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DOMESTIC FLIGHTS

Turkey is served by a good network of flights that connect the main cities and even smaller towns but with great tourist interest. the companies with more relevant operation are the Turkish Airlines, a Onur Airlines, a Pegasus and Atlasjet. Most major cities have regular direct flights to Ankara and Istanbul, others only on specific days of the week. 

Flights are by far the best solution for those who have little time to explore Turkey.

CAR RENTAL

The rental of cars and other vehicles is easy to secure, online, even in the country of origin and with pick-up at the counters of car companies. rent-a-car nationals and multinationals present at the arrival airports, these are always well equipped with vehicles that can cost as little as €10 a day, in low season, for small cars.

Fuel is very expensive, even more so for a country surrounded by others rich in oil. Expect to pay more than €1.5 for a liter of unleaded gasoline. With the exception of intercity highways that have tolls with prices that increase with the km travelled, at the time this guide was created, no other road had tolls.

TRAIN

The Turkish railway network was underdeveloped if we take into account the size of the country, less than 11.000 km of lines, mostly counted on the route between Istanbul and the capital Ankara. These are the only ones electrified and, since 2014, served by a fast service that has shortened the journey time, from 6 to 10 hours (depending on the train in question), to just over four hours. The national railway company is the TCDD.  

The main villages with direct service from Istanbul and Ankara are Edirne, Eskişehir, Konya, Adana, Kayseri (at the “entrance” of Cappadocia), Diyarbakır, Erzurum, Kars, and Tatvan, by Lake Van.

The Inter Rail ticket is valid in Turkey and TCDD sells its own pass that allows you to travel by train for one month at no extra cost.

TRUCK

Turkey is served by a number of good quality bus companies that ensure good quality services, with reserved seats, air conditioning, bathroom, TV and even Wi Fi on board. They are punctual and safe. As a rule, they are a better solution than the train, with the exception of the faster rail route between Istanbul and Ankara.

Among the companies with the most popular services are the Metro Bus, the balcony, Otobusbileti.

SHIP

Catamaran-style fast ferries connect Istanbul to the opposite side of the Marmara Sea from the Yenikapı dock. With this service, Bursa is just 2 hours away. Different routes connect Istanbul to other cities on the Asian side and even further afield on the Bosphorus, Izmir and Trabzon.

Virtually all of Turkey's inhabited islands are served by ferry connections that decrease in frequency in winter or can even be suspended in harsh sea conditions.