I'm trying to get our air/trans arrangements all set for our tour of Turkey next year but I don't know the best way to get from Kusadasi, where the tour ends, to Izmir where the nearest airport is in order to get back to Istanbul to fly home. The tour info says to take a bus to Izmir - but how far is it and how long does the bus take??? I can't make flight reservations out of Istanbul until I know this.
Posted by
Denver, CO, USA
1601 posts
If you don't get an answer here, you could try searching the thorntree.com or go to your local library and pick up a lonely planet book on Turkey. I always find that they are the best source for travel information.
A quick google search show it the two cities are probably 120 km apart and a bus takes around 80 mins. However, this was a very quick search - suggest you do a more indepth investigation.
Posted by
Sun City West, Arizona
152 posts
I just did this in October! If you are on a Rick tour, the driver will drop you at the Izmir airport so you can fly from Izmir to Istanbul. I booked my ticket from home using Turkey Air. The sooner you do this, the better because you'll have a better choice of fly times and lower prices. I opted to stay in Izmir for 2 days on my own and they were WONDERFUL days! Izmir is gorgeous. Check out the Otel Kilim right on the waterfront. If you are not taking a Rick tour, you can take a taxi from Kusadasi to the airport, but it's aways and I think about 50 YTL's to get there. My guide didn't recommend the regular bus because it would take too long. Have fun! You will love Turkey.
Posted by
Sun City West, Arizona
152 posts
Oh, and Izmir has two great little museums. I shared a taxi from the drop at Izmir airport into downtown. Can you tell I loved Izmir??? :)
Posted by
Seattle, USA
990 posts
Busses are quite frequent. In fact, there are dolmuses that are even cheaper and just as convenient as the regular busses.
I would allow two hours for transportation to the airport (about an hour and a half from Kusadasi to Izmir otogar and another half hour for a taxi to the outskirts of town where the Izmir airport is. Allow an hour to clear security at the airport. There are at least three airlines that do the Izmir to Istanbul route: Turkish Air, Onur Air, and Pegasus Air. Make sure that the izmir to Istanbul flight goes to Ataturk Airport and not Sabiha Gokcen Airport.
The biggest issue is going to be connecting to your flight in Istanbul. You will probably have relatively few options there, so you should work backwards from that schedule.
If you are leaving for America right after the tour, you might make inquiries from the Rick Steves tour folks--I assume they know the logisitics of getting from Kusadasi back to Ataturk Airport.