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Here are tips on travel in
Turkey by plane, bus,
car, train, ship
& ferry. For
transport from other countries to Turkey,
see Getting
to Turkey.
Turkey
is fairly easy to travel in, but
it's a big country (maps). Distances
and travel times, in
both kms and miles, are on each
page in the Where
to Go section.
Transport
may be crowded on major
holidays.
Here's how to compare
costs for various means of transport.
PLANE
Turkish
Airlines has flights among major
cities which are convenient for
longer distances, and relatively
inexpensive (most fares are
TL89
to TL250
one-way). Onur
Air, Atlasjet, Anadolu
Jet, Pegasus
Air and Sun
Express have growing
route systems and even lower
fares. See also Major
Airports and Airport/City
Codes. More...
BUS
Thousands of modern, luxurious
buses roar between Turkish cities
and towns daily. This is how most Turks
travel. Unfortunately, it's
difficult to get fares and schedules (try
here),
but you can do that easily when you
arrive
in Turkey. Departures are
frequent, and you
don't need advance rservations on
most routes. Here are sample
routes, fares and travel times from Istanbul to
many cities. More...
CAR
If you are an experienced driver
and can manage a standard shift ("stick
shift," not automatic) transmission,
and want freedom of movement, consider renting
a car in Turkey. More...
TRAIN
The Orient
Express is gone,
but train travel in Turkey is still
useful, especially trains
between Ankara and Istanbul. (Here's
a map.) Expresses, Super
Expresses, and sleeping
car trains are
somewhat slower than the bus but
offer more seating-room and comfort
for less money. High-Speed
Trains are faster than
bus or car. Some of
Turkey's
trains
are older and relatively
slow, but still useful and quite
cheap. More...
SHIP & FERRY
Turkey is surrounded
by seas, so ships play a significant
part in the Turkish transport picture.
Here are the major services:
—Cruise
ships from other countries
dock in
Turkey at Istanbul, Kuşadası and
other ports. Here's
information on the ports
and docks.
—Sea
of Marmara ferry services run
between Istanbul on
the north shore and Yalova and Bandırma on
the south shore (map).
More...
—Dardanelles
ferries connect Europe
with Asia, Çanakkale and
Troy with the Gallipoli battlefields.
More...
—Greek
Island—Turkey
ferries connect the
islands with the Turkish coast. Look
up ports,
dates, times and fares on
Feribot.net—click here.
—Island-to-Island ferries
in Greece help you travel
between Athens, the Islands, and
Turkey. More...
—Italy—Turkey
ferries: no longer
any direct service, but you can
go via Greece.
More...
—Cyprus—Turkey
ferries connect Girne (Kyrenia)
and Taşucu/Silifke all
year, and Alanya in
summer. More...
—Odessa
(Ukraine)—Istanbul
ferries have
ceased operations,
unfortunately. More...
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