BY AIR
Turkish Airlines and Delta Airlines offer the only direct nonstop services
to Turkey from the US.
Turkish Airlines flies direct to Istanbul from New York and Chicago.
718-751-26-00, lines are open Monday-Friday, 9am-5:30pm (PST),
passengerservices@tknyc.com, www.turkishairlines.com. In Canada,
tickets for Turkish Airlines are sold by Stellar Travel Inc., 866-IFLY-
THY (435-9849), info@stellartravel.ca.
Delta Airlines operates direct flights to Istanbul from New York. It
has connecting flights to Istanbul from Toronto via New York. 800-
221-1212, www.delta.com; travelers with hearing or speech impairments
can call 800-831-4488.
Several international carriers operate flights to Turkey from North
America via their home countries. This obviously makes the flight
time longer. However, the fares can be cheaper.
British Airways flies from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Toronto
to Istanbul via London. The airline has direct flights from London
Heathrow to Ankara and Dalaman airports via its franchise
partners. There are also flights from London Gatwick to Izmir. US and
Canada, 800-AIRWAYS; Toronto, 416-250-0880; www.
britishairways.com; travelers with hearing impairments can call
866-393-0961.
Easyjet, the low cost UK airline, has flights from Luton Airport,
51 km/32 miles north of London, to Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen International
Airport on the Asian side of the city, about 50 km from Taksim
Square. UK 08706-000000; www.easyjet.com.
Lufthansa operates daily flights to Istanbul from New York, Chicago,
Los Angeles and Montreal via Munich and Frankfurt. US, 800-645-
3880; Canada, 800-563-5954; www.lufthansa.com.
Alitalia flies from New York to Istanbul via Milan and Rome. 800-
223-5730; alitaliasupport@alicos.net; www.alitalia.com.
Austrian Airlines has flights to Istanbul from New York, Washington
DC and Toronto stopping in Vienna. US, 800-843-0002; Canada,
888-817-4444; www.aua.com.
One US tour operator selling discounted airfares to Turkey can be accessed
on the web only, www.aesu.com.
Security at Turkish airports is tight and time consuming, especially at
Istanbul’s Atatürk International Airport. Arrive for domestic flights at
least one hour prior to departure. You should arrive at least two hours
ahead of departure for international flights.
Transporting Mountain Bikes & Skis
Quality mountain bikes are difficult to hire in Turkey. Most airlines,
including Turkish Airlines and British Airways, will allow you to
transport one sports item free of charge, so you can take your own
bike. Skis and snowboards can be hired locally, though these can also
be checked into the hold.
BY SEA
FROM GREECE: There are regular ferry and hydrofoil services, including
car ferries, between Turkey’s Aegean Coast and the Greek Islands
during the summer months. Routes include Lesbos-Ayvalik,
Chios-Çe me, Samos-Ku adasi, Kos-Bodrum, Rhodes-Marmaris and
Symi-Datça. In the low season, the only scheduled service is between
Kos and Bodrum. Visitors traveling from mainland Greece will need
to take a ferry to one of the Greek Islands before continuing to Turkey.
FROM ITALY: There is a car and passenger ferry from Ancona to
Çe me once a week between March and October. A weekly car and
passenger service operates from Brindisi to Çe me between June and
September.
The Marmara Line website www.marmaralines.com has timetable information
and ticket sales.
A very user-friendly travel agents’ website is www.ankertravel.net. It
gives information on ferries between Northern Cyprus, Greece, Italy
and Turkey. The agent is efficient at answering enquiries.
FROM NORTHERN CYPRUS: Ferries run all-year-round between
Girne in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Tasucu near
Silifke. Adaily catamaran service makes the trip in two hours; car ferries
take four to five hours. In summer, catamarans operate between
Girne and Alanya twice a week. The crossing takes 3½ hours. Contact
Fergun Shipping in Turkey, 324 741 2323, www.fergun.net.
BY CAR
If you are driving across Europe or the Middle East into Turkey be
prepared for red tape and an amazing journey. Drivers bringing cars
into Turkey must show their car registration documents and international
driving license at the point of entry. Drivers arriving from Europe
must have a Green Card, which can be purchased at the border.
It is possible to bring a car into Turkey for six months, after which
time you may be liable for import tax.
BY BUS
International buses are cheap and reasonably comfortable given the
long journeys. The main connections into Turkey are via Austria from
northern Europe and Greece from southern Europe. Rest stops are
made at roadside cafés where there are toilets, but usually no showers.
Reservations are recommended for long-distance routes.
Several Turkish bus companies operate international routes, however,
only Varan Tourism (www.varan.com.tr) and Metro Turizm (www.
metroturizm.com) have user-friendly websites giving fare and route
information. Tickets can purchased online or at a bus station.
BY TRAIN
Turkey’s location as a gateway out of Europe and into the Middle East
makes it one of the world’s great countries for train travel. Unless you
are stretched for time, do not miss out on a heady mix of scenery, languages
and cultures by taking a train into Turkey.
The Balkan Flexipass will give you unlimited first-class rail travel
across Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Turkey. The ticket can be purchased for 5, 10 or 15 days travel and costs between
$197 and $413.
Many routes offer access to Turkey, including a two-day journey from
Budapest on the Balkan Express, a 20-hour ride from Thessaloniki,
Greece and a five-night, once-in-a-lifetime journey aboard the Venice-
Simplon Orient Express, which departs from Paris once a year and
passes through France, Switzerland, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria
( 401-351-7518, www.orient-express.com)
For more information on train travel to Turkey, visit these websites:
www.tcdd.gov.tr is the Turkish State Railway’s revamped website giving
information in English on fares and timetables for domestic and international
routes.
www.seat61.com is an excellent resource, with detailed information
on routes, fares and timetables.
www.raileurope.com has timetable information, tickets and rail
passes.
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