Middle East - Anthony Ham [524]
GETTING AROUND
Air
The state-owned Turkish Airlines (THY; Türk Hava Yolları; Map; 0212-252 1106; www.thy.com) connects all the major cities and resorts, via its two main hubs, İstanbul and Ankara.
The most useful destinations for travellers include Ağrı (for Doğubayazıt), Ankara, Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman (for Marmaris), Diyarbakır, Erzurum, Gaziantep, İstanbul, İzmir, Kars, Kayseri, Konya, Mardin, Şanlıurfa, Trabzon and Van. You can buy tickets through travel agencies or directly from the airlines (often using their websites).
Cheaper domestic flights are also available with the following airlines:
Atlasjet ( 0216-444 3387; www.atlasjet.com) A growing network, with flights from İstanbul, Çanakkale, İzmir and Antalya to cities throughout the country.
Onur Air ( 0212-444 6687; www.onurair.com.tr) Flights from Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman, Diyarbakır, Erzurum, Gaziantep, İstanbul, İzmir, Kayseri and Trabzon, among others.
Pegasus Airlines (www.pegasusairlines.com) Flights between İstanbul and locations from Antalya to Van.
Sun Express Airlines (www.sunexpress.com.tr) A Turkish Airlines subsidiary.
Bus
Turkish buses go just about everywhere you could possibly want to go, and what’s more they do so comfortably and cheaply (it costs around TL80 to cross the whole country).
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FEZ BUS
A hop-on, hop-off bus service, the Fez Bus Map; 0212-516 9024; www.feztravel.com; Akbıyık Caddesi 15, Sultanahmet, İstanbul) links the main tourist resorts of the Aegean and the Mediterranean with İstanbul and Cappadocia. The bonuses of using the Fez Bus are convenience (you don’t carry your bags), flexibility (passes are valid from June to October and you can start anywhere on the circuit) and atmosphere (it’s fun and energetic, with a strong party vibe). The downsides? You spend most of your time with travellers rather than locals, and it can rapidly become boring once you’ve had your fill of the backpacker fraternity. Also, it doesn’t work out to be cheaper than doing it yourself with point-to-point buses.
A Turkish Delight bus pass (adult/student €176/164) allows you to travel from İstanbul to Çanakkale, Ephesus, Köyceğiz, Fethiye, Olympos, Cappadocia and then back to İstanbul via Ankara.
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A town’s otogar is often on the outskirts, but the bigger bus companies usually have free servis to ferry you into the centre and back again. Most otogars have an emanet (left-luggage room) that will charge a small fee, or you can sometimes leave luggage at the bus company’s ticket office. Besides intercity buses, the otogar often handles dolmuşes that operate local routes, although some locations have a separate station for such services.
All Turkish bus services are officially smoke-free.
Car & Motorcycle
In the major cities, plan to leave your car in a parking lot and walk – traffic is terrible.
DRIVING LICENCE
An international driving permit (IDP) may be handy if your driving licence is from a country likely to seem obscure to a Turkish police officer.
FUEL
There are plenty of modern petrol stations in the west, many open 24 hours. In the east, they are a bit less abundant but you won’t have trouble finding one. Be warned: petrol prices are high and are not showing any signs of going down.
HIRE
Hiring a car is quite expensive (often around TL70 to TL120 per day with unlimited mileage, less for long-term hire). All the main car-hire companies are represented in the main towns and resorts. It’s better to stick to the well-established companies (such as Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Thrifty) as they have bigger fleets and better emergency backup. You can get great discounts through Economy Car Rentals (www.economycarrentals.com), which covers most of the country, but you need to book at least 24 hours in advance.
INSURANCE
You must have third-party insurance, valid for the entire country. If you don’t have it, you can buy it at the border.
ROAD RULES
Drink-driving is a complete no-no. Maximum speed limits, unless otherwise posted, are 50km/h in towns, 90km/h on highways and 120km/h on an