any listing that promises a metro on the doorstep as a hope for the future rather than a feature of the flat.

On the road, the E-5 (D-100) crosses the district and the TEM motorway has a junction at Orhanlı. Sabiha Gökçen Airport is roughly 15 km from İçmeler by road. Public transport to Kadıköy takes somewhere between 40 minutes and an hour.

A shoreline that works for a living

Tuzla has 13 km of Marmara shoreline, and it is far from uniform. Large stretches belong to the shipyards, which make this Türkiye’s biggest shipbuilding area, and to the Turkish Naval Academy. Between them are seafront paths, small boat moorings and Viaport Marina, a yacht harbour with around 750 berths that opened in 2015 alongside shops, restaurants, an aquarium and the Viasea theme park.

Gantry cranes and a ship under construction across a calm bay at dusk, small boats in the foreground
Cranes on the skyline are part of the Tuzla view; check what a window looks out on before you fall for it.

That mix matters when you choose a flat. A sea view here can mean open water, the marina or a dock with ships in build, and the difference shows up both in daily life and at resale. We always send photos and video taken from the unit itself.

Couple walking a seaside path beside a low sea wall, a man fishing from the rail and ships at anchor offshore

In summer, Şehir Hatları adds a weekend and holiday ferry from Tuzla via Pendik to the Princes’ Islands. Check the season’s timetable before planning around it.

The 17 mahalle

Officially, Tuzla is divided into 17 neighbourhoods. These are the names that appear on title deeds and in listing addresses:

  • Akfırat
  • Anadolu
  • Aydınlı
  • Aydıntepe
  • Cami
  • Evliya Çelebi
  • Fatih
  • İçmeler
  • İstasyon
  • Mescit
  • Mimar Sinan
  • Orhanlı
  • Orta
  • Postane
  • Şifa
  • Tepeören
  • Yayla

Three of them hold the Marmaray stations: Aydıntepe and İçmeler have stations of the same name, and Tuzla station stands in İstasyon. Aydınlı has more residents than any other mahalle. Orhanlı and Akfırat, further north, are where the university and the racing circuit are found.

Campuses and the circuit

For a district best known for ships, Tuzla has an unusual number of campuses. Sabancı University, founded in 1994, took its first students in 1999 on a large site in Orhanlı. Piri Reis University and Okan University are here too, as are the Turkish Naval Academy and the maritime faculty of Istanbul Technical University. If you plan to let your flat, students and university staff are part of the local rental market.

Istanbul Park, the motor-racing circuit on the Tuzla side of the boundary with Pendik, opened in 2005. It held the Turkish Grand Prix from 2005 to 2011 and again in 2020 and 2021.

Choosing a location in Tuzla

Start from how you will spend a normal weekday, then pick the band of the district that suits it.

  • Near the shore and Marmaray

    Best if you will commute by train or want the seafront on your doorstep. Ask what the view faces: water, marina or shipyard.

  • Inland neighbourhoods

    Usually more floor space and quieter streets. Time the bus or minibus ride to the nearest station before you commit.

  • Northern Tuzla

    Suits drivers using the TEM and anyone tied to the campuses in Orhanlı. Fewer rail options, so a car often comes with the address.

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