Turkey: Getting there & around

There are plenty of ways to get into and out of Turkey by air, sea, rail and bus. There are international airports at İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir and some of the Mediterranean resorts. Turkish Airlines has direct flights from İstanbul to three dozen European cities and New York, as well as the Middle East, North Africa, Bangkok, Karachi, Singapore and Tokyo. Departure tax is about US$12.00 but is normally included in the ticket price. By train, the daily Bosfor Ekspresi links Budapest, Bucharest, Belgrade and Sofia to İstanbul. Major European cities such as Frankfurt and Vienna are also well serviced by Turkish bus lines. The overnight Dostluk Ekspresi links İstanbul to Thessaloniki and is becoming a popular option with travellers.You can travel by train and bus to Syria and Iran, and by bus to Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Marmara Lines runs car ferries from Çeşme to Ancona and Brindisi from late March to late October. Private ferries run between Turkey's Aegean coast and the Greek islands.

Turkish Airlines links all major cities, including the busy İstanbul-Ankara corridor. Buses go everywhere in Turkey frequently, cheaply and usually comfortably. Trains have a hard time competing with long-distance buses for speed, but the sleeping-car trains linking İstanbul, İzmir and Ankara are good value. If you're driving around Turkey, you'll find mechanical services easy to find and relatively cheap but dealing with impatient drivers may be more of a problem.

Driving in cities should be avoided - traffic is terrible and parking difficult. Dolmuşes (shared taxis) are a good option for short trips. Car ferries can save you lots of driving - there's a useful hydrofoil from İstanbul to Yalova, for Bursa.