# Greetings frrom Fetheyi Turkey



## Don_Madge (May 1, 2005)

Greetings from Fethiye, Turkey.

We arrived at our rented cottage at Keciler near Fethiye our home for the next eleven weeks on Monday two weeks after leaving the UK. We had an excellent trip and the weather was very kind to us. We got out of Greece and into Turkey with no problems at all, we just got a nod on leaving Greece.

We have had a couple of heavy showers since arriving but we still had lunch "al fresco" the last two days.

I know there are a couple of peoples considering Turkey so the following info will help them.

Entering Turkey at the border post near Ipsala.

The first kiosk you come to just present your passports and vehicle registration document
Then drive into the main complex and in front you will see five lanes. Don't go down the lanes until you have got your visa from the second kiosk on lane 5, marked "VISA". The visa costs £10. Take your passports to the passport control kiosk in lane 1 or 2 then drive to the other end of the lane which is the customs kiosk. Here they will need your registration document, green card and driver's passport. Once you have you documents back take them to the kiosk opposite for another check and stamp. Once you have finished there you drive out of the main complex and present all your documents to the last kiosk, then you are free to go.

On entering the main complex we usually park on the left in front of the market/currency exchange building which also has an ATM at the currency exchange counter.

We completed all the procedures in about 15 minutes, the Turks have really got their act together, we can only assume they are trying to pull themselves into line with the EU.

The registration document and a Manual GREEN CARD are required to enter Turkey. Make sure the Green Card covers Asian Turkey as some insurers only cover European Turkey.

A point worth remembering is the vehicle details are entered in the driver's passport and under normal circumstances the driver will not be able to leave Turkey without the vehicle.

Before you leave the border complex check the date by which the vehicle must be exported. It is the stamp next to the visa. Usually you have six months. A few years ago Margaret & Barry Williamson (Magbaz Travel) only had 1 month due to the wrong date being put down. This caused them a great deal of inconvenience when they tried to exit Turkey for Cyprus. The personal visa is for 3 months only.

This info is correct at 14/12/2011 but could change at any time.

SPEED LIMITS.
Built up area 50kph
Outside built up area 90kph
Motorways 120kph.

The 90kph speed limit applies to all roads outside the built up areas. You will find 6 lane dual carriage ways were the 90 kph still applies. There are many radar traps usually on the open roads. Speed limit signs are few and far between so be very careful.

There are very few 50kph signs marking the start of a built up area. Bear in mind dual carriage ways often run through a town /village but the 50 kph still applies.

Motorway tolls must be paid by smart card. We used the motorway from Izmir to Selcuk and bought the card at the Selcuk turn off. The toll was TL2.20 so we bought a card and had TL10 credit put on it. The card costs another TL5 for admin costs. As we plan to stay in one place for 3 months we decided TL10 would be sufficient for our needs. It is quite easy to top the card up at any pay station.

FUEL.
Diesel (Motorin) works out at about £1.35 per litre using an exchange rate of TL2.88 to £1.
LPG is about £0.80 per litre.

CURRENCY.
In the popular coastal areas (Kusadasi, Bodrum, Marmaris & Fethiye) were the ex pat Brits live HSBC cash dispensers usually dispense £Sterling & Euros as well as Turkish Lira. Over the years we have found we can get Sterling from the cash machine (£2 handling fee) and then exchange it for Turkish Lira at a very good rate at one of the money changers in the town. Recently in Kusadasi we got TL2.88 for £1 as against TL2.67 for the small amount of we bought at the post office before leaving home.

We had a stopover at Camping Onder (free wifi) in Kusadasi. Prices have increased but the better exchange rate has evened things out a bit. It cost us TL24 per night at the camp site. The site is conveniently situated on the sea front opposite the Marina. It is an easy walk into town. If you plan to visit there's an excellent fruit & veg market on a Friday which is well worth a visit. There's a general market on a Tuesday as well.

GENERAL INFO.
Free camping is not a problem in Turkey. We often use the service stations when transiting from A to B this is a very common practise with motorhomers.

The Turks are a very warm and welcoming people and will go out of their way to welcome you. The Turks treat their flag with great respect and expect you to do the same.

Rural areas of Turkey are policed by the Army Military police the "Jandarma" they set up road blocks but usually wave you through when they see you are a tourist. Don't under any circumstances park or camp in the vicinity of a Jandarma Post they will move you on, the posts are marked with plenty of white paint, large Turkish flags and soldiers with guns. The coastal posts are usually situated in very picturesque spots and it is very tempting to park/camp near them just for the views.

We have always found the Jandarma to be very correct and polite. The rank and file are conscripts the officers and NCO's are usually the only ones who speak English. They also have a traffic division. The town/city police (Blue uniforms) are usually a scruffy lot compared to the Jandarma.

Any first timers looking for a tour of the some of ancient sites of Turkey this trip we did in 2002 might be a good help. See http://www.magbaztravels.com/content/view/716/30/

Safe travelling.

