gally

Member
Driving to Turkey 2018
Hello I wonder if some of you might have some suggestions.
I know this has been discussed probably many times before but it would be nice to get some relatively up to date info on driving from UK to Turkey.
Personally I'm thinking I'd rather go via Italy then across to Iguomenista and back up via Istanbul and my intended destination will be the Side area (we have a house near Manavgat)
I'm thinking this route may be the 'safer' route and maybe better roads plus the break from driving on the ferry and we plan to go around mid May.
I have a few questions though I'm hoping someone can answer, here goes -
Best route to Italy from Calais?
Any Tolls or Taxes between Calais and perhaps Ancona?
Should we get the ferry from Ancona or Brindisi?
Where is best to book that ferry, there are many online options?
How does this route compare with Hungary/Serbia/Bulgaria etc price wise (Tolls/Taxes etc)
All suggestions gratefully received
Thanks, Martin :hmm:
 

Spurs

Spurs
Driving to Turkey 2018
Hello I wonder if some of you might have some suggestions.
I know this has been discussed probably many times before but it would be nice to get some relatively up to date info on driving from UK to Turkey.
Personally I'm thinking I'd rather go via Italy then across to Iguomenista and back up via Istanbul and my intended destination will be the Side area (we have a house near Manavgat)
I'm thinking this route may be the 'safer' route and maybe better roads plus the break from driving on the ferry and we plan to go around mid May.
I have a few questions though I'm hoping someone can answer, here goes -
Best route to Italy from Calais?
Any Tolls or Taxes between Calais and perhaps Ancona?
Should we get the ferry from Ancona or Brindisi?
Where is best to book that ferry, there are many online options?
How does this route compare with Hungary/Serbia/Bulgaria etc price wise (Tolls/Taxes etc)
All suggestions gratefully received
Thanks, Martin :hmm:

Done that route a few times Ancona to Iguomenista & onto Akbuk, don't really know exactly where Side is but Im wondering why you would head for Istanbul to get there, I thought Side was Bodrum way?
Best route to Italy from Calais? Tolls are expensive but direct, Ive never done it without using the toll roads. Directions? Off the boat at Calais or whilst waiting to get off, just type in Ancona, Italy on your Satnav & it takes you there.
We have never pre booked a ferry or a hotel, I drive till Ive had enough & take the next exit off the autobahn & hit a hotel (plenty about).
One thing we did do was make sure we got into Ancona a couple of hours before ferry time............ferry times are on the internet. With the Ancona to Iguomenista ferry your on it for about 20 hours, a cabin is a must.......Ferry food is rubbish but Ancona has plenty of shops & delis.
Just a tip when it comes to food along the way..........Morrison's at Dover is right by the ferry port............picnic your way across France.
 

gally

Member
Driving to Turkey 2018
Done that route a few times Ancona to Iguomenista & onto Akbuk, don't really know exactly where Side is but Im wondering why you would head for Istanbul to get there, I thought Side was Bodrum way?
Best route to Italy from Calais? Tolls are expensive but direct, Ive never done it without using the toll roads. Directions? Off the boat at Calais or whilst waiting to get off, just type in Ancona, Italy on your Satnav & it takes you there.
We have never pre booked a ferry or a hotel, I drive till Ive had enough & take the next exit off the autobahn & hit a hotel (plenty about).
One thing we did do was make sure we got into Ancona a couple of hours before ferry time............ferry times are on the internet. With the Ancona to Iguomenista ferry your on it for about 20 hours, a cabin is a must.......Ferry food is rubbish but Ancona has plenty of shops & delis.
Just a tip when it comes to food along the way..........Morrison's at Dover is right by the ferry port............picnic your way across France.

Thanks Spurs. Only reason I'm saying via Istanbul is otherwise it's another ferry from Greece to Turkey? Any suggestions? How did you do it? Side is on the south coast in the Antalya region, about 90km east from Antalya so either way it's quite a long drive down wherever you come into Turkey.
 

Spurs

Spurs
Driving to Turkey 2018
Thanks Spurs. Only reason I'm saying via Istanbul is otherwise it's another ferry from Greece to Turkey? Any suggestions? How did you do it? Side is on the south coast in the Antalya region, about 90km east from Antalya so either way it's quite a long drive down wherever you come into Turkey.

Drive across Greece to a place called Isparta/Edirne thats a land border into Turkey............decent roads off the ferry from Igoumenista to Turkey, cheap tolls through Greece. Don't buy anything from the Greek duty free at the border crossing, theres a duty free on the Turkish side.........cheaper. Going across Greece is about 5 or 6 hours.

