Overview
Turkey is a country in Europe according to businesscarriers. Turkey is a country of vast, wide plains, imposing mountain ranges, fertile valleys and rugged coasts, rapidly growing cities and sleepy villages, busy seaside resorts and deserted beaches. Turkey has a turbulent history that has left its mark everywhere, and the country is rich in historical sites and archaeological sites amidst a diverse landscape worth seeing. Well-preserved Greco-Roman cities such as B. Pergamum and Ephesus, while fairytale-like Cappadocia hides churches carved into rocks in the barren Anatolian plateau. Istanbul is the pulse of Turkey and has numerous attractions including Roman aqueducts, Byzantine churches and Ottoman mosques and palaces. Whatever Turkey’s past, today it is a dynamic country that welcomes cultural, economic and political changes without neglecting its multicultural history and time-honoured traditions of hospitality.
Getting there
Arriving by plane
Turkish Airlines (TK), the national airline of Turkey, flies from Frankfurt/M., Friedrichshafen, Hanover, Düsseldorf, Vienna, Graz, Salzburg and Zurich to Istanbul, among others; from Frankfurt and Vienna also directly to Ankara and from Stuttgart and Berlin to Antalya. In the summer months, Turkish Airlines also flies from Düsseldorf to Ankara, Antalya, Gaziantep, Kayseri and Trabzon. Turkish Airlines flies from Hanover to Gaziantep, Kayseri, Samsun, Adana and Trabzon. Pegasus Airlines (PC) flies from Frankfurt/M., Dusseldorf, Berlin, Hanover, Cologne, Stuttgart, Vienna and Zurich to Sabiha Gökcen Airport in Istanbul and from Bremen to Antalya. Lufthansa (LH) flies to Ankara, Antalya, Istanbul and Izmir, Austrian Airlines (OS) Antalya and Dalaman and Swiss International (LX) Antalya. Sun Express (XQ) offers direct flights to Ankara, Antalya, Dalaman, Izmir and Bodrum, among others. Tuifly (X3) connects numerous German, Austrian and Swiss cities with Turkey. Corendon Airlines (XC) flies from Bodensee-Airport Friedrichshafen and from Weeze to Antalya and from Paderborn/Lippstadt to Izmir. Easyjet (U2) flies from Geneva to Izmir.
Flight times
Frankfurt – Istanbul: 3 hours; Vienna – Istanbul: 2 hours 15 minutes; Zurich – Istanbul: 2 hours 55 minutes
Departure fee
An exit tax of €1.50 per person is included in the price of the flight ticket.
Arrival by car
Car: The shortest route from Germany or Switzerland (approx. 1,800 km) leads through Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Bulgaria. Another option is to travel from Germany via Austria, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria (approx. 2,100 km). The best way to get to Italy from Venice or Brindisi is by car ferry. Turkey’s road network is connected to Greece, Bulgaria, Armenia, Georgia, Syria, Iran and Iraq. The European routes E-80 and E-90 lead through Turkey to the borders of Iran and Iraq. Entry with a private car: The vehicle is entered in the driver’s passport upon entry and a date is set by which the car must be exported at the latest. Anyone who exceeds the date must pay a fine. The border must be crossed again with this vehicle when leaving the country. In the event of a breakdown or accident, the vehicle must either be repaired or towed across the border. In the event of theft, the responsible customs authority must be contacted so that the vehicle can be deleted from the passport. If the driver is not the owner of the vehicle, he must have a power of attorney from the owner. Long-distance bus: Eurolines buses run from numerous German cities and from Vienna to Istanbul. Toll: Some Turkish motorways, tunnels and bridges are subject to tolls. For details, see the On the Move – Road Traffic section. The toll fees are settled exclusively via the electronic payment system HGS (Hizli Geçis Sistemi). Documents: The national driver’s license is valid for stays of up to 6 months. The green insurance card must be carried with you. Before leaving, you should check whether the green insurance card is also valid for the Asian part of Turkey.
Arrival by train
The rail routes from Germany, Switzerland and Austria to Turkey are essentially limited to two routes: from Berlin/Munich/Cologne – Budapest (Hungary) – Bucharest (Romania) – Istanbul (Turkey) – Budapest (Hungary) – Belgrade ( Serbia) – Sofia (Bulgaria) – Istanbul (Turkey) from Zurich – Budapest (Hungary) – Bucharest (Romania) – Istanbul (Turkey) – Zagreb (Croatia) – Belgrade (Serbia) – Sofia (Bulgaria) – Istanbul (Turkey) from Vienna – Bucharest (Romania) – Istanbul (Turkey) The trains are equipped with couchette and sleeping cars. The travel time from Munich is about 40 hours, from Vienna 36 hours and from Zurich 45 hours. A night train with sleeping cars runs on the route from Moscow to Istanbul. Motorail trains run from German cities to Villach in Austria, from where Optima-Tours motorail trains connect to Edirne in Turkey. Further information is available from DB, ÖBB, SBB, MAV, JSC and BDZ. Train tickets for the train journey from Bucharest to Istanbul are not available online, but only at the Bucharest train station. InterRail passes are also valid in Turkey. For details see Germany. The Marmaray Metro connects the European part of Istanbul with the Asian part; it runs every 6-10 minutes.
rail passes
The Interrail One Country Pass and the Interrail Global Pass are also valid in Turkey.
Arrival by ship
Istanbul, Izmir, Mersin, Antalya, Bandirma and Bodrum are the main port cities. The following ferry connections are available: Greece: From the Greek island of Kos there is a car and passenger ferry to Bodrum. In summer there are ferries from Samos to Kusadasi, from Lesvos to Ayvalik/Dikili, from Chios to Çesme, from Sömbeki to Datça and from Rhodes to Marmaris and Fethiye. Italy: There are no direct ferries to Turkey from Italy. However, it is possible to travel via Greece (see above).
Cruise ships
The shipping companies TUI Cruises and Celestyal Cruises call at Turkey as part of cruises.
Routes across the rivers
From the North Sea it goes through the Rhine-Danube Canal to the Black Sea. Through the Bosphorus then on to the Sea of Marmara, the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
