Getting Around

By Car

Driving in Turkey can be extremely frustrating, if not downright fatal. Obviously the worst-case scenario is that you get hit by an oncoming bus (not as rare as you might think), while the minor inconvenience of getting stuck behind a farm tractor going 24kmph (15 mph) can make the most passive driver go postal. Any way you look at it, getting around Turkey by car is an extreme sport. My best advice is: Drive defensively; expect the unexpected; leave your road rage at home; get used to blowing your horn to announce your presence; never get overconfident; and remember that all accidents must be reported to the police (dial tel. 155 and sit tight).

Travelers with heart problems shouldn't be either drivers or navigators; my advice is to take the bus and keep the curtains closed at all times. But if you have the spirit, driving through Turkey is a great way to travel independently with the utmost of freedom. If you're used to driving in cities like New York, London, or anywhere in Italy, driving through Turkey should be a walk in the park. Did I also mention that it is really fun?

The road conditions have improved dramatically in recent years (except along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, beginning around Antalya), but in general, never let your guard down. Advisories suggest that you stay off the roads at night, but because headlights announce the presence of oncoming traffic (when in use), driving on those hairpin mountainous roads is probably safest after dark, although this won't help much when confronted with a herd of goats in your lane. Be sure to fill up the tank at every opportunity, because the likelihood that you will find any fuel other than diesel is inversely related to the distance that you drive away from civilization.

Among the behaviors I have witnessed from Turkish drivers: 1) right-hand turns from the left lane and left-hand turns from the right lane, 2) minibuses stopping without warning to pick up passengers, 3) vehicles backing up on off-ramps, 4) impatient drivers driving the wrong way in your lane because they didn't want to sit in traffic, and 5) drivers that pass you while you're in the process of passing someone else on a two-lane highway. And it takes a rock-hard constitution to withstand the gale-force winds caused by the all-too-close-for-comfort proximity of a never-ending stream of oncoming buses. Be prepared to use part of the shoulder (if there is one) to avoid getting hit by oncoming traffic.

Avis (tel. 800/230-4898; in Canada 800/272-5871; www.avis.com) has locations in all major cities, at most airports, and at select hotels and resorts. If you reserve a car before you go, you can take advantage of their On Call program (tel. 800/297-4447 in advance of your trip for access numbers in Turkey; have your confirmation or reservation number ready), which provides 24-hour, toll-free assistance for physicians, lost baggage, prescriptions from home, and mechanical problems. National Car Rental (tel. 800/227-7368; www.nationalcar.com) has outlets pretty much everywhere, too, with rates comparable to those of Avis. Other options are Budget (tel. 800/527-0700; in Canada 800/268-8900; www.budget.com), with limited outlets in Turkey, and Sixt (tel. 0216/318-9040 in Turkey; www.sunrent.com), with 20 locations throughout Turkey.

The ubiquitous local mom-and-pop companies offer satisfactory vehicles for competitive prices, if you don't mind renting models you've never heard of. A compact manual can be had for as little as $30 a day with unlimited mileage and insurance included, and if you're really nice, you can probably get an airport transfer thrown in for good measure. These private rates are also a plus when you consider that it will cost you at least $40 to fill up the tank, but make sure everything on the car works, especially the horn, the turn signals, and the radio.

By Plane

After one too many 12-hour hauls on a non-air-conditioned bus with unrelenting piped-in ethnic music and the pungent odors of lemon cologne and B.O., you may prefer to spend your next full day of travel waiting around an airport cafe rather than in a bus seat. Turkish Airlines (tel. 800/874-8875 in the U.S., 207-766-9300 in London, 0212/663-6300 in Istanbul; www.turkishairlines.com) provides regular domestic service within Turkey, with major hubs in Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir. The recent arrival of Onur Air (in Istanbul tel. 0212/663-9176; www.onurair.com.tr) has created some healthy competition in Turkey's domestic air transportation industry. Onur Air flies from Istanbul to Ankara, Izmir, Antalya, and Kayseri, to name just a few destinations. One-way domestic fares on Onur Air will cost around $60, while passage on Turkish Airlines will cost you slightly more, around $79. You can book flights last-minute at one of the airline offices or through an officially recognized travel agent. These days, with flights into Istanbul consistently full, it's a good idea to plan ahead. Although it's still possible to fly last-minute, try to book your domestic seats as much in advance as possible, especially if your travel falls during one of the bayrams (religious holidays).

