[ How to get around ] [ How to get there ] [ Travel Warnings ]
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| Getting Around By Air |
| Turkish Airlines (website: www.turkishairlines.com) provides an important network of internal flights from Istanbul, Ankara, Adana, Antalya, Dalaman, Izmir and Trabzon to all of the major Turkish cities. Recent liberalisation of the domestic air industry has allowed the proliferation of cheap, no-frills carriers operating routes from Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya and Izmir to the main regional airports. Private airlines include Atlasjet (website: www.atlasjet.com), Corendon Airlines (website: www.corendon-airlines.com), Onur Air (website: www.onurair.com.tr), Pegasus Airlines (website: www.flypgs.com) and SunExpress (website: www.sunexpress.com.tr). |
| Getting Around by Water |
| A frequent car ferry crosses the Dardenelles at Gallipoli, from Çanakkale to Eceabat and Gelibolu to Lapseki. Istanbul Fast Ferries (tel: (212) 444 4436; website: www.ido.com.tr) operates frequent seabus services from Bostanci, Kadiköy, Kartal, Yalova and Büyükada Island to Bakirköy, Karaköy, Yenikapi, Yalova, Avcilar and Bandirma. Deniz Cruise & Ferry Lines (tel: (212) 444 3369; website: www.denizline.com.tr) serves the Istanbul-Izmir route. Local travel agents can make reservations. |
| Getting Around by Rail |
| Many trains of the Turkish Railways (TCDD) (tel: (212) 527 0050; website: www.tcdd.gov.tr) have sleeping cars, couchettes and restaurant cars. Some are air-conditioned. Fares are comparatively low, but are more expensive for express trains. Discounts of 20% are available for students (though a Turkish student card may be required), groups, round-trips and passengers over 60. Children aged seven and under travel free. Tickets can be purchased at TCDD offices at railway stations and TCDD-appointed agents. The journey from Istanbul to Ankara takes between 6 hours 30 minutes and 10 hours, depending on the type of train. |
| Rail Passes |
A Train Tour Card issued by TCDD allows for 30 days’ unlimited travel on the Turkish train network. Tour cards are available for express trains and sleeping car trains. Validity begins on the first day that the card is used.
InterRail One-Country Pass: offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month within Turkey. Travel is not allowed in the passenger’s country of residence. Travellers under 26 years receive a reduction. Children’s tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Rail Europe (website: www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail). |
| Getting Around by Road |
Road conditions and standards of driving in Turkey can be poor. Serious road accidents are common. Traffic drives on the right. In case of an accident, call the traffic police (tel: 154) and do not move your car until they have arrived. The Turkish Touring and Automobile Club (tel: (212) 282 8140; website: www.turing.org.tr) provides insurance and advice for foreign drivers.
Coach: Many private companies provide frequent services between Turkish cities. Services are generally faster than trains. Tickets are sold at the bus station or the companies’ offices in town centres. Shop around for the best prices and most convenient departure times. Coaches depart from the bus stations (otogar) in large towns and from the town centre in small towns. There is generally a service bus (servis) from the centre to the bus station. The best coach operators are Varan (tel: (212) 551 5000; website: www.varan.com.tr) and Ulusoy (tel: 444 1888, within Turkey only; website: www.ulusoy.com.tr).
Car hire: Both chauffeur-driven and self-drive cars are available in all large towns and resorts. All international companies are represented.
Regulations: The minimum driving age is 18 and front seat belts are compulsory. Children under 12 may not sit in the front. The speed limit is 120kph (75mph) on dual carriageway, 90kph (56mph) on highways and 50kph (31mph) in built-up areas.
Documentation: An International Driving Permit or photo-ID licence is necessary. Green Card International Insurance, endorsed for all Turkish territory (or Turkish third-party insurance obtained at a frontier post) and car ownership documents are also required. A ‘carnet de passage’ is required for those continuing to the Middle East. Cars can be brought into Turkey for a maximum of six months in any year. For longer stays, it is necessary to apply to either the Ministry of Finance and Customs or the Turkish Touring and Automobile Club. |
| Getting Around Towns and Cities |
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. Tickets are bought in advance from kiosks and validated on board. In Istanbul, an Akbil electronic pass can save money on bus, tram, ferry and metro journeys.