Don


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## Sonesta (May 10, 2005)

Thank you Don for your very interesting and informative post. :thumbright:

Turkey is one of the destinations we hope to travel to in our motorhome in the not so distant future - so I will add your post and this thread to my bookmarks.

I look forward to hearing more.

Merry Christmas.  

Sue


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Thanks again Don

Again useful for our future trips.

Hope the weather is kind to you. I do love Turkey. I have been there a few times but not in the van yet although I have driven round quite a bit of it by car and motorbike.

As its wild camping friendly thats another reason to visit!


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## hmh (Jun 25, 2008)

*Greeting from Fethiye*

Thanks for that Don, most helpful!

We are in Italy, waiting for a Poste Restante, but about to embark on the Brindisi Igoumenitsa leg of the trip.

Are the ferries every day of the week? Are Agoudimos or Endeavor the cheaper company? 
It looked as if Thurs or Sun you could get a boat at midday, and not need an overnight, with Endeavor, but the websites were not easy to understand.

We have gone from Bari and Ancona but never from Brindisi.
Have not done the trip across Greece to Turkey yet, are there campsites or sostas open at this time of year?

A bientot!

Helen and David


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

Hi Don, you have a great time, you are certainly bringing back memories. It seems a million years (22 in fact) since we went overland by car to Istanbul and tented all the way around down to Antalya and the whole coast back to Gallipoli where we got a ferry across.
I am green with envy, wish we were there!
Our niece is living in Dalyan, she did have a restaurant but has now closed it and put it up for sale after been ripped off by two different managers that she employed. She has not had a very good experience and no longer trusts any Turks.
Anyway, again have a great time and keep the reports coming. 
Seasons Greetings to you and your wife.


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## Don_Madge (May 1, 2005)

*Re: Greeting from Fethiye*



hmh said:


> Thanks for that Don, most helpful!
> 
> We are in Italy, waiting for a Poste Restante, but about to embark on the Brindisi Igoumenitsa leg of the trip.
> 
> ...


Hi H & D,

I think Endeavor will be your best bet see http://www.ferries.gr/endeavorlines/brindisi-igoumenitsa.htm
they don't always run to schedule this time of the year so just turn up and book,

There are sites/aires open in northern Greece see my post at 
http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftoptitle-117950-greetings-from-northern-greece.html

Have a good trip.

Don


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## grizzlyj (Oct 14, 2008)

Thank you! Very informative!

Could I ask while you are there to keep an eye out for any differences being over a certain weight or length would make? Are overhead bridges even marked with their heights for instance? Would you reccomend any particular map?

Happy travels, have a lovely time!

Cheers

Jason


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## Don_Madge (May 1, 2005)

grizzlyj said:


> Thank you! Very informative!
> 
> Could I ask while you are there to keep an eye out for any differences being over a certain weight or length would make? Are overhead bridges even marked with their heights for instance? Would you reccomend any particular map?
> 
> ...


Hi Jason,

There are not many bridges in the areas of Turkey what we use now. The tunnels are all marked with the height most being around 5+ metres.

The first time we came to Turkey we had an 8 metre A class and now have a 6 metre panel van conversion. The only difference I can see is the cost of ferries and motorway tolls.

I've used the Reise Know-How Map for the Mediterranean Coast.

Safe travelling.

Don


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## Seeker (Dec 26, 2005)

Just a note on speed limits. Last year we were stopped for doing 90kph and issued with a fine. Motorhomes are classed as vans (3.5t+). Speed limit is 80kph outside of towns, which is slow.

Supposed to pay the £55 fine within 28 days or on exit at Customs - but it wasn't asked for - though I feel sure the officer saw it on her screen.

Harry


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## rosalan (Aug 24, 2009)

Thank you Don for your detailed description of Turkey. It is a long time since I drove there and camped at Kusadasi (which was then a Mocamp) and many other places.
I am sad to hear how their prices have risen but may still consider transiting to Syria if ever their problems get resolved, which seems pretty unlikely at this time.
Have a great new year and I look forward to your next reports from wherever you next happen to be.
Alan


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## hmh (Jun 25, 2008)

*greetings from italy, on the way to Turkey*

Sightseeing in Italy still, 1 of our 2 French propane bottles has run out. Anyone know where we can refill / exchange 13 kg bottles?

Eddied surely. . .

Only recently read of refillable bottles, don't think they exist in 
france . . .

In Tunisia had them filled at a v few garages, really hard to find.

Excuse typos, machine playing up!

Ciao! Hellen


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## hmh (Jun 25, 2008)

*greetings from italy, on the way to Turkey*

Further to my posting of this a.m., the campsite owner's gas supplier has just called by and taken our cylinder to refill and deliver back to us later today.

So we are out of the wood for the moment,

Thanks, all!

