Avcılar removals

Avcılar lies at İstanbul's western edge, between Küçükçekmece Lake and the Sea of Marmara. The District Governorate gives its area as 4,185 hectares and the municipality as 4,208 hectares; both figures round to about 42 million square metres. Official lists name 10 neighbourhoods. The TEM and E-5 (D-100) cross the district; the older neighbourhoods between the coast and E-5, the planned area between the two motorways and Ispartakule north of the TEM each have different access conditions (sources: Geographic Structure, Local Authorities, Avcılar Location, accessed 30.09.2026).

The road route from Sancaktepe to Avcılar is about 54–65 km by car, taking 45–51 minutes in free-flowing traffic (OSRM / OpenStreetMap, September 2026). The lorry must use Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, which makes the route longer.

Crossing the Bosphorus: which bridge takes the lorry

The 15 July Martyrs and Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridges are closed to lorries; they use Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge. The Eurasia Tunnel tariff has no lorry class. The lorry enters the district via the TEM; we approach Tahtakale and Firuzköy from the north and the coastal neighbourhoods from the E-5 links. Smaller vehicles may have other crossing options depending on their vehicle class (sources: KGM restrictions and prohibitions, Eurasia Tunnel fares, accessed 30.09.2026).

Avcılar map: neighbourhoods, muhtarlık offices, stations

The map shows 10 neighbourhoods, muhtarlık offices, the Tahtakale and Ispartakule stops on the M7, which is under construction, and taxi ranks. Tahtakale's muhtarlık is north of the TEM; satellite view distinguishes the dense coastal neighbourhoods, the Ispartakule blocks and Firuzköy's lakeside.

Access profile, neighbourhood by neighbourhood

The narrow, steep and high-rise labels below compare Avcılar's 10 neighbourhoods with one another; they are not measurements against another district. The elevation model uses surface data, so gradients should be read as a ranking between neighbourhoods.

How the figures translate to moving day:

• Mostly one-way and narrow streets — Merkez, Üniversite, Mustafa Kemal Paşa and Ambarlı: 14–62% of streets are narrow or one-way; Merkez is highest at 62%. In Merkez, 0.86 km² contains 10.6 km of local streets, 793 buildings and five car parks. Floor data is available for 3% of buildings. Üniversite is the flattest neighbourhood (3.8% average gradient), but 17% of its streets are steep. One car park is recorded in Mustafa Kemal Paşa, with no floor data. For the first three neighbourhoods, the lorry's waiting point and the distance belongings must be carried are decisive. In the area residents call village-centre Ambarlı, we choose a street the lorry can enter during the site visit.
• Steeper areas — Yeşilkent, Ambarlı, Gümüşpala and Denizköşkler: average gradients are 5.7–6.6%, and 34–50% of local streets are steep; Yeşilkent is steepest, at 6.6% and 50%. Gümüşpala and Denizköşkler have the most floor data on the map: 72% and 67% of their buildings are recorded, with an average of 4.8 storeys in both. Gümüşpala has 1,875 buildings across 1.15 km² and only four mapped car parks; Denizköşkler has 1,969 buildings across 1.69 km² and 15 car parks. For these four- and five-storey buildings, we mark out a level place for an exterior lift and a safe stopping point for the lorry during the site visit.
• Wide, two-way streets — Firuzköy, Yeşilkent, Tahtakale and Gümüşpala: 0–7% of streets are one-way or narrow. Firuzköy is the largest neighbourhood at 12.4 km², with 56.7 km of local streets and 2,204 buildings; no car parks or floor data are mapped. Its low-density lakeside layout can make it easier for a lorry to reach the door. Yeşilkent has 89.2 km of local streets and 5,216 buildings across 5.1 km², the district's largest mapped building stock; floor data is unavailable, and six car parks are recorded. Tahtakale covers 11.4 km²; alongside 41.2 km of local streets, it has 40.3 km of through-roads and 29 mapped car parks, the most in the district. Floor data is limited to 6% of buildings, but those recorded average about 13 storeys, consistent with the Ispartakule blocks residents describe. In the sites, the questions are not about hills but about management's moving hours, booking the goods lift and whether the lorry can reach the block.
• In between — Cihangir: 3.7 km², 41.8 km of local streets, 12% of streets one-way or narrow, an average gradient of 5.0% and a steep-street share of 32%; 2,116 buildings and 17 car parks are mapped, with no floor data. The figures put Cihangir in the middle, although one resident describes its hills. The District Governorate is also in this neighbourhood, so an early start is the safest plan.