Taxi: There are many types of taxi, share-taxi and minibus in operation. Taxis are numerous in all Turkish cities and towns and are recognisable by their chequered black and yellow bands. All taxis have a meter which must be switched on at the start of the journey. For longer journeys, the fare should be agreed beforehand. A dolmuş is a collective taxi or minibus which follows specific routes. Each passenger pays according to the distance travelled to specific stops. The fares are fixed by the municipality. The dolmuş 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 dolmuş and vice versa according to demand.
Ferry: There are extensive cross-Bosphorus and short-hop ferries in Istanbul.
Metro: Ankara has a two-line metro system, as does Istanbul. Further expansion is planned in both cities. |
| Journey Times |
The following chart gives approximate journey times (in hours and minutes) from Ankara to other major cities/towns in Turkey.
| Air | Road | Rail | | Istanbul | 0.45 | 6.00 | 7.00 | | Izmir | 0.50 | 7.00 | 10.00 | | Antalya | 1.00 | 8.00 | - | | Erzurum | 1.15 | 11.00 | 18.00 |
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| Getting There by Air | | The national airline is Turkish Airlines (TK) (website: www.turkishairlines.com). |
| Departure Tax | | US$50 is levied only on Turkish nationals not resident overseas departing from Turkey. |
| Main Airports | Ankara (ESB) (Esenboga) (website: www.esenbogaairport.com) is 33km (21 miles) northeast of the city. To/from the airport: Havas buses (website: www.havas.net) travel every 30 minutes between the airport and the city centre from 0430 to 2400 (journey time - 50 minutes). Taxis are also available. Facilities: Duty-free shops, bank/bureau de change, restaurants and bars.
Istanbul (IST) (Atatürk, formerly Yeşilköy) (website: www.ataturkairport.com) is 24km (15 miles) west of the city (journey time - 30 to 50 minutes). To/from the airport: Havas runs a regular bus service between the airport and the city centre. Taxis are available. Facilities: Duty-free shops, bank/bureau de change, bar, restaurant and car hire.
Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) (website: www.sgairport.com) is 40km (25 miles) from Istanbul, on the Asian side. To/from the airport: There are shuttle bus services to Taksim Square in the city (journey time - 45 minutes) and to Atatürk International Airport (journey time - 60 to 70 minutes). Taxis are available 24 hours. Facilities: Duty-free shops, bank, ATMs, business centre and restaurants/cafes.
Izmir (IZM) (Adnan Menderes) (website: www.adnanmenderesairport.com) is 18km (11 miles) south of the city. To/from the airport: Havas buses meet domestic flights and travel hourly from the city centre (journey time - 50 to 60 minutes). Facilities: Bank/bureau de change, ATMs, duty-free shops, bar, restaurant and car hire.
There are other international airports at Adana, Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman and Trabzon. |
| Getting There by Water | Main ports: Antalya, Bandirma, Çeşme, Istanbul, Izmir, Marmaris and Mersin.
To/from Italy: Marmara Lines (tel: 49 7031 866 010, sales agent in Germany; website: www.marmaralines.com) operates direct ferries in the summer from Ancona-Çeşme and from Brindisi- Çeşme. MedEuropean Seaways (tel: (216) 392 8346; website: www.mesline.com) runs a ferry between Brindisi-Çeşme.
To/from Cyprus: There are three routes with sea buses, car and passenger ferry services: Alanya-Girne, Tasucu-Girne, operated by the Fergün Shipping Company (website: www.ferries-turkey.com) and Gazimagusa-Mersin.
To/from Greece: There are privately operated ferry lines between Turkey and the Greek islands: Lesbos-Ayvalik, Chios-Çeşme, Samos-Kuşadasi, Cos-Bodrum, Rhodes-Bodrum, Rhodes-Marmaris and Rhodes-Fethiye.