Isparta to Gallipoli (Turkey), little ferry across the Dardanells Straits estuary (about £5 & your only on it for 20 mins) land at a place called Chamakale, the its all sign posted to Izmir, then Soke, then Akbuk, then Bodrum, then Im lost.
 

Leo

Member
Driving to Turkey 2018
Hello I wonder if some of you might have some suggestions.
I know this has been discussed probably many times before but it would be nice to get some relatively up to date info on driving from UK to Turkey.
Personally I'm thinking I'd rather go via Italy then across to Iguomenista and back up via Istanbul and my intended destination will be the Side area (we have a house near Manavgat)
I'm thinking this route may be the 'safer' route and maybe better roads plus the break from driving on the ferry and we plan to go around mid May.
I have a few questions though I'm hoping someone can answer, here goes -
Best route to Italy from Calais?
Any Tolls or Taxes between Calais and perhaps Ancona?
Should we get the ferry from Ancona or Brindisi?
Where is best to book that ferry, there are many online options?
How does this route compare with Hungary/Serbia/Bulgaria etc price wise (Tolls/Taxes etc)
All suggestions gratefully received
Thanks, Martin :hmm:

I drove from UK to Side a couple of months ago. Very enjoyable trip - best advice is take it easy & enjoy if you have the time.
Tolls in France are frankly extortionate. We went in a campervan, so slightly more expensive than a car - but it cost us 15€ to get from the Calais to the first stop on the toll road! However, the French A roads largely run alongside the toll roads - so we took them at no cost. Toll roads in Italy were rare & cheap and although more prevelant in Greece - they were the cheapest and the road East from Igomenista was the best we experienced on the whole trip - interesting fact - there are more than 1,500 bridges and tunnels on this road - it's what they spent their EU money on (to improve transport & trade).

Personally, if I did it again I would not drive down through much of Italy. We found much of the south was quite industrious and your could really see and feel the effects of the recession. There are loads of ferrys crossing to Igounemista of course, but one to consider is from Venice - which will save you some miles and is only a little more expensive than Ancona, Bari or Brindisi - and what you save on fuel should more than pay for the difference.

Like Spurs, I would avoid Istanbul - it's frantic, not easy to drive through if you don't know your way and will put more than 200 miles extra on your journey. Ipsala was easy - as it's simply at the end of the road through Greece. NB: all of the borders are slow to cross - but another tip would be - don't line-up behind the lorrys - sidle round them - cos they park in the middle of the road and will be there much longer than you will - it's only when you get to the actual crossing that you see the separate lanes for non-commercial traffic.

If you go through Ipsala, there is a simple right turn shortly after the border (well signposted) which takes you down to the ferries over the Dardannelles (about 20 mins and really, really cheap). Once across you pick-up the coast road, which leads you down to the D400. Personally I like the D400 right round the coast to Side, but it is probably a little quicker to go over the mountains (left turn just past Fethiye).

Again like Spurs we didn't pre-book ferries apart from across the English Channel. It's a long way and if you miss your booking for any reason you stand to lose your dosh. Also, it's cheaper to turn-up to the port and pay direct - Another tip here is if you are a member of a car club - AA or similar, then some ferries offer a discount (they each have a list of what they accept on line) - and if like me you have a motorhome of caravan, then book a camping on board ticket and you get it even cheaper and they park you on the top - we had a fab view.

Remember that to drive into Turkey, you have to bring your V5 document, your driving licence and Insurance which fully covers Turkey -many don't, so check the detail and ask the company for a 'Green Card' with Turkey written on it. Don't know how old you are but Saga cover Turkey, but many of the other 'biggies' don't! If your insurance doesn't cover Turkey, then it's very easy to buy it at the border (Sigorta office in the duty free hall at the border - and you will have plenty of time to do it).

Finally, my mate came via Serbia only a few weeks ago - bloody nightmare he said , poor road surface and loads of hassle at the border - I wouldn't .
 

Spurs

Spurs
Driving to Turkey 2018
This might interest you, two videos, one at the Italian Port & one at the Greek Port. Don't worry about the amount of lorries, they're kept well away from the cars when loading. Another tip, don't be eager to get on the ferry, let a few go on first, the squeeze the first few cars in the lower deck..........any lower & your in the drink.

anfahrt ancona ferry tickets - YouTube

If you look on YouTube you will no doubt find that someone has done a tour internally of the ferry & filmed it.
 

sgreat

Loveing Life !!
Driving to Turkey 2018
Personally with the added cost and time of useing the ferries from Italy...and the Tolls getting there....I just wouldn't!!

