Hello,
I am planning a two-week bicycle trip in Turkey next month. I have booked a return flight to Antalya. For the actual bike trip I have two options in mind:
- the first option is to ride from Antalya to Cappadoccia (Antalya-Alanya-Karaman-Eregli-Cappadoccia).
Is cycling along the motorway between Antalya and Alanya allowed?
Is the traffic busy/dangerous on the coastal road and/or inland roads?
Is it possible to take my bike on a bus back to Antalya?
Can there be strong winds/what is the prevailing wind direction?
- the second option is a round trip from Antalya, heading due west (Antalya - Fethiye (possibly further) and back to Antalya along inland roads)
* There are many accommodation options along the coastal road to Fethiye. What about accommodation in the inland? (I'm not planning to bring a tent)
Thanks for any comments and advice.
Kristof Geldhof
Ghent, Belgium
First of all. The best map, and I saw lots of them, is the Marco Polo Euro Tuerkiye. It has all of the back roads! It covers 2/3rd of the west side of the country.
I can't answer all your questions, but here is what I experienced. The Turkish people were fantastic and willing to help. They speak mostly German as a second language.
I did a bike trip in Turkey in 2000 in May. On the west coast road in May the traffic was OK. However, the hotels on beaches and some small towns were closed and wouldn't open until June. I was actually rescued one night by a couple from the Netherlands who had a house on the coast.
You can get your bike on practically any bus, since there are lots of different bus companies the competition is strong. The Turkish people take lots of baggage with them so be prepared to take a wheel or two off to get it on the bus. I was never refused a ride no matter what size the bus or van was. Since the country is much larger than I thought, I took the bus 14 times throughout my one month stay. The prices are very small for you and your bike.
My biking experience was mostly on the west coast. I took a ferry from Istanbul to Bandirma and a bus to Canakkale and biked south. Troy, Bergama and Ephesos were just fantastic. And took the Bus to Antalya and saw the ruins in the mountains. The bus left Antalya and headed for Konya but expect some hills when leaving the coast.
My second object was to get to Samsun on the Black Sea. I was there in the US Air Force in the 1965 and wanted to see the area again. So I bused a lot and found that the buses were much safer than in the 60s. The drivers have to obey the speed limits. When they are caught speeding the police place a speed monitor on their bus and the driver has to show the speeds of his last trip before he can exit the bus terminal...
Good luck.
Hi - I did a 7 day tour of Turkish Lycia last March, this is the area west of Antalya - I cannot recommend it enough, the people were amazingly freindly, they invite you in for tea all the time - the scenery is stunning away from the coast, especially if you like mountains. You MUST ride to a town called "Elmali" - it's on a plain surrounded by snow capped peaks - I implore you change your plans and head into Lycia, get away from the coast you won't regret it! - If you don't belive me check out these pics....
Elmali road - http://andypollard9255.fotopic.net/p27611510.html<BR><BR>Elamali Plain - http://andypollard9255.fotopic.net/p27611449.html<BR><BR>Whole trip - http://andypollard9255.fotopic.net/c911331.html<BR><BR>If you PM me on andypolls@yahoo.com I will send you my travelogue of the whole trip
Andy
trusted partner
