# A winter trip to Turkey November 2012



## Don_Madge (May 1, 2005)

WINTER TRIP TO TURKEY NOVEMBER 2012 We tried a new route this year via France instead of Luxembourg and Germany, We did 1920 miles from Calais to Fethiye in ten days. 

ROUTE
Tunnel to Calais, Lille, Reims, Colmar, Basel, St Gothard Tunnel, Milan, Bologna, Ancona Port, ferry to Igoumenitsa, Vergina, Thessaloniki, Alexandroupoli, Ipsala (crossing into Turkey) Gallipoli, ferry to Lapseki (TL28) Izmir, Fethiye.

NIGHTSTOPS France. 
Fort Philippe Aire N51.00622 E2.11417 Large tarmac car park with toilets. 
La Cheppe Aire N49.04863 E4.49292 4 parking places not suitable for vans over 6 metres. 
Fessenheim Aire N47.91795 E7.53122 Super U for fuel and shopping also token (€2.5) for borne. 
Italy
Somaglia Service area N45.14258 E9.63356 on A1 20 miles south of Milan. Autogrill restaurant, toilets and showers available. 
Greece
Vergina Aire N40.48514 E22.31957 170 miles east of Igoumenitsa. Tarmac car park, owner very helpful. €4 per night, electricity available if required. 
Alexandroupoli municipal site N40.84686 E25.85617. €35.26 for two nights. Free wifi in 30 minute sessions. Good site before crossing into Turkey. Easy walk into town from site. 
Turkey Edrimit N39.57528 E27.03850 A large service station on the outskirts of the town. Akayaka N37.05070 E28.32776. A small fishing village with plenty of parking.

FUEL (DEISEL) PRICESL. 
French Supermarkets €1.36 per litre 
French Autoroute €1.55 per litre 
Italian Autostrada €1.72 per litre. Many people now using the self service option which can be up to 8 cents cheaper than the attendant service. LPG available on many service areas. 
Greece €1.40 per litre this is just an average. 
Turkey TL4.20 about £1.50 per litre

TOLLS. 
France. A26/A4 Reims €27.80
Switzerland SF40 for vignette for vehicles up to 3500kgs, we paid €35 for vignette at a service station just north of Basel on the A5. 
Italy. Swiss border to Milan €4.90. Milan south to Ancona north €27.00 this included 1 night stop on the Autostrada. 
Greece. A2 Igoumenitsa to Alexandroupoli €31.60 this is a 400 mile trip across northern Greece. 

FERRY. We used the Minoan overnight crossing from Ancona to Igoumenitsa. Depart 14.00hrs arr at 08.30hrs. We used the Inclusive camping option where you pay for a deck passage and get a inboard cabin plus a free meal. We paid €247 for a 6 metre van and thought it was a very good bargain. Tea/coffee is very expensive on board so we took our own makings on board.

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.

OBSERVATIONS. 
We had a trouble free trip except for a chipped windscreen on the Italian Autostrada. There were about 30 miles of road works between Bologna and Ancona on the A4 but there were two lanes open both ways. The weather was set fair all the way with just a shower in northern Greece. We had no problems in Greece at all; at the border we exited with just a wave on by the police but did notice there were a lot of trucks waiting to exit Turkey into Greece far more than we usually see. 
Safe travelling. 

Don


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

Hi Don, thanks for the very detailed post. You returned memories of when we drove to Turkey and we went over the Golden Bridge at Istanbul and down to Antalya and the campsite at Olou Deniz. We returned via the ferry to Gallipoli.
Also some previous year when we back packed around and caught an overnight ferry from Istanbul, down the Marmara to Izmir. Everywhere was full as there was a big conference on  
WE ended up in a right flea pit :lol: 
Anyway, my friend, have a very safe journey and may the Gods be with you


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

Hey Don.
I told you last year about our Niece and her husband having a restaurant in Dalayan.
Well, to cut a long story short, they got ripped off by two different managers, recommended by the Mayor, they had to have due to work permit problems.
Anyway, her husband came home to the UK and returned to Turkey with the Jeep to collect our Niece and her new Turkish Dog and some bits and pieces.
The punch line is that he did the whole return trip, overland via Bulgaria in less than one week.
Honestly, he did, I wouldn't have believed it had I not had daily reports   
He pretty well drove night and day 

Oh, I forgot to say, he had heavyish snow in Bulgaria and Yugo


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

Don Madge said:


> We paid €247 for a 6 metre van and thought it was a very good bargain.


Hi Don, that is exactly €45 less than we paid on our trip this year (€292), looks like they have dropped the fuel surcharge for now which is good news. 

We liked Akyaka, I think we stayed in the same carpark as you did. :wink:

Judy sends her regards to you both.

Have a good one.

Pete


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## Don_Madge (May 1, 2005)

Grath said:


> Hey Don.
> I told you last year about our Niece and her husband having a restaurant in Dalayan.
> Well, to cut a long story short, they got ripped off by two different managers, recommended by the Mayor, they had to have due to work permit problems.
> Anyway, her husband came home to the UK and returned to Turkey with the Jeep to collect our Niece and her new Turkish Dog and some bits and pieces.
> ...


Hi Graham,

If I get 250 miles done I consider I've had a good day. I've got to the stage in life where dashing about is not an option.  

Don


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