Turkey Travel Internal

AIR: Turkish Airlines provides an important network of internal flights from Istanbul, Ankara, Adana, Antalya, Dalaman, Izmir and Trabzan to all of the major Turkish cities. The airline (tel (UK office): (020) 7766 9300; fax: (020) 7976 1738; website: www.turkishairlines.com) offers reductions of 60 per cent on international flights (with the exception of Middle Eastern destinations) and 10 per cent on domestic flights to holders of International Student Travel Conference (ISTC) cards.

SEA: Turkish Maritime Lines offers several coastal services with their Adriatic Line subsidiary, providing excellent opportunities for sightseeing; they also operate a car ferry between Mersin and Magosa. There are also services between Istanbul and Izmir, with overnight accommodation and ferry routes along Turkey's northern Black Sea coast. A frequent car ferry crosses the Dardenelles at Gallipoli, from Canakkale to Eceabat and Gelibolu to Lapseki. There are frequent seabus services from Bostanci, Kadiköy, Kartal, Yalova and Büyükada Island to Auça, Bakirköy, Karaköy and Yenikapi. Turkish Maritime Lines offers discounts of 15 per cent on single and 25 per cent on return passages for international routes and 50 per cent for domestic routes to holders of ISTC cards.

RAIL: Fares are comparatively low. Many trains of the Turkish Railways (TCDD) have sleeping cars, couchettes and restaurant cars, but there is no air-conditioned accommodation. Fares are more expensive for express and mail trains, even though express trains are relatively slow, and some routes are indirect. Steam engines, such as the Anatolia Express, which traverses eastern Turkey, are retained for tourist trains on some routes. Tickets can be purchased at TCDD offices at railway stations and TCDD-appointed agents. TCDD offers discounts of 20 per cent to holders of ISTC cards. Children under seven travel free; children aged between seven and 11 pay half fare. Discount fares are available for students, groups, roundtrips and sports teams.

ROAD: There is an extensive road maintenance and building programme; 1400km (900 miles) of motorway is under construction. Traffic drives on the right. In case of an accident, contact the Turkish Touring and Automobile Club (Turkiye Turing ve Otomobil Kurumu), Head Office, Sanayi Sitesi Yani, Fort Levent, Istanbul (tel: (212) 282 8140; fax: (212) 282 8042). Coach: Many private companies provide frequent day and night services between all Turkish cities. Services are often faster than trains and competition between operators has led to lower fares. Tickets are sold at the bus or coach companies' branch offices either at stations or in town centres. One should shop around for the best prices. Coaches depart from the bus stations (otogar) in large towns and from the town centre in small towns. Car hire: Both chauffeur-driven and self-drive cars are available in all large towns. All international companies are represented. Documentation: An International Driving Permit is required for visits of over three months. Green Card International Insurance, endorsed for Turkish territory in both Europe and Asia, and Turkish third-party insurance (obtainable from insurance agencies at frontier posts) are also required. Cars can be brought into Turkey for a maximum of six months in one year. On entering, an entry-exit form is filled out. For longer stays, it is necessary to apply to either the Ministry of Finance and Customs or the Turkish Touring and Automobile Club.

URBAN: Bus and trolleybus: Extensive conventional bus (and some trolleybus) services operate in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. There are buses in all other large towns. These are generally reliable, modern and easy to use, although publicity is non-existent. Tickets are bought in advance from kiosks and dropped into a box by the driver. Taxi: There are many types of taxi, share-taxi and minibus in operation. Taxis are numerous in all Turkish cities and towns and are recognisable by their chequered black and yellow bands. Metered taxis are available. For longer journeys, the fare should be agreed beforehand. A dolmus is a collective taxi which follows specific routes and is recognisable by its yellow band. Each passenger pays according to the distance travelled to specific stops. The fares are fixed by the municipality. The dolmus provides services within large cities to suburbs, airports and often to neighbouring towns. This is a very practical means of transport and much cheaper than a taxi. Taxis may turn into a dolmus and vice versa according to demand. Ferry: There are extensive cross-Bosphorus and short-hop ferries between the parts of Istanbul. Metro: There are plans to construct a metro system in Ankara.

Travel times: The following chart gives approximate travel times (in hours and minutes) from Ankara to other major cities/towns in Turkey.