Urban renewal: between the TEM and D-100, and the Yeşilkent reserve area

İBB's planning-note amendment on buildings at risk in Avcılar names five neighbourhoods with approved 1:5,000 master plans: Firuzköy, Gümüşpala, Mustafa Kemal Paşa, Üniversite and Yeşilkent. The amendment was incorporated into the plans for the area between the TEM and D-100, approved in 2010, and Yeşilkent plots 7 and 68, approved in 2017 (source: İBB Urban Transformation, Avcılar planning-note amendment, accessed 30.09.2026). The plan for a 42.2-hectare reserve building area north of Yeşilkent was approved on 26.05.2025; the site is still vacant, next to the TEM–D-100 link road and about 1 km from the TEM. Planning work is also under way for the nearby 42.16-hectare plots 7–68 reserve area, designated in 2012 (sources: Yeşilkent Neighbourhood Reserve Building Area, Yeşilkent Plots 7–68, accessed 30.09.2026). We could not find a neighbourhood list, rent support details or an explanation of the risky-building process on the municipality's Urban Transformation Directorate page; it contains only regulations and report attachments (accessed 30.09.2026). There is no official project page for the demolition and rebuilding residents describe in the coastal neighbourhoods; the community observations below cover that. We pack belongings from buildings at risk and store them until the replacement flat is ready.

What residents say

The moves we see most in Avcılar

• Urban-renewal clearances and storage: in Gümüşpala, Üniversite and Yeşilkent, which appear in İBB's plan, and in coastal neighbourhoods where residents describe building sites, belongings may need to be stored while a building is renewed; we plan the move and storage together.
• Student and academic moves: September and June are busy around İstanbul University-Cerrahpaşa's Avcılar Campus and Gelişim University; fewer belongings, a smaller vehicle and a plan around the campus junction's traffic.
• Single-person homes (1+1, studio): in Merkez, Üniversite and Cihangir near the Metrobüs; a two-person team is enough. A 1+1 has one bedroom plus a living room.
• Family homes (2+1, 3+1): in the four- and five-storey buildings of Gümüşpala and Denizköşkler, and in Mustafa Kemal Paşa, dismantling, packing and an exterior lift may all be part of the job. A 2+1 has two bedrooms plus a living room; a 3+1 has three.
• Moves within sites and new-development handovers: the block sites in Ispartakule and Yeşilkent; arrange lorry entry, goods-lift booking and number-plate registration in advance.
• Offices, shops and workshops: workplaces beside the E-5 and industrial facilities along the Firuzköy road mentioned on the municipality's history page; out-of-hours work may be needed.

You can check the volume of your belongings and a suitable vehicle size on our moving calculator.

After you move: registration, muhtarlık, municipality

You can register your new residence through e-Devlet or at your neighbourhood muhtarlık, the local headman's office. Addresses for Avcılar's 10 muhtarlık offices:

The municipality's central service building is at No. 10 Naim Süleymanoğlu Street, Ambarlı; its call centre is 444 69 89, its switchboard is 0 212 695 62 27, and the same 444 number is also listed for WhatsApp. Its email address is halkmasasi@avcilar.bel.tr. Opening hours are 08.30–12.30 and 13.00–17.00. The municipality also publishes each muhtarlık's address and phone number on its neighbourhood pages (sources: Service buildings, Neighbourhoods and muhtars, accessed 30.09.2026). The District Governorate is in the Government House at No. 55 Ormanlı Avenue, Cihangir; population registration, land registry, tax office and traffic registration are in the same building (sources: District Governorate contact, Government House history, accessed 30.09.2026).