The route I use, is much quicker, and very much cheaper..

Starting out from either Calais or Dunkirk, head towards Luxemburg... No Tolls
Fill Up as much Fuel as I can in Lux Cheapest Fuel In Europe, I carried 4 50ltr Containers in the back of my pickup..

From Lux, nice drive to saarbruken. Then onto Karlsruhe and Stuttgart.. Lovely drive, stunning countryside... oh and no Tolls..

From Stuttgart straightforward to Munich... From here its simply motorway all the way to Austria... From Vienna Into Hungary.... I always Stop overnight in Hungary, some very cheap and quaint hotels and bed and breakfast can be found here..

Through Hungary down to Serbia... I don't mind Serbia, many prefer to remain in EU, so go through Romainia... Serbia has a border control, so you can expect a delay... The only Toll I have on this route, is in Serbia....Was 10 Euro last June..

Through Serbia into Bulgaria and onto Turkey... From Calais to Turkey took me 2 and a half days with an overnight stop in Hungary.... I drive a Mitsubishi Pickup...Steady 60mph...So no flying down motorways for me ... :D

I entered Turkey at Edirne... Short Delay, I entered early hrs...

My Only Tolls were in Serbia.... Stunning Scenery, Mostly flat roads, even through Austria, as I skirted the eastern Alps....
 
Driving to Turkey 2018
Personally with the added cost and time of useing the ferries from Italy...and the Tolls getting there....I just wouldn't!!

The route I use, is much quicker, and very much cheaper..

Starting out from either Calais or Dunkirk, head towards Luxemburg... No Tolls
Fill Up as much Fuel as I can in Lux Cheapest Fuel In Europe, I carried 4 50ltr Containers in the back of my pickup..

From Lux, nice drive to saarbruken. Then onto Karlsruhe and Stuttgart.. Lovely drive, stunning countryside... oh and no Tolls..
From Stuttgart straightforward to Munich... From here its simply motorway all the way to Austria... From Vienna Into Hungary.... I always Stop overnight in Hungary, some very cheap and quaint hotels and bed and breakfast can be found here..

Through Hungary down to Serbia... I don't mind Serbia, many prefer to remain in EU, so go through Romainia... Serbia has a border control, so you can expect a delay... The only Toll I have on this route, is in Serbia....Was 10 Euro last June..

Through Serbia into Bulgaria and onto Turkey... From Calais to Turkey took me 2 and a half days with an overnight stop in Hungary.... I drive a Mitsubishi Pickup...Steady 60mph...So no flying down motorways for me ... :D

I entered Turkey at Edirne... Short Delay, I entered early hrs...

My Only Tolls were in Serbia.... Stunning Scenery, Mostly flat roads, even through Austria, as I skirted the eastern Alps....

I have done the drive 16 times. Forget Romania- you will ruin your car. The route I take is similar except I go via Regensburg rather than Munich.
I wouldn't say the scenery is stunning if you go by motorway- it is if you want to take it slower and come off the autobahns.

You have missed out the vignettes that are required on Austrian and Hungarian motorways and ALL Bulgarian roads. 8 euros Austria + 11euros Hungary. For Bulgaria you have a compulsory vignette for any road use- roughly £7.

Distance Dunkirk- Turkish border = 1725 miles Max

Distance Dunkirk- Akbuk 2250 miles max.
 

gally

Member
Driving to Turkey 2018
I drove from UK to Side a couple of months ago. Very enjoyable trip - best advice is take it easy & enjoy if you have the time.
Tolls in France are frankly extortionate. We went in a campervan, so slightly more expensive than a car - but it cost us 15€ to get from the Calais to the first stop on the toll road! However, the French A roads largely run alongside the toll roads - so we took them at no cost. Toll roads in Italy were rare & cheap and although more prevelant in Greece - they were the cheapest and the road East from Igomenista was the best we experienced on the whole trip - interesting fact - there are more than 1,500 bridges and tunnels on this road - it's what they spent their EU money on (to improve transport & trade).

Personally, if I did it again I would not drive down through much of Italy. We found much of the south was quite industrious and your could really see and feel the effects of the recession. There are loads of ferrys crossing to Igounemista of course, but one to consider is from Venice - which will save you some miles and is only a little more expensive than Ancona, Bari or Brindisi - and what you save on fuel should more than pay for the difference.

