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Car
travel gives you freedom to
go where you want when you want,
whether you drive your own car
to Turkey or rent/hire
a car in
turkey.
But
car travel has disadvantages too:
expense (fuel is
expensive, especially according to
US standards), and sometimes having to
drive when you'd rather let someone
else take charge of getting you there.
Will
you be able to drive in Turkey? If
you're an experienced, confident
driver who can use a standard
transmission ("stick shift"), drive
on the right-hand side of
the road (as in continental Europe
and North America), and are willing
to adapt to a foreign country's driving
habits, then you'll probably
enjoy the freedom of driving in
Turkey.
Here are
translations of Turkish highway
signs and auto driving words.
Here
are Tom's Turkish Road Warrior
Driving Tips. Heed and believe!
A
car is useful mostly for touring
a specific region. For long-distance
travel, public
transport is usually more comfortable
and cheaper. In other words, don't
plan to drive from Istanbul to Cappadocia; fly,
or ride the bus to
get there, then rent
a car in Cappadocia to tour the
region. Do the same if you're going
to Antalya or
any of the other resorts.
Unless
your driver's license is from some
exotic place, it will normally be
accepted in Turkey. If in doubt,
get an International Driving Permit through
your local auto club. Now, read the
pages on safe
driving, documents
and equipment, and car
rental.
Driving
your own car to Turkey? You'll need
a Green Card insurance
document and Customs clearance from
the Turkish
Touring and Automobile Association. More...
Your Global Positioning System device
(GPS) may be helpful in Turkey. More...
Here's how
to pay highway and bridge
tolls in
Turkey (in some cases, you
cannot pay with cash! More...)
Fuel stations in
Turkey generally supply unleaded gasoline/petrol (kurşunsuz
benzin) in several octane grades,
and also diesel (mazot). Some
stations sell LNG (liquified natural
gas), and some sell ultra-low-sulfur
diesel (eurodizel). More...
For
funny stories of car travel in eastern
Turkey, see my Bright
Sun, Strong Tea excerpts
entitled "Eastern
Sacrifice" and "Some
People Never Learn."
For
tips on how to increase your safety while
traveling by road, see ASIRT,
the Association for Safe International
Road Travel.
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