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Cars 4 Rental Guide To Travel In  Turkey

NOTE: There is a high threat from terrorism in Turkey. There have been a number of small-scale terrorist incidents since the bomb attacks in Istanbul on 15 and 20 November 2003, which caused a large number of deaths and casualties, plus explosions in two hotels in Istanbul on 10 August 2004, in which two people were reported to have been killed. Extra vigilance is required on the part of visitors, especially in the vicinity of potential terrorist targets. Past examples have included sites that symbolise Western (including UK) interests and symbols of the Turkish State. All ships, including private yachts, arriving in Turkish waters must go to one of the following ports of entry: Akcay, Alanya, Anamur, Antalya, Ayvalik, Bandirma, Bodrum, Botas (Adana), Canakkale, Cesme, Datca, Derince, Didim, Dikili, Fethiye, Finike, Giresun, Gllk, Hopa (Artvin), Iskenderun, Istanbul, Izmir, Kas, Kemer, Kusadasi, Marmaris, Mersin, Ordu, Rize, Samsun, Sinop, Ske, Tasucu (Silifke), Tekirdag, Trabzon and Zonguldak. Road conditions and driving standards in Turkey can be poor. Serious road accidents are common. All visitors should be extra careful when travelling around Turkey's road network. Back to Top International Airports Ankara (ESB) (Esenboga) is 35km (22 miles) northeast of the city. THY buses go from the city 1 hour 30 minutes before domestic flights and 2 hours 15 minutes before international flights. There is a taxi service available into the city. Airport facilities include incoming and outgoing duty-free shops, bank/bureau de change, and restaurants and bars. Istanbul (IST) (Atatrk, formerly Yesilkoy) is 24km (15 miles) west of the city (travel time - 30-50 minutes). A coach (THY bus) goes every 15 minutes to the THY terminal. There are taxi services to the city. Airport facilities include incoming and outgoing duty-free shop, bank/bureau de change, bar, restaurant, and car hire (Avis, Budget, Hertz and Europcar). Izmir (IZM) (Adnan Menderes). A THY bus leaves from the city 1 hour 15 minutes before departure. Airport facilities include bank/bureau de change, bar and restaurant. Sabiha Gken (SAW) is 40km (25 miles) from the Istabul, on the Asian side. There are shuttle bus services to the city (travel time - 30-45 minutes) and to Atatrk International Airport (travel time - 60-70 minutes). Taxis are available 24 hours a day. Facilities include duty-free shops, bank, ATMs, business centre and restaurants/cafes. There are other international airports at Adana, Antalya, Dalaman and Trabzon. Departure tax: US$50 is levied only on Turkish nationals not resident overseas departing from Turkey. Back to Top Air Travel Turkey's national airline is Turkish Airlines (TK) (website: www.turkishairlines.com). Other airlines serving Turkey include Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa and Swiss. Approximate flight times: From Istanbul to Frankfurt/M is 2 hours 45 minutes, to London is 3 hours 30 minutes and to New York is 11 hours. 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. Back to Top Travel By Water Major ports are Antalya, Bandirma, Istanbul, Izmir, Marmaris and Mersin. Turkish Maritime Lines (TML), the national shipping organisation, and a number of cruise lines run services to Turkey, including: Costa, CTC, Epirotiki, Golden Sun Cruises, 'K' Lines, Linblad Expeditions, Norwegian and Royal Olympic. Several ferry routes are available: To/from Italy: Ferries operate between Venice- Izmir, Venice-Antalya/Marmaris, Venice-Istanbul via Pireaus, and Brindisi-Cesme. To/from Cyprus: Three routes exist on which sea buses, together with car and passenger ferries, operate: Alanya-Girne, Tasucu-Girne and Gazimagosa- Mersin. To/from Greece: There are privately operated ferry lines between Turkey and the Greek islands: Lesbos-Ayvalik, Chios-Cesme, Samos-Kusadasi, Cos-Bodrum, Rhodes- Marmaris, and Smbeki-Data. 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, Kadiky, Kartal, Yalova and Bykada Island to Aua, Bakirky, Karaky 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. Back to Top Rail Train journeys can be made to Istanbul via some of the major European cities. The journey from London takes 3 days: Eurostar to Paris, Orient Express or EuroCity to Vienna (overnight), EuroCity to Budapest and finally the TransBalkan to Istanbul. There is a weekly sleeper from Moscow. InterRail tickets are available in the European part of Turkey as far as Istanbul. Other international rail routes go to Bulgaria, Greece, Georgia, Germany and Serbia and Montenegro. For more information contact Turkish Railways (TCDD) in Istanbul (tel: (212) 527 0050/1 or 520 6575 (reservations); website: www.tcdd.gov.tr). 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 7 travel free; children aged between 7 and 11 pay half fare. Discount fares are available for students (10 per cent off), groups (30 per cent off for groups of 24 or more), roundtrips (20 per cent off) and sports teams (50 per cent off for groups of five or more). Back to Top Travel By Road There are roads from Bulgaria, the CIS, Greece and Iran. From London, drivers may either choose the northern route of Belgium-Germany-Austria-Hungary-Romania-Bulgaria, or the southern route through Belgium-Austria-Italy with a car-ferry connection to Turkey. Coach: There are regular services between Turkey and Austria, France, Germany, Greece and Switzerland as well as Jordan, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the Syrian Arab Republic. Eurolines, departing from Victoria Coach Station in London, serves destinations in Turkey. For further information, contact Eurolines, 4 Cardiff Road, Luton, Bedfordshire L41 1PP, UK (tel: (08705) 143 219; fax: (01582) 400 694; website: www.eurolines.com or www.nationalexpress.com). 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 3 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 6 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. 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. Air Road Rail Istanbul 0.45 6.00 7.00 Izmir 0.50 7.00 10.00 Antalya 1.00 8.00 - Adana 0.55 6.00 13.00 Erzurum 1.15 11.00 18.00 Van 1.15 15.00 23.00 Trabzon 1.40 3.00 - Mugla 1.25 10.00 - Back to Top

Car Hire Turkey

Cars 4 Rental can provide car hire vehicles in all the popular locations throughout the Turkey.

Whatever your requirements Cars 4 Rental will be able to provide a car to meet your needs. Our hire cars can be equipped with many optional extras including child seats so that your car rental is ideally suited to your needs.

Hire a car in Turkey