Our travels in Turkey
Whilst we were travelling in Turkey, we utilised a number of different modes of transport. Below is a summary of where we went, the mode of transport used, the length of time the journey took, and how far it was.
Click on the table link below
| Journey | Mode of transport | Distance (miles) | Time taken | Cost per person (Lira) |
| Plovdiv (Bulgaria) to Istanbul | Bus | 261 | 7 hrs 30 mins | 40 (Lev) |
| Istanbul to Pamukkale | Bus | 436 | 13 hrs | 143.5 |
| Pamukkale to Oludeniz | Bus | 128 | 4 hrs | 51.5 |
| Oludeniz to Kas | Bus | 69 | 2 hrs 30 mins | 32 |
| Kas to Goreme | Bus | 305 | 10 hrs 15 mins | 106 |
| Goreme to Soumela | Bus | 665 | 16 hrs | 98 |
| Soumela to Uzungol | Bus | 87 | 3 hrs 15 mins | 16 |
| Uzungol to Georgia border | Bus | 123 | 2 hrs | 25 |
Accommodation
Accommodation is available to suit all budgets in Turkey. Our experience is that you get what you pay for. We stayed in a number of different places on our travels throughout the entire country. Using various booking portals to book the accommodation. From our experience, the hotels and apartments we stayed in were all of a reasonable standard.
Don’t expect tea/coffee making facilities in hotels or guest houses. Bathrooms are western style, with bath or shower. Bathrooms will also be provided with a bucket and scoop. This is for the Muslim washing ritual, during which water is to be poured over the bather. Toiletries were provided.
WiFi may be advertised as being available. Generally, it is, but the signal strength and quality can be poor in the rooms that aren’t close to the router.
Transport
Marshrutka
Marshrutkas are the minibuses used throughout Turkey. If travelling by bus, you will probably need to get one from the bus station into town, a fast and cheap way to travel locally, following fixed routes. They don’t have a fixed timetable. Just flag it down, if there is space they will stop, if they are full they will just keep going.
There is luggage space at the back and under the seats. Expect luggage and local’s bags to be stacked in the aisle. If there are a few people waiting for a minibus, it will be a free for all when it arrives. Don’t assume there will be any sort of orderly queue.
If getting a marshrutka from one of the terminals stops you may have to wait for it to fill up before it leaves. During this waiting time, if you leave the minibuses to go to the toilet or shop, ensure something is left on your seat to reserve it.
Fares are set and the same price applies for both foreigners and locals.
Tickets are purchased by paying the driver. The condition of the vehicles was good.
Bus
There is a very limited train network in Turkey. Making the bus the most popular way to travel. All of our journeys in Turkey were by bus. There are a plethora of bus companies, both large and small, operating modern comfortable buses across the entire country.
The larger companies’ buses have air conditioning, entertainment systems, and free WiFi. An onboard steward brings you complimentary snacks and drinks, we even had ice cream on one journey.
Turkish buses do not have onboard toilets. They generally stop about every 2 hours for a toilet break. The toilets will not be western-style toilets at these stops and they don’t have toilet paper either. Drinks, snacks, and meals are available where the buses stop.
Tickets
Most bus stations throughout Turkey have ticket counters for the major bus companies, together with the same local companies. We tried to book in advance of our journey to guarantee we could get the bus we wanted. To do this we used the online booking portal of Obilet.com. We found this site really easy to use and the booking fees were minimal.
Luggage
Luggage is stored under the bus. We had read online of incidents where the suitcases of some travellers were rifled and valuables were stolen. So it’s a good idea to keep your valuables with you at all times. Always watch your bags being loaded onto the bus and keep an eye on what bags are taken off at stops.
Travelling 52.5 hours by bus, covering over 2000 miles on 8 different bus companies. We experienced nothing but comfortable buses, with friendly and professional staff.
Alcohol 🍺
The main religion in Turkey is Islam. Although alcohol is still legal and consumed by locals, once off the tourist trail it is not so easy to find restaurants that sell it.