Getting There

Partnerships among international airlines have blurred the lines of air travel, and changing market demands force airlines to continually adapt or change their services. Check with your travel agent or with the airlines directly for specific services.

By Plane

From The United States & Canada -- Turkish Airlines (tel. 800/874-8875; www.turkishairlines.com) in partnership with American Airlines (tel. 800-433-7300; www.aa.com) and Delta Airlines (tel. 800/241-4141; www.delta.com) offer the only direct nonstop service to Istanbul from the U.S. Delta provides direct service from Atlanta and New York. Turkish Airlines flies direct to Istanbul from New York and Chicago, with access to connecting flights from other U.S. cities on American Airlines. These airlines are just the tip of the iceberg; most major international airlines flying to Istanbul offer flights from U.S. cities much too numerous to inventory, either as part of their own network or in partnership with an American airline. Choosing one involves a change of planes in the airline's home country, but this slight inconvenience is often accompanied by cheaper, more comparable fares.

Air France (tel. 800/237-2747; www.airfrance.com), Alitalia (tel. 800/223-5730; www.alitalia.com), Austrian Airlines (tel. 800/843-0002; www.austrianair.com), British Airways (tel. 800/247-9297; www.british-airways.com), Iberia (tel. 800/574-8742; www.iberia.com), Northwest (tel. 800/255-2525; www.nwa.com), and Lufthansa (tel. 800/645-3880; www.lufthansa.com) all provide service to Istanbul. In addition, Lufthansa flies to Ankara and Antalya, and Austrian Airlines flies to Ankara. More often than not, Turkish Airlines will provide the connecting flights to other Turkish destinations.

There is no direct service to Turkey from Canada. Air France, Alitalia, British Airways, Delta, KLM/Northwest, and Lufthansa all provide connecting service out of Toronto. From Montreal, flights are available on Air France, Alitalia, British Airways, Delta, Iberia, Northwest, and Lufthansa (tel. 800/563-5954). Vancouver is serviced by British Airways, KLM/Northwest (via Seattle), and Lufthansa.

From The United Kingdom -- The only nonstop service to Istanbul out of London is provided by British Airways (tel. 0845/77-333-77) and Turkish Airlines (tel. 20/7766-9300), which also flies nonstop from Manchester (tel. 161/489-5287). Air France (tel. 0845/082-0162), Alitalia (tel. 0870/544-8259), Austrian Airlines (tel. 0845/601-0948), KLM/Northwest (tel. 08705/074-074), Lufthansa (tel. 0845/7737-747), and Olympic (tel. 8706/060-460) offer connecting service through their home ports, providing service from many other major cities in the U.K. as well. There are also charter airline options. Onur Air, Senlikkoy Mahallesi Çatal Sok. 3 Florya (tel. 0212/663-9176; www.onurair.com.tr), offers service from several U.K. cities into Dalaman, Bodrum, Izmir, and Antalya via Istanbul; and from various cities throughout Europe.

From Australia & New Zealand -- There are few choices for connecting flights to Turkey. In partnership with Turkish Airlines, Qantas (tel. 13-13-13 in Australia; 64-9/357-8900 in Auckland) will get you from Sydney, Auckland, and Brisbane, connecting you to a Turkish Airlines flight into Istanbul. Olympic Airways (tel. 612/9251-2044 in Australia) has overnight flights from Sydney and Melbourne via Athens. Other flights from Sydney are offered on British Airways (tel. 1300/767-177 in Australia, or 0800/274-847 in Auckland), Singapore Airlines (tel. 612/9350-0100), KLM/Northwest (tel. 008/221-714), and Lufthansa (tel. 1300/655-727). From New Zealand, Singapore Airlines flies out of Auckland and New Plymouth; from Australia, British Airways flies out of Brisbane and Melbourne; and Lufthansa services Brisbane.

By Train

Direct trains depart daily from Bucharest and Budapest and take about 27 and 40 hours, respectively -- and that's without any border delays. It is your responsibility to obtain visas where required (either transit or tourist, depending on your travel plans) for every border that you will cross. If you're coming from Greece, the procedure is a bit more convoluted. Trains leave regularly for Alexandroupolis, but there is no direct train connection to Turkey once you get there. The best option would be to get to the nearest train station in Turkey, but it's a lot easier to catch the bus to Istanbul from the Alexandroupolis train station. Depending on how long you get hung up at the border, it can take anywhere from 6 to 8 hours to get to Istanbul.

Of course, the Orient Express is still an option (tel. 866/674-3689 in the U.S., 0845/077-2222 in the U.K., 1-800/000-395 in Australia, and 09/379-3708 in New Zealand). Departing from Paris once a year in late summer and passing through Zurich, Innsbruck, Vienna, Budapest, and Bucharest, the journey takes 4 days and costs a meager $6,500.

By Car

Renting a car in Turkey is so economical that driving to Turkey makes little sense. But some people just insist on the comfort of their own vehicle, so be prepared for the red tape of sorting out multiple transit visas and 4 days of hard driving. There are two traditional routes to take, the "northern" one through Belgium, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria, and the "southern" one through Belgium, Germany, Austria, and Italy with a car ferry connection to Turkey. Drivers planning to stay longer than 3 months must have an International Driving Permit (IDP), which also comes in handy in out-of-the-way places where the local police can't decipher your national version. You'll also be required to provide proof of third-party insurance at the Turkish border.

By Ferry

Long-distance and short-hop passenger ferries service the central and eastern Mediterranean, connecting various ports in Turkey with Italy and Greece. For example, ferryboat service connects Bodrum with Cos and Rhodes; Marmaris with Rhodes; Kusadasi with Samos, and Çesme with Chios. Ferry service also connects Ayvalik (near Çanakkale) and Lesbos. For those of you toying with the idea of day-tripping it to Greece (after all, it's sooooo close), keep in mind that after the ride over and the long lines through customs, you'll have precious little chance to venture beyond the port.

From Italy -- Marmara Lines (www.marmaralines.com) currently makes the crossing between Brindisi and Çesme two times a week from June to September. The Brindisi-Çesme crossing takes about 30 hours and passage costs from about 80€ ($100) for a Pullman seat inside to 265€ ($325) for a double outside berth on an upper deck with toilet and shower, depending on the season and ferry line you travel. Port taxes are an additional 25€ ($30) and apply to both passengers and vehicles.

Marmara Lines also runs ferry service between Ancona and Çesme from March through October; prices range from 145€ ($175) for a seat (5€/$6 more will get you a bunk bed in a four-person, inside, lower berth) to 350€ ($430) for luxury accommodations. Prices are about 80€ ($100) per person higher in August.