Türk Telekom Arena

The Türk Telekom Arena replaced Galatasaray's old Ali Sami Yen, which by the 2000s had significantly aged and lacked many contemporary facilities. The club first investigated building a new arena at the site of the Ali Sami Yen, but later chose to build a new arena at a different location instead.

Building work on the Türk Telekom Arena began late 2007 and came at a cost of an estimated €160 million. The ground was formally inaugurated on 15 January 2011 with a match between Galatasaray and Ajax (0-0).

The Turk Telekom Arena has a total of 5,500 VIP seats and a further 157 executive boxes. The naming rights of the ground were sold to telecommunications firm Türk Telekom for a period of 10 years.

The Türk Telekom Arena stands on the northern edge of Istanbul, on the European side of the city close to the Levant and Maslak business districts. Istanbul's historic centre lies about 12 kilometres away.

The arena is best reached by metro. Stop Seyrantepe, which branches off metro line 2, is a short walk away from the ground. You can catch line 2 at station Sishane or Taksim at the northern edge of the downtown area.

Address: Türk Telekom Arena, 34396 Istanbul

The Türk Telekom Arena is situated next to a large motorway on the northern edge of the city. You might be able to find the odd place to eat or drink in the area on the other side of the motorway, but it is likely a better idea to do this in central Istanbul.

There are no hotels in the immediate surrounding of the ground. If you plan to take a metro to the ground anyway, there is little reason not to stay in central Istanbul. If you've come just for the match and plan on catching a taxi, you might find a hotel closer to the ground in the Levant or Maslak business areas convenient.

The ArtDeco Istanbul Suites, Elegance Residence Istanbul, and (more expensive) Mövenpick are a few of the options in the Levant area, whereas visitors will find a Sheraton in the Maslak area. Use the linked guides to browse the area of the Türk Telekom Arena for hotels, and here to see what's available in central Istanbul.

Admission for Galatasaray games are sold online at Passo.com.tr.

As with all matches in Turkey, one needs to possess a Passolig card to be able to buy tickets and enter the ground. In the case of foreigners this is a pre-paid card. One can apply for a card on the Passolig website.

Ticket prices range usually from TLR 35.00 for an upper-tier seat behind the goal or in the corners to TLR 287.00 for a middle-tier seat at one of the long sides.