Permits for lorries and exterior lifts: we could not find a published rule or fee on the municipality's website for a moving vehicle or mobile lift temporarily using the road (accessed 30.09.2026). The Municipal Police Directorate page has the Regulation on Orders and Prohibitions and a fee schedule as PDF attachments only; it gives no hours or application conditions. Pedestrianisation projects around Ege Street, Şükran Street and Öğretmenler Avenue focus on school areas, but the page does not say which streets are closed to traffic. If your address is on one of these streets, we check with 444 69 89 before moving day (sources: Municipal Police Directorate, Ege Street Prestige Road, accessed 30.09.2026).

Old furniture, rubble and waste collection days: the municipality's cleaning-services page says rubble, construction waste and bulky waste are collected according to a schedule, but gives no day, application channel or fee. We could not find household or packaging collection days or a collection line for old furniture and white goods on the site (sources: Cleaning services, Cleaning Affairs Directorate, accessed 30.09.2026). We collect the boxes and packing materials left on moving day; during the site visit, we can make a separate plan for items you will not be keeping.

Public transport

There is no operating metro or tram station in Avcılar; Metro İstanbul's line list shows no operating line entering the district. The main service is the Metrobüs along the E-5: according to İETT, the line is 52 km long, has 44 stations and operates around the clock across six service patterns. Avcılar Merkez–Üniversite Kampüsü is one of its termini; the Marmaray connection is at Küçükçekmece station (sources: Metro İstanbul lines, İETT Metrobüs lines, accessed 30.09.2026). The station list for the M7 Mahmutbey–Esenyurt section under construction includes Tahtakale and Ispartakule; Metro İstanbul gives neither their district nor an opening date, while the İBB station layer places both points in Tahtakale neighbourhood (source: M7 Mahmutbey–Esenyurt project page, accessed 30.09.2026). We could not find an official page for ferry services from the coast to Bakırköy or Kadıköy; residents' accounts are in the community observations. For moving day, the E-5 side roads leading to Metrobüs stations and the campus junction become busy early; in Ispartakule, residents say roads are gridlocked at peak times. At both ends, we start loading before 07.00.

Neighbouring districts

Across the lake is Küçükçekmece; to the north, Başakşehir; to the west, Esenyurt and Beylikdüzü. We plan each move the same way: check the streets and floors at both addresses, agree the time, then plan the team. For the whole city, see our İstanbul removals page.

Sources

The boundaries, station points, muhtarlık addresses and access profile were calculated from the open datasets below; information from the District Governorate, municipality, İBB, KGM, ATAŞ, Metro İstanbul and İETT is summarised in our own words and linked to its source.

• Avcılar District Governorate, Geographic Structure (boundaries, area), Local Authorities (10 neighbourhoods, muhtarlık offices), Contact, Government House history — accessed 30.09.2026.
• Avcılar Municipality, Avcılar Location (area, TEM and E-5), Neighbourhoods and muhtars, Service buildings, Municipal Police Directorate, Cleaning Affairs Directorate, Cleaning services, Urban Transformation Directorate, Ege Street Prestige Road pedestrianisation, Avcılar history (industry, university) — accessed 30.09.2026.
• İBB Urban Transformation Directorate, Avcılar planning-note amendment, Yeşilkent Neighbourhood Reserve Building Area, Yeşilkent Plots 7–68 — accessed 30.09.2026.
• General Directorate of Highways, Restrictions and prohibitions (bridge vehicle classes); ATAŞ, Eurasia Tunnel fares (tariff classes) — accessed 30.09.2026.
• Metro İstanbul, All lines and M7 Mahmutbey–Esenyurt project page; İETT, Metrobüs lines — accessed 30.09.2026.
• Distance: OpenStreetMap road network via OSRM, September 2026; free-flow time is approximate and uses a car profile, not a lorry profile.