HOW TO TRAVEL TO TURKEY

BY AIR

Flight times from the UK to Turkey range from three and a half to four hours.

By Scheduled Flight

Turkish Airlines
London Heathrow to Istanbul
London Stansted to Istanbul
London Stansted to Antalya twice weekly
Manchester to Istanbul five times a week.
Plus connections from Istanbul throughout Turkey.

British Airways
Twice-daily Heathrow to Istanbul.

Cyprus Turkish Airlines (CTA)
Flights stop in Turkey on the way to Northern Cyprus: Gatwick to Antalya; Stansted to Antalya, Dalaman and Izmir; Heathrow to Antalya and Izmir; Belfast to Antalya; Glasgow to Antalya; and Manchester to Dalaman. For further information including timetables, please contact CTA directly on 020 7930 4851.

By Charter Flight

Seats are available with MyTravel Airways, First Choice Airways, Thomas Cook Airlines and Thomson. All operate charters from airports across Britain to the three main holiday gateways of Bodrum, Dalaman and Antalya. There are also flights to Izmir with Thomas Cook Airlines and, less frequently, MyTravel Airways.

Useful Links
first choice Airways
Thomson Flights
Thomas Cook
My Travel Airways

BY TRAIN

Train journeys can be made to Istanbul directly from and via some of the major cities in Europe.
Example route: The journey from London to Istanbul takes three nights, using Eurostar to Paris, the 'Orient Express' overnight to Vienna, a connecting 'EuroCity' to Budapest. Travel from Budapest to Istanbul on the "Trans Balkan".

Useful Links
European Train Times
Seat61
Turkish Railways

BY ROAD

Private Car: London-Istanbul, approximately 3,000 km.
Northern Route: Belgium, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey.
Southern Route: Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, with a ferry to Turkey.

Useful Links

RAC Route Planner

Via Michelin

General: information
Those who wish to enter the country with their vans, minibuses, automobiles, station wagons, bicycles, motorcycles, motorbikes, sidecars, buses, motor coaches, trailers, caravans or other transport vehicles, will have to provide the following documentation:
* Passport.
* International driving license.
* Car license (document where all details related to the car and the owner's name are registered). If it is somebody else's vehicle a power of attorney should be provided.
* International green card (Insurance card). The TR sign should be visible.
* Transit book "Carnet de passage" (for those who want to proceed to the Middle East).

Period: The vehicle can be brought into Turkey for up to 6 Months. The owner should declare upon arrival, the date of departure at the border gate and should absolutely leave the country by the date declared. If for any important reason the staying period has to be ended, please apply to the following before the end of the period declared:

The Turkish Touring and Automobile Club (Türkiye Turing ve Otomobil Kurumu)
1. Sanayi Sitesi Yani 4.Levent Istanbul
Tel 090 (212) 282 81 40(7 lines)

The General Directorate of Customs (Gümrükler Genel Müdürlügü),
Ulus/ Ankara
Tel: 090 (312) 310 38 80
Fax: 090 (312) 31113 46

In Case of Accident: The accident should be reported to the police or gendarme. That report has to be certified by the nearest local authority. The owner should apply to the customs authority with his passport and report.

If the vehicle can be repaired, it is necessary to inform the customs authority first and take the vehicle to a garage. If the vehicle is not repairable and if the owner wishes to leave the country without his vehicle, he has to deliver it to the nearest customs office, and the registration of his vehicle on his passport will be cancelled. (Only after the cancellation can the owner of the vehicle leave the country.)

Following an accident, you can telephone:
Traffic Police - Tel :154
Gendarme - Tel :156

BY SEA

Passenger Ferries: Apart from numerous cruises in the Mediterranean, several foreign shipping companies have regular services to the ports of Trabzon, Samsun, Istanbul, Dikili, Izmir, Cesme, Kusadasi, Bodrum, Marmaris, Antalya, Alanya, Mersin and Iskenderun.

Car Ferries: There are several car ferries for tourists who wish to bring their cars while sightseeing. Connections run from Venice to Izmir and from Ancona and Brindisi to Çesme.

Lines between Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus:
Tasucu - Girne
Alanya - Girne

Ferry lines between Turkey and the Greek Islands:
Ayvalik - Midilli (Lesbos)
Cesme - Sakiz (Chios)
Kusadasi - Sisam (Samos)
Bodrum - Istankoy (Kos)
Marmaris - Rodos (Rhodes)
Fethiye - Rodos (Rhodes)

Useful Links

Turkish Maritime
Alternative Travel & Holidays
Aegean Tour Travel
Anker Travel

    Because of the increasing interest in Turkey as a place of holiday, many British people tend to buy property in Turkey, particularly in its Southern parts. This interest raises a need for consultancy about the legal aspects of selling property to foreigners.

     As it is everywhere, such business matters are open to exploitation. There are people or agents who can be trusted while buying property. However, it should not be forgotten that there are many more people who cannot be trusted while buying propery. 

     Since British Turkish society is a non-profit organization, it is not involved in buying or selling property. But it can give advice about ways of buying property in Turkey.