Those with more of a jet-setting mentality can charter domestic flights through Marinair (tel. 0212/663-1829; www.bonair.com.tr), providing service from Istanbul to Bodrum/Türkbükü, Çesme, Dalaman, Göcek, and Kas. Travel time is approximately 1 1/2 hours, and fares hover around $2,500 to $3,000.

By Train

In the years leading up to World War I, Turkey's railroads developed thanks to the "generosity" of German and British government-supported ventures sucking up to an as-yet neutral potential ally. These entrepreneurs recognized the value of old stone, making not-so-convenient detours in the track-laying to valuable archaeological sites. The result was a uselessly meandering system highly efficient at carting away priceless archaeological finds, enriching both foreign museums and the pockets of these "part-time engineers." The Pergamum Altar is now in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin; King Priam's treasures were whisked out of Troy, passing through Berlin's Hermitage Museum and on to Moscow's Pushkin Museum; while many treasures from the Temple of Artemis are now housed in the British Museum. The only exception to an across-the-board recommendation to stick to the buses is with regard to the night train from Istanbul to Ankara. Although the bus is faster by about 3 to 4 hours, skyrocketing bus fares are making the train the choice of many. Besides cheaper fares, a bunk on the sleeper car will have you arriving fresh and ready to go on arrival (minus the shower; the cars come with sink only). For information on timetables and fares, log on to www.tcdd.gov.tr.

By Bus

Traveling by bus brings up images of greasy-haired, guitar-toting rebels lifted from the pages of a Jack Kerouac novel. Turkey has taken the grungy image of bus travel and brought it to new heights of comfort and respectability. There are several categories of bus travel: municipal buses, the local dolmus, long-distance buses, and short-distance minibuses.

In big cities like Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, and Antalya, municipal buses provide a cheap way to get around, if you can actually figure out how. Destinations are posted on the windshield, but it's always a good idea to ask the driver if he's going your way before getting on. Getting on in the middle of a bus route can be confusing, but there's always the ubiquitous good Samaritan there to steer you in the right direction. In Istanbul the modern green buses are for commuters with debit tokens only, while the used-up old orange buses are for everybody else; tickets can be purchased from the cashier onboard.

Another popular and economic way of getting around is the dolmus, essentially a minivan with passenger seats. The best description of these little group taxis is in the translation: dolmus in English means "stuffed." The dolmus follows a set route, stopping and starting to pick up passengers until no one else will fit in it. The main stops are posted on the windshield and you pay according to the distance that you go, usually under 75¢. This system works well in and around small towns; drivers will politely honk as they drive to see if you want to get on, and routes are direct to the places you want to go. Dolmuses do run on Sunday, so don't let those crafty taxi drivers convince you otherwise.

In major metropolitan areas such as Istanbul, the process is a bit more complicated, even for the locals. The best way to avoid an inner-city trip to nowhere is to board at one of the dolmus stands marked by a blue "D" and take it to the final destination. Fares are usually posted, and rarely exceed 750,000TL per ride (about 50¢). It's also acceptable to pay the driver before you get off, so you can enjoy a bit of spontaneity as well. Dolmuses stop running in the early evening, so in the outlying areas, make sure you've got a way back to the hotel.

Long-distance buses are an integral part of the Turkish culture, probably because there's no other alternative for inter-city travel beyond renting a car. Or is there no other alternative because the buses are so unbelievably easy to use?

The major bus companies in Turkey (Note: Phone numbers are in Istanbul) are Ulusoy (tel. 0212/249-4373), Varan (tel. 0212/251-7474), Kamil Koç (tel. 0212/252-7223), Uludag (tel. 0212/245-2795), Nevtur (tel. 0212/658-1213), and Pamukkale (tel. 0212/245-2946), with the first two costing nearly double the other companies. Less expensive newcomers, offering fares as much as $5 to $10 lower depending on your destination, may also be a good option. All have counters at the local bus station (otogar) as well as offices conveniently located around town. You may want to buy your tickets in advance if the otogar is a considerable distance from the town center or if you plan to stick to a time schedule. Better bus companies offer free minibus service between the ticket office and the otogar.

