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| Home > City Guide - Istanbul - Getting There By Road | ||
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Getting There By Road Although the road network throughout Turkey is extensive, with some dual carriageways and numerous three-lane highways, maintenance can be poor and conditions dangerous – Turkey has one of the worst accident rates in the world. European road rules are now better enforced than in recent years, with fines rising yearly, although the great volume of buses and trucks, many substandard and overloaded, still make driving in Turkey suited only to the brave or very cautious – visitors are advised to drive defensively and expect the unexpected. Roads that are part of the European Road Network are designated by the letter ‘E’, while ‘A’ indicates Asian Road Network and ‘M’ Middle East Road Network. Turkish road signs conform to the International Protocol on Road Signs. The fastest roads are the otoyols (multilane highways), although these are few and built to connect Istanbul, Ankara, Edirne, Izmir and Aydin. The legal driving age in Turkey is 18 years. Drivers bringing cars into Turkey must show their registration documents and driving licence at the place of entry. If arriving from Europe, visitors must have a Green Card (available from insurance companies) as well as appropriate top-up insurance. A valid driving licence, passport, logbook, insurance certificate and vehicle registration must be carried at all times. Driving is on the right and drivers must give way to the right at all times. The speed limit on motorways is 120kph (70mph), 90kph (55mph) on main roads and 50kph (30mph) in towns. Visiting drivers should also note that traffic lights change abruptly from red to green. Officially, the blood/alcohol limit is 0.05%, however, this is poorly enforced. British motoring associations have reciprocal agreements with the Turkish Touring and Automobile Association – TTOK (tel: (212) 282 8140; fax: (212) 282 8042; website: www.turing.org.tr). Emergency breakdown service: Turkish Touring and Automobile Association (212) 280 4449. Routes to the city: The E-80, E-90 and Trans European Motorway (TEM) are the three main roads leading to Turkey from European borders. The main motorway from the Turkish border at Edirne straight through to Istanbul, Ankara and beyond is the E-80, closely paralleled by the somewhat smaller D-100. The route to Antalya follows the E-80 to Izmit and then heads south on the D-650. Approximate driving times to Istanbul: From Ankara – 7 hours; from Antalya – 12 hours. Coach services: The safest, cheapest and most convenient method of internal transport, especially for travel to southern Turkish resorts, is Turkey’s vast system of intercity coaches. Uluslararasi Istanbul Otogari or International Istanbul Bus Terminal (tel: (212) 658 0505 or 0036) serves all international and domestic lines and is located in Esenler, about ten kilometres (six miles) from the city centre. Most of the major intercity companies have free service buses from central Istanbul to the bus station. These shuttle services leave – several hours before the scheduled departure time of the coach – from along Sirasilveler Caddesi in Taksim, which is also where all the ticket offices are clustered. Visitors can book tickets here any time before departure and most offices take credit cards. Providers include: Kamil Koç (tel: (212) 252 7223/4; website: www.kamilkoc.com.tr); Pamukkale (tel: (212) 249 2791), which serves western and southern destinations; Ulusöy (tel: (212) 249 4373; website: www.ulusoy.com.tr), which serves international destinations, Ankara, the Black Sea, as well as Izmir and Antalya; Varan (tel: (212) 251 7474; website: www.varan.com.tr), which also serves international, western and southern routes; and Nev Tour (tel: (212) 658 1213), which serves Cappadocia and Kayseri. Long journeys are usually made at night, leaving Istanbul between 2200 and 2400 and arriving at the destination in the morning. |
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