There are
trains from all over Europe with connections and through Greece or
Bulgaria. Young travellers may take the "Inter Rail Youth Pass",
which is also valid throughout Turkey. Most trafficked routes of
Munich-Salzbug-Belgrade- Sofia-Istanbul or the
Vienna-Zagreb-Sofia-Istanbul, connect most of Europe to Turkey.
The Thessaloniki-Istanbul train line is usually for visitors
arriving from Greece.
You can drive
your car through Bulgaria or through Greece from Thessaloniki.
Once you get into Turkey, it takes a 3 hour drive to get to
Istanbul. For the coasts in the west it is the easiest to the
ferry.
Car Ferries:
From Venice, Ancona, Bari, Brindisi in Italy,
Athens, Corfu, Mykonos, Lesbos, Cios, Samos, Cos, Rhodes, Symi in
Greece
To Izmir, Istanbul, Antalya, Kusadasi, Ayvalik, Çesme,
Bodrum, Marmaris, Datça
Ferry Lines
between Turkey and Northern Cyprus :
Tasucu-Girne, Mersin- Magosa, Alanya-Girne.
Car ferries
are also open to passengers., Most lines offer a comfortable and
convenient travel, while you enjoy the sight seeing on the
Mediterranean Blue.
Passenger
Ferries : In addition to car ferries, passenger ferries also have
regular services to the ports of Trabzon, Samsun, Istanbul,
Dikili, Izmir, Cesme, Kusadasi, Bodrum, Marmaris, Antalya, Alanya,
Mersin and Iskenderun.
Possibly the
most economical way to get to Turkey is by bus. The bus companies
offer luxury services from Athens, Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna,
London and other places on the routes.
Turkey is big
and there are a lot to see. You may need to take a combination of
vehicles to see much in Turkey.
There are
airports at the following locations: All airports are served by
Turkish Airlines. Several are served by other Turkish and
international airlines, too.
Istanbul,
Ankara, Izmir, Antalya, Adana, Dalaman, Bodrum, Konya, Kayseri,
Trabzon, Samsun, Erzurum, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Van, Erzincan,
Sivas, Elazig, Mus, Batman, Siirt, Sanliurfa, Tokat, Malatya.
Turkish
Maritime Lines offer several coastal services with their Adriatic
Line subsidiary, providing excellent opportunities for
sightseeing; they also operate a car ferry between Mersin and
Magosa. There are also services between Istanbul and Izmir, with
overnight accommodation and ferry routes along Turkeys northern
Black Sea coast. A frequent car ferry crosses the Dardenelles at
Gelibolu, from Canakkale to Eceabat and Gelibolu to Lapseki.
Turkish
Maritime Lines offer discounts of 15 % on single and 25 % on
return passages for international routes and 50 % for domestic
routes to holders of ISTC cards.
Rail fares are
comparatively cheap. Many trains of the Turkish State Railways
(TCDD) have sleeping cars, couchettes and restaurant cars, but
there is no air-conditioned accommodation. Fares are more
expensive for express and mail trains, even though express trains
are relatively slow, and some routes are indirect. Steam engines,
such as the Anatolia Express which traverses eastern Turkey, are
retained for tourist trains on some routes. Tickets can be
purchased at TCDD offices at railway stations and TCDD-appointed
agents. TCDD offer discounts of 20 % to holders of ISTC cards.
Children under 7 travel free; children aged 7-11 pay half fare.
Discount fares are available for Students (10 % off), Groups (30 %
off for groups of 24 or more), Roundtrips (20 % off) and Sport
Teams (50 % off for groups of five or more).
There is an
extensive road maintenance and building program; 1400 km (900
miles) of motorway are under construction. Traffic drives on the
right. In case of an accident, contact the Turkish Touring &
Automobile Association (Turkiye Turing ve Otomobil Kurumu).
Tel: (312) 213 9761.
Car hire:
Both chauffeur and self-drive cars are available in all large
towns. All international companies are represented. Documentation:
An International Driving Permit is required for visits of over 3
months.
Coach:
Many private companies provide frequent day and night services
between all Turkish cities. Services are often faster than trains
and recent competition between operators has led to lower fares.
Tickets are sold at the bus or coach companies branch offices
either at stations or in town centres. One should shop around the
ticket offices for the best prices. Coaches depart from the bus
stations (otogar) in large towns and from the town centre in small
towns.
Bus and
trolleybus: Extensive conventional bus (and some
trolleybus) services operate in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. There
are buses in all other large towns. These are generally reliable,
modern and easy to use, although publicity is non-existent.
Tickets are bought in advance from kiosks and dropped into a box
by the driver. Taxi: There are many types of taxi, shared taxi and
minibus in operation. Taxis are numerous in all Turkish cities and
towns and are recognisable by their chequered black and yellow
bands. Metered taxis are available. For longer journeys, the fare
should be agreed beforehand.
Dolmus:
is a collective taxi which follows specific routes and is
recognisable by its yellow band. Each passenger pays according to
the distance travelled to specific stops. The fares are fixed by
the municipality. The dolmus provides services within large cities
to suburbs, airports and often to neighbouring towns. This is a
very practical means of transport and much cheaper than a taxi.
Taxis may turn into a dolmus and vice versa according to demand.
Ferries: There are extensive cross-Bosphorus and short-hop ferries
between the parts of Istanbul. In 1988 a second bridge over the
river was opened. Metro: There are plans to construct a metro
system in Ankara.
JOURNEY TIMES
The following
chart gives approximate journey times (in hours and minutes) from
Ankara to other major cities/towns in Turkey.
