Travel to Turkey

Flying to Turkey

Turkey's national airline is Turkish Airlines (www.turkishairlines.com), which flies to multiple destinations across the globe, including the UK and the USA. Other airlines offering direct flights to Turkey from the UK include Atlas Global (www.atlasglb.com), British Airways (www.ba.com) and Pegasus Airlines (www.flypgs.com). 

Major airports are: Ankara Esanboga International Airport, Istanbul International Airport, Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport, Antalya Airport, Dalaman Airport and Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport.

Airport Guides

Flight times

To Istanbul: from London - 3 hours 40 minutes; New York - 9 hours 50 minutes.

Air passes

The Europe Airpass from Star Alliance (www.staralliance.com) allows travel to Turkey with member airlines, as well as more than 40 other countries within Europe.

Departure tax

None.

Travelling to Turkey by Rail

You can travel by train to Istanbul via some of the major European cities. The journey from London takes three nights via Belgrade and Sofia or four nights via Budapest. Turkish Railways (TCDD) in Istanbul (tel: 444 8823, in Turkey only; www.tcdd.gov.tr) runs the rail network within Turkey. As of 2015, the Trans-Asia Express service between Ankara and Tehran has been suspended.

Rail passes

InterRail: offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 29 European countries for European residents of over six months with two pass options. The Global Pass allows travel for 15 days, 22 days, one month, five days in 10 days or 10 days in 22 days across all countries. The One-Country Pass offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month in any of the countries except Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro.

Travel is not allowed in the passenger's country of residence. Reductions are available for travellers under 26. Children under 12 are free when travelling with an adult using an Adult Pass. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Voyages-sncf.com (tel: +44 844 848 5848, in the UK; www.voyages-sncf.com).

Eurailpass: offers unlimited train travel in up to 28 European countries. Tickets are valid for 15 days, 21 days, one month, two months, three months, five days in 10 days, 10 days in two months or 15 days in two months. The Global Pass allows travel across all participating countries. The Select Pass is valid in four bordering countries. The Regional Pass lets you travel in two bordering countries. The One Country Pass offers travel in one of 27 countries.

Adult passes are valid for first-class travel, while youth passes (under 26) are valid for second-class travel. Children under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult using an Adult Pass. The passes cannot be sold to EU citizens or residents. Available from Eurail (www.eurail.com).

Driving to Turkey

Driving overland to Turkey from the UK takes around three days straight driving, travelling through Germany, Austria, down through the Balkan countries of Croatia and Serbia and finally over the Greek or Bulgarian border.

Driving note

The Eurasia tunnel for car travel between the Kazlicesme and Goztepe areas of Istanbul will be ready in late 2016, cutting journey times from 100 minutes to 15 minutes.

Getting to Turkey by boat

It’s possible to travel to Turkey by water, depending where you are coming from. Hopping from the Greek islands over to Istanbul is a popular route. All ships, including private yachts, arriving in Turkish waters must go to one of the following ports of entry: Akçay, Alanya, Anamur, Antalya, Ayvalik, Bandirma, Bodrum, Botas (Adana), Çanakkale, Çesme, Datça, Derince, Didim, Dikili, Fethiye, Finike, Giresun, Güllük, Hopa (Artvin), Iskenderun, Istanbul, Izmir, Kas, Kemer, Kusadasi, Marmaris, Mersin, Ordu, Rize, Samsun, Sinop, Söke, Tasucu (Silifke), Tekirdas, Trabzon and Zonguldak.

Cruise ships

Cruise ships regularly stop in Istanbul, Kuşadası, Antalya and Bodrum, among others.

Ferry operators

Frequent direct ferries run from Greece, Cyprus and Ukraine to Turkey. There are a whole host of privately operated ferry lines. You can book journeys through Aegean Tours (www.ferries-turkey.com). Ukrferry (www.ukrferry.com) operates ferries between Ukraine and Turkey. There are currently no direct ferries between Italy and Turkey, with ferries instead travelling via Greece.