HOW TO GET TO TURKEY
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By Air | By Train | By Car | By Sea | By Bus
By Air | By Train | By Car | By Sea | By Bus
Urban
Journey Times
HOW TO GET TO TURKEY
BY AIR
Turkish European Asian American African Turkish Airlines
Air Alfa
Air Anatolia
KHTYLufthansa
British Airlines
Air France
KLM
Alitalia
Olympic Airlines
Condor
Swissair
Tarom
Iberia
Aeroflot
MalevEl Al
Royal Jordanian
Gulf Air
Middle Eastern Airlines
Syrian Arab Airlines
Singapore Airlines
Pakistan International Airlines
EmiratesDelta Egypt Air BY TRAIN
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.
BY CAR
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, DatçaFerry Lines between Turkey and Northern Cyprus :
Tasucu-Girne, Mersin- Magosa, Alanya-Girne.BY SEA
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.
BY BUS
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.
INLAND TRAVEL
Turkey is big and there are a lot to see. You may need to take a combination of vehicles to see much in Turkey.
BY AIR
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.
BY SEA
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.
BY TRAIN
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).
BY CAR
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.
BY BUS
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.
URBAN
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.
Please use our booking form for your reservations.
Air Road Rail Istanbul 0:45 6.00 7.00 Izmir 0:50 7:00 10:00 Antalya 1:00 8:00 - Adana 0:55 6:00 13:00 Erzurum 1:15 11:00 18:00 Van 1:15 15:00 23:00 Trabzon 1:40 13:00 - Mugla 1:25 10:00 -
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