Istanbul's metro network is the cheapest, fastest way around the city, and the question everyone eventually googles at 11:47 PM is the same: when does it close? Here is the full picture for 2026, line by line, including the weekend night services that keep running while the rest of the network sleeps.

The short answer

Nearly every metro line in Istanbul runs from around 06:00 to around midnight (00:00). On Friday and Saturday nights, several key lines continue through the night at a reduced frequency of roughly 30 minutes. Check whether your route has that service before planning a late journey home.

The main lines, at a glance

  • M1A / M1B (Yenikapi - Airport(old)/Kirazli):
    about 06:00 to 00:00, night service on weekends
  • M2 (Yenikapı - Hacıosman, via Taksim and Şişhane):
    about 06:00 to 00:00, night service on weekends
  • M4 (Kadıköy - Sabiha Gökçen Airport):
    about 06:00 to 00:00, night service on weekends
  • M5 (Üsküdar - Samandıra):
    about 06:00 to 00:00, night service on weekends
  • M7 (Mecidiyeköy - Mahmutbey):
    about 06:00 to 00:00, night service on weekends
  • M11 (Gayrettepe - Istanbul Airport):
    about 06:00 to 00:40, weekend nights extended roughly every 30 minutes until about 05:30
  • Marmaray (Halkali - Gebze, under the Bosphorus):
    First trains around 06:00, last around 23:00 from the end stations
  • T1 tram (Kabataş - Bağcılar, through Sultanahmet):
    roughly 06:00 to midnight

Weekend night metro (gece metrosu)

On the nights connecting Friday to Saturday and Saturday to Sunday, lines including M1A, M1B, M2, M4, M5, M6 and M7 run through the night at reduced frequency. The airport line M11 also extends its weekend service deep into the night, with trains roughly every 30 minutes until the early morning. This is the single most useful fact for anyone whose nights out run past midnight: check the night metro before defaulting to a taxi.

Practical notes

Frequencies vary through the day, from a few minutes apart at rush hour to around 10-15 minutes late in the evening. Everything runs on the Istanbulkart, which also covers trams, buses, ferries and funiculars. For live timetables and service disruptions, the official source is metro.istanbul and the Metro Istanbul app; exact first and last train times shift slightly by station, since a train leaving the depot end at 06:00 reaches the far end of the line later.

From Sunday to Thursday, a night out after 00:00 needs a return plan beyond the usual metro service. Check the last train for the station you intend to use. If the show or evening runs later, plan for a taxi or night bus.

If your night ends after midnight on a weekend, walk to the nearest M2 or M4 station before opening a taxi app, there's a decent chance the night metro saves you the fare. On weeknights, don't cut it fine: aim to be on the platform by 23:40, since the last trains fill up and the exact time varies by station.