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Travel to Turkey
Flying to Turkey
Turkey's national airline is Turkish Airlines (www.turkishairlines.com), which flies to multiple destinations across the globe, including the UK and the USA. Other airlines offering direct flights to Turkey from the UK include Atlas Global (www.atlasglb.com), British Airways (www.ba.com) and Pegasus Airlines (www.flypgs.com).
Major airports are: Ankara Esanboga International Airport, Istanbul International Airport, Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport, Antalya Airport, Dalaman Airport and Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport.
Flight times:
To Istanbul: from London - 3 hours 40 minutes; New York - 9 hours 50 minutes.
Air passes:
The Europe Airpass from Star Alliance (www.staralliance.com) allows travel to Turkey with member airlines, as well as more than 40 other countries within Europe.
Departure tax:
None.
Airport guides
Airport Code: IST. Location: Istanbul Airport is located in the Arnavutköy district on the European side of Istanbul. Money: There are several banks with bureau de change facilities, as well as numerous ATMs in the domestic... Read more
Airport Code: SAW. Location: Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport is situated 12km (7 miles) north of Pendik and 45km (... Money: There are banks located within the airport, some of which can provide currency exchange services,... Read more
Airport Code: AYT. Location: Antalya Airport is located 13km (8.1 miles) northeast of Antalya city centre, the main city on... Money: A currency exchange service is situated in the arrivals and departures area of Terminals 1 and 2.... Read more
Airport Code: ADB. Location: Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport is located 18km (11 miles) south of Izmir. Money: ATMs are available in both terminals, while a bank and a bureau de change can be found on the... Read more
Airport Code: DLM. Location: Dalaman Airport is located 6km (4 miles) south of Dalaman town centre. Money: A bank, ATMs, and a bureau de change are located in the terminal building. Read more
Airport Code: ESB. Location: The airport is located 28km (17 miles) northeast of Ankara Money: There are two bureaux de change in the international section of the terminal. There is a bank in... Read more
Travel by rail
You can travel by train to Istanbul via some of the major European cities. The journey from London takes three nights via Belgrade and Sofia or four nights via Budapest. Turkish Railways (TCDD) in Istanbul (tel: 444 8823, in Turkey only; www.tcdd.gov.tr) runs the rail network within Turkey. As of 2015, the Trans-Asia Express service between Ankara and Tehran has been suspended.
Rail passes:
InterRail: offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 29 European countries for European residents of over six months with two pass options. The Global Pass allows travel for 15 days, 22 days, one month, five days in 10 days or 10 days in 22 days across all countries. The One-Country Pass offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month in any of the countries except Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro.
Travel is not allowed in the passenger's country of residence. Reductions are available for travellers under 26. Children under 12 are free when travelling with an adult using an Adult Pass. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Voyages-sncf.com (tel: +44 844 848 5848, in the UK; www.voyages-sncf.com).
Eurailpass: offers unlimited train travel in up to 28 European countries. Tickets are valid for 15 days, 21 days, one month, two months, three months, five days in 10 days, 10 days in two months or 15 days in two months. The Global Pass allows travel across all participating countries. The Select Pass is valid in four bordering countries. The Regional Pass lets you travel in two bordering countries. The One Country Pass offers travel in one of 27 countries.
Adult passes are valid for first-class travel, while youth passes (under 26) are valid for second-class travel. Children under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult using an Adult Pass. The passes cannot be sold to EU citizens or residents. Available from Eurail (www.eurail.com).
Driving to Turkey
Driving overland to Turkey from the UK takes around three days straight driving, travelling through Germany, Austria, down through the Balkan countries of Croatia and Serbia and finally over the Greek or Bulgarian border.
By road note:
The Eurasia tunnel for car travel between the Kazlicesme and Goztepe areas of Istanbul will be ready in late 2016, cutting journey times from 100 minutes to 15 minutes.
Getting to Turkey by boat
It’s possible to travel to Turkey by water, depending where you are coming from. Hopping from the Greek islands over to Istanbul is a popular route. All ships, including private yachts, arriving in Turkish waters must go to one of the following ports of entry: Akçay, Alanya, Anamur, Antalya, Ayvalik, Bandirma, Bodrum, Botas (Adana), Çanakkale, Çesme, Datça, Derince, Didim, Dikili, Fethiye, Finike, Giresun, Güllük, Hopa (Artvin), Iskenderun, Istanbul, Izmir, Kas, Kemer, Kusadasi, Marmaris, Mersin, Ordu, Rize, Samsun, Sinop, Söke, Tasucu (Silifke), Tekirdas, Trabzon and Zonguldak.
Cruise ships:
Cruise ships regularly stop in Istanbul, Kuşadası, Antalya and Bodrum, among others.
Ferry operators:
Frequent direct ferries run from Greece, Cyprus and Ukraine to Turkey. There are a whole host of privately operated ferry lines. You can book journeys through Aegean Tours (www.ferries-turkey.com). Ukrferry (www.ukrferry.com) operates ferries between Ukraine and Turkey. There are currently no direct ferries between Italy and Turkey, with ferries instead travelling via Greece.
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