# trip to turkey



## almaga (Sep 6, 2005)

Hi we are thinking of a trip to Turkey med coast jan to april any info on weather and routes much appreciated almaga.


----------



## peejay (May 10, 2005)

Hi almaga and a warm welcome to the site;

You might like to look at this link first for a bit of general info.....

http://motorhomefacts.com/ftopic-3261.html&highlight=turkey

then use the search facility at the bottom of the homepage to read all the other info using 'turkey' as a search word for starters.

Get back to us for more specific questions, theres nearly always someone with an answer......

pete.


----------



## Don_Madge (May 1, 2005)

almaga said:


> Hi we are thinking of a trip to Turkey med coast jan to april any info on weather and routes much appreciated almaga.


Hi Almaga,

On 29th March 2006 there is a total eclipse in the Antalya area of Turkey, I've put together some info for those considering the trip.

We are leaving home on the 5th January 2006 and will stay in Turkey until after the eclipse.

We have only traveled out to Turkey in the winter time (last trip was Jan 2004), up to now we have used the Italy - Greece ferry route. In the past we used North Sea Ferries from Hull to Rotterdam. We now use Speedferries crossing from Dover - Boulogne then Luxembourg (cheap ****/fuel), Strasbourg, Basle, St Gothard Tunnel, Milan, Bologna and Brindisi.

If you do decide to use the ferry option in March the quickest way from
Igoumenitsa would be go via Ioanina, Konitsa, Thessaloniki and
Alexandroupoli then cross the border into Turkey at Ipsala. An alternative
route would be via Ioanina, Metsovo, Katara Pass (1700 metres), Trikala,
Larissa, Thessaloniki and Alexandroupli. If you take the ferry to Patras you
can then go via Itea, Delfi, Larisa, Thessaloniki and Alexandroupoli. or via
Athens, Larisa, Thessaloniki and Alexandroupoli.

As the camper deck option does not start until 1 April on the Italy - Greece
crossing this rules out using it for the eclipse trip. An alternative
overland route to Turkey through the Balkans is via, Luxembourg, Heidelberg,
Regensburg, Vienna, Budapest, Szeged, Arad, Timisoara, Craiova, Sofia,
Plovdiv, Erdine and Istanbul. The total mileage from Boulogne to Istanbul is
about 2050. At present we have not drcided what route we will be taking in January 2006.

If you intend to use the Balkans route please bear in mind you will need the
following vignettes. This is a very rough guide only.

Austria

For vehicles up to 3500kg a vignette can be bought for Euros 7.80 for ten
consecutive days. For vehicles over 3500kg you will need to buy a "Go Box"
that fits on the windscreen for a one off handling fee of Euros 5. Then for
a two axle vehicle it will cost about 13 Euro cents +VAT per km. If you are
close to the 3500kg mark it's best to carry a certificate issued by a
weighbridge showing your weight. For full details see www.go-maut.at

Hungary

You will need a vignette for the motorways. For vehicles up to 3500kg a four
day vignette it will cost about £3 for vehicles over 3500kg it's about £4
for four days.

Bulgaria

The Bulgarian motorway vignette costs between 5 - 69 Euros per vehicle and
validity period

Over the years we have used all the Italian ferry ports to Greece. Venice,
Ancona, Bari & Brindisi. Venice and Brindisi have the easiest access while
Ancona and Bari can be difficult at times.

Between 1st April and 31st October it is possible to use your van on some of
the Italy - Greece crossings on the camper deck. This year 2005 the option
was limited to:-

Minoan Lines www.minoan.gr 
Venice - Igoumenitsa - Patras and Ancona - Igoumenitsa - Patras.

Ventouris Lines www.ventouris.gr 
Bari - Igoumenitsa and ANEK Lines Ancona - Igoumenitsa - Patras.

ANEK Lines www.anek.gr 
Anconca/Trieste -Igoumenitsa - Patras

MY WAY Ferries www.ferries.gr/myway/default.htm 
Brindisi -Igoumenitsa - Patras

Be warned the Camper Deck option can have its drawbacks. It's the cheapest
crossing from Italy to Greece but you could find yourself parked between or
very close to some refrigerated trucks which also use this deck. We have
been very lucky and have never had this problem yet but I know some who have

A new Turkish Immigration/Customs border post was opened at Ipsala in 2003.
This has greatly reduced the congestion at the border.

A three month visa costs £10 per person. An English (they will not accept
Scottish notes) £10 note is required and must be in good condition with no
writing on it (I kid you not).

The motorhome will cost nine Euros for the customs document to import for
six months (I'm at a loss to understand why a vehicle gets a six month visa
and a personal visa is for three months). The Vehicle Registration Document
and a valid Green Card are required to enter Turkey. You should not have any
language problems at the border but if you do you will always find one of
the truck drivers will help out.

A point worth noting is the vehicle details are entered in the drivers
passport and under normal circumstances the driver will not be able to leave
Turkey without the vehicle. Make sure your Vehicle or Travel Insurance will
cover the Duty/Customs Bond if you are taken ill and have to fly home or the
vehicle is written off in an accident.

