Getting to Şanlıurfa: GAP Airport (GNY) Havaş Coaches and Overland Connections

Şanlıurfa GAP Airport (GNY), which boasts the longest civilian runway in Turkey at 4,000 metres, built originally to accommodate large cargo aircraft for the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP), lies 35 kilometres north-east of the city centre along the Diyarbakır highway. Daily non-stop flights connect Şanlıurfa with Istanbul (both IST and SAW, 1 hour 50 minutes) and Ankara (1 hour 25 minutes).

1. From Şanlıurfa GAP Airport (GNY) to the City Centre (35 Minutes)

• Havaş Airport Shuttle Coaches (Cheapest & Timed to Every Flight): you never need a reservation; walk out of baggage claim and step onto the waiting white Havaş coach, which departs 20 to 25 minutes after every domestic flight lands (pay on board with a contactless bank card or Turkish lira cash). The coach drives straight down the four-lane highway through northern Karaköprü (stopping on request at Esentepe and modern hotels) and terminates right in the heart of central Şanlıurfa at Abide Junction (Abide Parkı / Nevali Hotel) in 35 minutes. From Abide Junction, a metered yellow taxi takes just 5 minutes (or a 15-minute walk/bus down Atatürk Bulvarı) to the Old Town mansions around Balıklıgöl and the Archaeology Museum.
• Airport Taxis & Rental Cars: official airport taxis wait outside arrivals (agreeing or running the meter to Haliliye/Eyyübiye in 30 minutes), and all major car-rental agencies have desks inside the terminal, picking up a rental car right at GNY is ideal if you plan to drive independently to Karahantepe, Harran and Halfeti.

2. Arriving by Intercity Coach (From Gaziantep, Mardin, Diyarbakır & Adıyaman)

Şanlıurfa's modern architecture-award-winning Intercity Bus Terminal (Şanlıurfa Şehirlerarası Otobüs Terminali / Otogar) sits in Karaköprü 7 kilometres north of the centre (connected to Abide and Balıklıgöl every 5 minutes on Municipal Bus 90, 63 and 33):

• From Gaziantep (150 km west): coaches run every 30 minutes via the highway in 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours.
• From Mardin (190 km east) or Diyarbakır (180 km north): coaches depart hourly and take 2 to 2.5 hours.