To/from Ukraine: Ukrferry (tel: +380 482 344 059, in Ukraine; website: www.ukrferry.com) operates ferries between Odessa-Istanbul and Ilyichevsk-Derince.
Cruise ships stop in Istanbul, Kuşadasi and Antalya.
Note: All ships, including private yachts, arriving in Turkish waters must go to one of the following ports of entry: Akçay, Alanya, Anamur, Antalya, Ayvalik, Bandirma, Bodrum, Botas (Adana), Çanakkale, Çeşme, Datça, Derince, Didim, Dikili, Fethiye, Finike, Giresun, Güllük, Hopa (Artvin), Iskenderun, Istanbul, Izmir, Kaş, Kemer, Kuşadasi, Marmaris, Mersin, Ordu, Rize, Samsun, Sinop, Söke, Tasucu (Silifke), Tekirdağ, Trabzon and Zonguldak. |
| Getting There by Rail | | Train journeys can be made to Istanbul via some of the major European cities. The journey from London takes three days: Eurostar to Paris, Orient Express to Vienna (overnight), Avala to Budapest, overnight Ister to Bucharest and finally the Bosfor to Istanbul. There is also a less comfortable couchette car from Budapest to Istanbul. Other international rail routes go to Bulgaria, Greece, Georgia, Germany and Serbia. For more information contact Turkish Railways (TCDD) in Istanbul (tel: (212) 527 0050; website: www.tcdd.gov.tr). |
| Rail Passes | | InterRail: offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 30 European countries for European residents of over six months with two pass options. The Global Pass allows for 22 days or one month continuous travel, five days in 10 days or 10 days in 22 days across all countries. The One-Country Pass offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month in any of the countries except Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro. Travel is not allowed in the passenger’s country of residence. Travellers under 26 years receive a reduction. Children’s tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Rail Europe (website: www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail). |
| Getting There by Road | There are entry points by road from Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, the Syrian Arab Republic and Iran. From London, drivers may either choose the northern route via Belgium, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, or the southern route through Belgium, Austria, Italy with a car-ferry connection to Turkey.
Coach: There are regular services between Turkey and Austria, France, Germany, Greece and Switzerland, as well as Jordan, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the Syrian Arab Republic. It is possible to travel by coach from London to Istanbul, changing in Frankfurt (journey time - approximately 70 hours). Tickets are available from National Express (tel: 0870 580 8080; website: www.nationalexpress.com). |
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| Warning | Most visits are trouble-free. However, there is a high threat from terrorism in Turkey. It is believed that international terrorist groups, as well as indigenous ones, are currently active in Turkey. As in previous years, after a lull over the winter months the PKK resumed its terrorist campaign over the summer period. Attacks have taken place against government and security targets and also in restaurants, public transport and other public places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.
Targets have included Mediterranean and Aegean tourist areas, Istanbul and Turkey’s South East. On 2 October 2007, two explosions in Izmir killed one person and injured five others and a further explosive device was found. In May and April of this year, an explosion in Izmir killed one person and injured eleven others and another in Mersin killed one person.
In August 2006, explosions in the Aegean resort of Marmaris injured 21 people, including 10 British nationals. In November 2003, terrorist attacks against the British Consulate-General and the headquarters of HSBC in Istanbul caused 33 deaths and injured several hundred.
Turkish Authorities have confirmed outbreaks of Avian Influenza (Bird Flu). As a precaution, visitors should avoid live animal markets, poultry farms and other places where they may come into contact with domestic, caged or wild birds; and ensure that poultry and egg dishes are thoroughly cooked.
This advice is based on information provided by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK. It is correct at time of publishing. As the situation can change rapidly, visitors are advised to contact the following organisations for the latest travel advice:
British Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Tel: 0845 850 2829.
Website: www.fco.gov.uk
US Department of State
Website: http://travel.state.gov/travel |
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