My husband and I will be traveling to Turkey mid-Oct for 2 1/2 weeks. Would it be a good idea to rent a car or are the buses and trains a good way to go? We want to travel from Istanbul to the western part of Turkey and then to southern Turkey and back to Istanbul. Thanks for any help you can give me.
Posted by
Seattle, USA
990 posts
Both have advantages. Busses are very cheap and the service is great--large reclining seats, snacks and drinks provided, and "bus attendants" whose job is to make you comfy on your trip. Trains are less useful because there are few routes that go where you likely want to go--the exception is Istanbul to Ankara, where there is a night train that is a blast from the past. You'll also find cheap discount airlines that fly between Istanbul and Izmir, and Istanbul and Antalya, if either of those routes are on your itinerary. On the other hand, car renting is expensive--and gas is the most expensive in Europe--but it gives you ultimate flexibility and will be essential to get the most out of a trip to the Mediterranean coast.
So, probably a combination is what you'll want. I recommend you visit a good travel agent in Istanbul who can arrange for all of this, saving you the headache of working it out piece by piece in Turkish. It's particularly important for the car rental. If you try the usual big companies on line, you'll faint from the quoted price! A Turkish car rental company booked from there will give you a much lower rate, but you will want a company with a national presence, so if something goes wrong far from where you pick the car up, there's likely to be an office close by to deal with it.
If you provide your itinerary, I can be more specific as to which option I would suggest for each leg of your trip.
Posted by
Denver, CO, USA
1610 posts
You can do either - search the previous threads on similar questions. It all depends whether you are comfortable driving - if not the trains and buses cover the whole country.
Also, if covering vast distances, consider flying. Turkish, Pegasus, and some of the other discount airlines have very reasonably priced tickets within the country.
Posted by
Lowell, AR, USA
7 posts
My wife and are renting a car and going the same time period. We're starting in Istanbul and then bought a cheap flight to Diyarbakir where we rent a car and will return it at Izmir. I've read a lot of warnings about driving in turkey. However I'm used to driving in rural areas here in the states and have driven in Ireland, Italy, Spain and France, so I think we'll be OK. We decided against buses, becuase of the short amount of time we have and it would take longer with the bus. I think we'll miss a unique cultural experience though. Car rental was about $750 with CDW and theft. (Compact car) Gas is also as much as $11.50 a gallon so that is another factor. I'd recommend a flight through pegasus for your travel to and from istanbul. Our flight was about $70 with taxes. (one-way)
Posted by
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
8293 posts
Get the best road map you can find before you leave for Turkey, was the advice we were given, as detailed maps are hard to find there.