Transport in Turkey

Turkey has a rich and varied geographical environment. If you walk through it from east to west, you can experience the long and cold winter, and see the mountains covered with silver and snow all year round, and the white birches blooming in spring on the highlands. You can also experience the cool long summer and see the gurgling rivers. In the steppe, there are barren hills and endless wheat fields. As the sun shines, this wheat field sometimes presents a vast purple velvet blanket, sometimes emits gray light, and in a blink of an eye it evolves into warm colors and golden grays, which are varied. Such a rich terrain has formed Turkey's changeable three-dimensional transportation system. What are the modes of transportation in Turkey?

Transport in Turkey

Intercity bus

Intercity bus is the main means of transportation between every city and tourist area in Turkey, and it is also the most convenient and fast way. Because Turkey's roads extend in all directions, mainly highways and national roads, the road conditions are generally good. The Turkish government is also very strict on the management of intercity buses. Each bus is very comfortable and clean, and snacks and drinks are provided free of charge. Some vehicles will also have a small TV in the front seat for passengers to spend time, and they will take a break at the service station on the way. Turkey has an extensive and well-maintained road network, the highway connecting Istanbul and Ankara, coupled with the two Bosphorus bridges, constitute the roundabout in Istanbul, making travel between Europe and Asia very convenient.

Bus

E80 and E90 are the main roads when entering from Europe to Turkey. Turkey's long-distance buses are very developed, with many and dense networks, many new cars, air-conditioned and non-smoking, and some companies' buses have free WIFI, which is very comfortable.

There are two long-distance bus stations in Istanbul, both on the outskirts of the city, called Otogar. There are minibuses from the city center to the station, and they can also be reached by subway. located in Europe and Asia respectively. One is Esenler Otogar (European area, 10 km west of the city center) and the other is Harem Otogar (Asian area). You can take M1 to Esenler Otogar, there are many long-distance bus companies at the bus station, you can buy a ticket and go to any city in Turkey at that time. The better coach companies are Metro, Varan, Kamilkoç, Ulusoy. Mobile phones must be turned off on long-distance buses.

Otogar's boarding place, number, and destination are clearly marked, and there are also telecommunications post offices, car rental counters, travel agencies, shops, cafes and service centers, and taxi hailing stations. Tickets can be purchased at the bus company counters in the city, and can be purchased on the same day except during peak seasons. Ankara's bus station (Otogar, Ankara Şehirlerarası Terminal İşletmeleri), referred to as AŞTİ (pronounced ush-tee). The bus from Istanbul to Ankara generally only takes 5 hours, and the one-way fare is 35 lire/person.

The most common bus companies in Turkey are as follows:

Metro Turizm: www.metroturizm.com.tr (http://www.metroturizm.com.tr)
Süha: www.suhaturizm.com.tr (http://www.suhaturizm.com.tr)
Kamil Koç: www.kamilkoc.com.tr (http://www.kamilkoc.com.tr)
Pamukkale: www.pamukkale.com.tr (http://www.pamukkale.com.tr)
Ulusoy: www.ulusoy.com.tr (http://www.ulusoy.com.tr)
Varan: www.varan.com.tr (http://www.varan.com.tr)
Fethiye: www.fethiyeseyahat.com (http://www.fethiyeseyahat.com)
(Note: The online booking of the above companies is mainly for inter-city travel. You cannot choose travel between scenic spots or tourist towns.)

If we want to go directly to the next stop from the tourist town, we need to buy a ticket at the local bus company office. When purchasing a ticket, indicate where you want to go, and the ticketing staff will arrange it for you. Most bus companies can provide shuttle buses from the bus terminal to the scenic spot.

Advantages: You can enjoy the scenery along the way by taking the bus during the day; it is convenient to buy tickets directly to the scenic spot; the price is close to the people.
Disadvantages: poor time control; night buses are often used to go to distant cities, with poor comfort and high risk factor; the service staff on the bus only speaks Turkish, and everything needs to be reconfirmed by English & body language (such as the time spent at rest stops) ).

Tips:

1. The principle of bus seating arrangement is that the opposite sex cannot sit next to each other, unless it is with family and friends. So when booking tickets, our names can be wrong, but the gender must not be wrong.
2. Seat selection is supported, and many vehicles have single-row seats. If you want to choose a good seat, you need to book as early as possible, first come first served :)
3. A must for lazy people: Every time you arrive in a city, ask the staff at the front desk of the hotel or book a ticket at a tourist store near the hotel. The price is the same as the face value or a little higher than 10 lire, which is quite affordable. If we stop by the way, we will also arrange for us to get on the bus at the nearest location, eliminating the trouble of going to the bus station by ourselves.

Airplane

Turkey's domestic airlines have a wide selection and reasonable prices. Except for Istanbul, there are no direct flights between most tourist cities, and it is often necessary to transfer in first-tier cities such as Istanbul. Therefore, before traveling, you must make a travel plan and implement the transportation from the airport to the hotel.

Advantages: Shorter time; high safety factor; everyone has rich experience in flying and is at ease.
Disadvantages: The ticket price is higher near the date; the airport-hotel needs to book the airport transfer separately.

Here are the websites of several Turkish airlines:

Turkish Airlines: www.turkishairlines.com (http://www.turkishairlines.com)
Pegasus Airlines: www.flypgs.com (http://www.flypgs.com)
Onur Air: www.onurair.com (http://www.onurair.com)
Atlasjet Airlines: www.atlasglb.com (http://www.atlasglb.com)
Sunexpress Airlines: www.sunexpress.com (http://www.sunexpress.com)

Tips:

1. When booking tickets in advance and avoiding holidays, the price of some flights is similar to a long-distance bus ticket.
2. For domestic flights, each person can check in 15-20 kilograms of luggage (depending on the storage space), and carry 5 kilograms of luggage on board.

Train

Turkey's railways are too underdeveloped, with few flights, small popularity, slow speed and long time. It is not recommended to travel by train to Turkey. Many of our favorite places cannot be reached. As for the high-speed rail, there are only two, Istanbul-Ankara, Ankara-Korya. Turkey's railway network is also very sparse, and most of the tourist favorite places are out of reach.

Official website of Turkish Railways: http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/tcdding/

The Turkish National Railway (TCDD) is famous for the Orient Express, but the lines are not extended enough and the number of trains is not many. If you are going to Istanbul from other cities in Turkey, it is better to take a long-distance bus. However, the fare of the Turkish National Railway is cheap, especially the sleeper, which is not inferior to European trains in terms of equipment, so if you are not in time, you can try the travel fun of Turkish trains.

Istanbul and Ankara are the two largest train stations. Sirkeci Gari in Istanbul is the departure point for international trains to Europe, especially the Istanbul Express to Munich, Germany, Vienna, Austria and Athens, Greece. (Istanbul Express) departs every day and is the most popular route; Haydarpasa Gari, the Asian station, is the departure station for cities in Central Anatolia, but now this ancient railway station has been closed, and all trains from Istanbul to cities in Central Anatolia The train will depart from the new railway station under construction, and the line from Istanbul to the central Anatolian city is temporarily closed due to the new railway station being built.

Ship

Turkey is surrounded by the sea on three sides, but most of the cities are located inland and rely mainly on land transportation. Only the cities on the inland seaside of Marmara often use sea ferries.

Turkish Ferries official website: www.ido.com.tr (http://www.ido.com.tr)

Car rental

If you drive into the urban area of Istanbul by yourself, you will have to bear considerable traffic pressure. Like most international cities, traffic jams are quite serious. For self-driving tourists who are new to Istanbul, it is best to park at the hotel and use public transportation.