We have never had any problems at the border the Turks, as always, are most
polite. Sometimes the Greeks are a bit slow in letting you through the
border but you just grin and bear it.

If you are going straight to Antalya the quickest route from Istanbul is via
Izmit, Kutahya and Burdur. The Istanbul ring road is well signed and you
should have no problems there.

The road from Kesan to Eceabat and the coastal road from Canakkale to Izmir
is/was in a very poor condition and transiting Izmir with no ring road is a
nightmare. If you do decide on this route, in Izmir follow the signs for
Aydin.

In Turkey for overnight stops en route we use the large well lit 24 hour
service stations. We just refuel, park up in a quiet corner and we have
never been refused or had any problems.

I can recommend the following camp sites.

Onder Camping at Kusadasi for visiting Ephesus.

Camping Kayi at Goreme for visiting Cappadocia

On all our visits to Turkey we had a great time. The people are very
friendly and we had no problems at all. In 2003 we crossed the border at
Ipsala and visited Gallipoli before taking the ferry (YTL.20) from Eceabat
to Canakkale. We then followed the coast to the Syrian (This was before the
Iraq war) border. We used what campsites were open but a lot of the time we
just free camped on the beach in small towns and villages. Many times we
stayed overnight in the car parks of the ancient sites we were visiting. If
we had to free camp in larger towns we stayed at the service station after
filling up with fuel.

On the return trip we caught the ferry from Marmaris (very expensive) to
Rhodes to cut down on the driving and we were getting very close to the end
of our three month visa.Then the ferry from Patras to Venice using the 
Camper Deck" option

I've listed the main 'not to be missed' tourist sights. For details and an
insight into the history relating to these, we find the 'The Rough Guide to
Turkey' or 'The Lonely Planet Turkey' guidebooks very useful.

Northern Turkey

Istanbul
Topkapi Palace, Aya Sofya, Blue Mosque, Sunken Palace, Grand Bazaar and Dolmabache Palace are all must see sights.

The Gelibolu Peninsula
Anzac cove, Shrapnel Valley and the other World War 1 battlefields are found here along with the many cemeteries.

Troy
The site which inspired the famous wooden horse.

Southwest Turkey

Ephesus (Efes)
One of the largest and best preserved ancient sites in the Mediterranean.

Pamukkale
Rock formations coated in white calcium carbonate locally referred to as 'Cotton Castle'

Dalyan
Take a boat along the Dalyan River to Istuzu Beach, a breading ground for the loggerhead turtle.

Southern Turkey

Perge and Aspendos
Sites of two large and well-preserved amphitheatres.

Side
A ruined Hellenistic port with some well-preserved sites.

Central Turkey

Ankara
Capital city home to Turkeys Parliament and the Ataturk Museum.

Cappadocia
A landscape made up of fairy chimneys, rock cut churches and underground cities.

Other places 'not to be missed':

For Swimming

Try the calm seawater of Oludeniz Lagoon, 5km from Fethiye.

For Walking

Take the path from Oludeniz Lagoon to Kaya Koyu, an old Greek settlement now a ghost town.

Campsites in Turkey

Campsites in Turkey are plentiful in the summer months however the quality
does vary tremendously. If you want to stay only on sites with good
facilities you will need to do a degree of forward planning to find these.
If on the other hand you are happy to stay on many of the less developed
sites you should have no problems in finding a place for the night.

The Turkish tourist information office produce a brochure entitled 'Camping
in Turkey' which details most campsites along with a location map. This can
be obtained from their UK office, Tel 0207 629 7771.

A campsite listing along with a good location map can be found at www.bookinturkey.com/en/html/adventure/campings.asp

The latest info on Turkey can be found at http://tinyurl.com/b6dc

Another useful site is http://tinyurl.com/b2sd3

I hope this helps, if I can be of further help get in touch.

Don


----------



## peejay (May 10, 2005)

As always, a comprehensive and very informative and helpful reply from Don, great stuff...

Another link you might find handy...

http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/NKTank

pete.


----------



## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

And for beach/ swimming, just a few km further SE along the coast from Oludeniz, Patara beach is not to be missed. Safe, gentle sloping and amazing sand. And Father Christmas was born there; bit ironic, really 









Don, have you picked from where to view the eclipse? If you get high up in the centre of the path with a clear view of it coming towards you, you should see a very fast moving shadow coming at you. Somewhere near Urkuden Dag perhaps?

Dave


----------



## Don_Madge (May 1, 2005)

Dave,

I have not given it any thought yet but I was wondering about crowds etc it seems these eclipses get very popular.

We did think about Kas Harbour as it's one of our favorite spots. I've only just got home as you know but it's back to the planning tomorrow,

Don


----------



## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Kas would be OK, though much more west and you'll be getting to the edge of totality. I reckon Oludeniz is right on the edge.

Have a read whether getting up high is worth it. Even these Kas spots might be better than being on the water's edge.

Dave


----------