If you're on a more relaxed timetable, it's just as easy to show up at the otogar; with competition stiff for your business, the bus companies that provide service to your destination will find you. If you have time, it doesn't hurt to shop around, because the seat the agent is trying to sell you may not be on the first bus to leave for your destination.

If you're like me, you believe it should take approximately 3 hours to cover 322km (200 miles). Not so on the bus, as most of the major highways in Turkey are the two-lane variety, and are enforced with excruciatingly low speed limits that large hulking masses have trouble maintaining. Gauge at least 40% more time on the bus than what you figure it would take you to get there by car, and keep the curtains drawn so you can't see how slow you're actually going.

Roughly, you can expect to pay about $2 to $3 for every hour of travel. Water and soft drinks are served on the bus; if you're lucky, you'll get a little kid-size breakfast cake to tide you over until the next feeding. A sprinkle of cologne is part of the Turkish culture, but better the brand that smells of baby oil and talcum powder than the one that stinks like Lemon Pledge. Rest stops are made at erratic intervals, but there's usually enough time at one of the pickup and drop-off points for a quick dash to the Turkish toilet. (Let the man onboard know you'll be right back!)

Except on rare occasions (and in my case, total cluelessness), unacquainted men and women do not sit together on the bus. The negative aspects of this tradition are more practical than unprogressive. Old Turkish ladies tend to be hefty and spill out onto the adjacent seat, while it is common practice for Turkish mothers to save a bus fare by seating her 6-year-old son on her lap for the 6-hour trip. On longer trips, pay for two seats (and two snack cakes). You'll be glad you did.

Don't Let Taxi Drivers Take You for a Ride

There is a certain amount of control you give up when entering a taxi in a strange city. Your safest bet is to have your hotel concierge phone for the taxi rather than you flagging it down. Some hotels and taxi companies have agreements that award the company repeat business in exchange for honesty and accountability at no extra charge to the passenger. Still, the risk that absolute ignorance of a location will be rewarded with a circuitous route is fairly high. Knowing in advance that there's nothing you can do about it is usually enough to let you sit back and relax. But there still are a few things to look out for to avoid being scammed.

Check to see that the meter is running, and that the correct rate applies. The less expensive day rate (gunduz alternately flashes with the metered fare) applies from 7am to midnight, but crafty taxi drivers will push the night (gece) rate button to increase the fare. If you've caught a driver in the act, threaten to summon the police, or get out of the cab.

When paying the fare, it is customary to round off to the nearest 100,000TL; taxi drivers do not expect a tip. Be very careful with those million-lira bills; taxi drivers know you're confused by all the zeros and will usually try to short-change you. (Beware of the "bait and switch" routine, whereby the driver takes your 10,000,000TL banknote [worth about $7] and accuses you of having given him a 1,000,000TL note [worth about 70¢]. You can avoid this by holding on to the banknote until you've received your change. Also, note that 1,000,000TL notes are blue-toned and 10,000,000TL notes are orange.)

Another obnoxious strategy is to never carry any change (an experience not unique to Istanbul -- this happens in New York, too). The driver is carrying a fist-sized roll of small bills in his shirt pocket, and is simply trying to scam you out of an additional 60¢. If it matters to you (on principle), insist on the correct change, or better yet, don't let go of your money before the change materializes, because you don't carry change either, do you?

For longer distances or drives outside of the city limits, taxis usually have a list of set rates. Be sure you've discussed these in advance, as you may be able to negotiate a discount (though it's doubtful). A final word: Don't get into a cab expecting bad things to happen. Just be a smart customer.

A Note on Distances

The concept of precision is a foreign one in Turkey. "Not far" is a relative term and "just over there" indicates a point in the distance as the crow flies. Similarly, when comparing the travel literature on distances between towns, you'll notice a glaring absence of consistency. Please note that although all distances in this guide have been confirmed using official maps and brochures, it is a fact that even distances reported by official agencies may be incorrect. Therefore, I plead for mercy for some of the mileages that I quote.