Helen


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## hmh (Jun 25, 2008)

*greetings from italy en route or Turkey*

Spoke too soon, this gas distributor hasn't ot an adaptor to fill our french bottle, so still looking !
Helen


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

I think you've posted in the wrong thread Helen, it needs to be >here<

Pete


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## hmh (Jun 25, 2008)

*greetings from italy, on the way to Turkey*

Thanks Pete, you are right but the tablet was playing up and the signal keeps disappearing . . .
As I was saying, spoke too soon, gas distributor could not fill our French propane canister after all. . . So we are still looking . .

Helen


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## Don_Madge (May 1, 2005)

Hi Helen,

If you are heading for Greece you can get them filled in Athens or Kalamata, they are able to fill most bottles at both places. Make sure you gas them off before you use them as the Greeks are notorious for over filling gas bottles. 8O 8O

This is a link to the Athens filling station http://www.magbaztravels.com/content/view/1017/30/

I only get about 30 mins on the comp before my eyes start to play up, the text blurs so I've not got time to search for the Kalamata link. Maybe PJ will find and post it.

Safe travelling.

Don


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## hmh (Jun 25, 2008)

*greetings from italy, on the way to Turkey*

Don, many thanks for that.

Today our luck was in, we went to a Hymer agent and camper service point at Lequile, S of Lecce, and they sold us a l-hand threaded fitting to fit our French bottle
Then sent us to a filling station on Lecce Tangentiale Est, where they filled our bottle.
Read somewhere that the Greeks will fill your bottles but not the Turks, but at least we have the necessary part now.

Sorry about your sight. There was an article in Advanced Motoring (IAM) magazine recently about something called The London Project, they are researching taking healthy tissue from one part of the retina and grafting it. They cited a case, a lady treated 8 years ago who had gone blind w/ AMD, and could very quickly read the small print on the eye test board, and was driving again too.

It gives one hope, so many people get that!

Helen and David


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

Helen, there is some good info, maps, poi's on the Magbaz website for LPG locations in Greece if you need any more. Things are gradually improving and there are currently 146 outlets according to their links...

http://www.magbaztravels.com/content/view/1070/30/

LPG is widely available in Turkey but I didn't think there would be any problems refilling bottles? We'll probably need some while over there, anyone have any more info about this?

Pete


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## hmh (Jun 25, 2008)

*greetings from italy, on the way to Turkey*

Pete thanks for that, could be useful.

We have used more gas than usual as our water tank decided to empty itself one day. - we were refilling at the time, nr Bari and several degrees above freezing - so we have left the hot water on every night since then.

This Hymer agent was sweet, lovely guys, if anyone needs them they are 
Salento Caravan, via Preti di Camp I, Lequile(LE) 40.91457 17.34390.

The garage which supplied the LPG was IP, on the East Tangentiale of Lecce,
40.35446 18.17035. Apparently there is a Shell garage just after there, when you have taken the turning for Maglie, which will do the same.

Came across a good French website whilst scratching around on this subject, I can't do links but he is, 
http://camping-car-webzine.fr/dossier-gaz.html
also a couple of Belgian sites selling rechargeable cylinders, but you all no doubt get t hem in Blighty. . .

Where are you now? Saw you had called at Sagiada . . .

h and d


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

I wish, still in wet n windy UK as it was decided by management that we were having Christmas and new year in UK this year.
A few loose ends to tie up then we will be off end of Feb, beginning of March, might catch up with you and Don over there.

Pete


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## hmh (Jun 25, 2008)

*greetings from italy, on the way to Turkey*

. . . And there we were taking our hats off to you, driving w/ one hand and sending useful links w/ the other. . .

H and D


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## hmh (Jun 25, 2008)

*greetings from italy, on way to Turkey, maybe via Albania*

No ferries to Greece from brindisi over holiday, I.e. until Monday, and they arrive at 3 am.
So we r thinking of taking the boat tonight to Vlore, Albania - if so, does anyone recommend the little coast road South, or up to Fier to get the larger road?

We have a map, it is only a day's drive even going slowly. . . Any suggestions gratefully received.

H and D


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Well with my experience of Albania, I'd say "Pray!".

Because my safety on the road felt more in the lap of the Gods than at anytime :-(

Dave


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## hmh (Jun 25, 2008)

*greetings from italy, on way to Turkey, maybe via Albania*

No ferries to Greece from brindisi over holiday, I.e. until Monday, and they arrive at 3 am.
So we r thinking of taking the boat tonight to Vlore, Albania - if so, does anyone recommend the little coast road South, or up to Fier to get the larger road?

We have a map, it is only a day's drive even going slowly. . . Any suggestions gratefully received.

H and D


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## Don_Madge (May 1, 2005)

*Re: greetings from italy, on way to Turkey, maybe via Albani*



hmh said:


> No ferries to Greece from brindisi over holiday, I.e. until Monday, and they arrive at 3 am.
> So we r thinking of taking the boat tonight to Vlore, Albania - if so, does anyone recommend the little coast road South, or up to Fier to get the larger road?
> 
> We have a map, it is only a day's drive even going slowly. . . Any suggestions gratefully received.
> ...


Hi H & D,

We were in Albania in May 2010 the coastal route is best see http://www.magbaztravels.com/content/view/950/30/

Don


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