Like Spurs, I would avoid Istanbul - it's frantic, not easy to drive through if you don't know your way and will put more than 200 miles extra on your journey. Ipsala was easy - as it's simply at the end of the road through Greece. NB: all of the borders are slow to cross - but another tip would be - don't line-up behind the lorrys - sidle round them - cos they park in the middle of the road and will be there much longer than you will - it's only when you get to the actual crossing that you see the separate lanes for non-commercial traffic.

If you go through Ipsala, there is a simple right turn shortly after the border (well signposted) which takes you down to the ferries over the Dardannelles (about 20 mins and really, really cheap). Once across you pick-up the coast road, which leads you down to the D400. Personally I like the D400 right round the coast to Side, but it is probably a little quicker to go over the mountains (left turn just past Fethiye).

Again like Spurs we didn't pre-book ferries apart from across the English Channel. It's a long way and if you miss your booking for any reason you stand to lose your dosh. Also, it's cheaper to turn-up to the port and pay direct - Another tip here is if you are a member of a car club - AA or similar, then some ferries offer a discount (they each have a list of what they accept on line) - and if like me you have a motorhome of caravan, then book a camping on board ticket and you get it even cheaper and they park you on the top - we had a fab view.

Remember that to drive into Turkey, you have to bring your V5 document, your driving licence and Insurance which fully covers Turkey -many don't, so check the detail and ask the company for a 'Green Card' with Turkey written on it. Don't know how old you are but Saga cover Turkey, but many of the other 'biggies' don't! If your insurance doesn't cover Turkey, then it's very easy to buy it at the border (Sigorta office in the duty free hall at the border - and you will have plenty of time to do it).

Finally, my mate came via Serbia only a few weeks ago - bloody nightmare he said , poor road surface and loads of hassle at the border - I wouldn't .

Thanks Leo, I tried to PM you but it's full! so emailed you.
 
Driving to Turkey 2018
I drove from UK to Side a couple of months ago. Very enjoyable trip - best advice is take it easy & enjoy if you have the time.
Tolls in France are frankly extortionate. We went in a campervan, so slightly more expensive than a car - but it cost us 15€ to get from the Calais to the first stop on the toll road! However, the French A roads largely run alongside the toll roads - so we took them at no cost. Toll roads in Italy were rare & cheap and although more prevelant in Greece - they were the cheapest and the road East from Igomenista was the best we experienced on the whole trip - interesting fact - there are more than 1,500 bridges and tunnels on this road - it's what they spent their EU money on (to improve transport & trade).

Personally, if I did it again I would not drive down through much of Italy. We found much of the south was quite industrious and your could really see and feel the effects of the recession. There are loads of ferrys crossing to Igounemista of course, but one to consider is from Venice - which will save you some miles and is only a little more expensive than Ancona, Bari or Brindisi - and what you save on fuel should more than pay for the difference.

Like Spurs, I would avoid Istanbul - it's frantic, not easy to drive through if you don't know your way and will put more than 200 miles extra on your journey. Ipsala was easy - as it's simply at the end of the road through Greece. NB: all of the borders are slow to cross - but another tip would be - don't line-up behind the lorrys - sidle round them - cos they park in the middle of the road and will be there much longer than you will - it's only when you get to the actual crossing that you see the separate lanes for non-commercial traffic.

If you go through Ipsala, there is a simple right turn shortly after the border (well signposted) which takes you down to the ferries over the Dardannelles (about 20 mins and really, really cheap). Once across you pick-up the coast road, which leads you down to the D400. Personally I like the D400 right round the coast to Side, but it is probably a little quicker to go over the mountains (left turn just past Fethiye).

Again like Spurs we didn't pre-book ferries apart from across the English Channel. It's a long way and if you miss your booking for any reason you stand to lose your dosh. Also, it's cheaper to turn-up to the port and pay direct - Another tip here is if you are a member of a car club - AA or similar, then some ferries offer a discount (they each have a list of what they accept on line) - and if like me you have a motorhome of caravan, then book a camping on board ticket and you get it even cheaper and they park you on the top - we had a fab view.

Remember that to drive into Turkey, you have to bring your V5 document, your driving licence and Insurance which fully covers Turkey -many don't, so check the detail and ask the company for a 'Green Card' with Turkey written on it. Don't know how old you are but Saga cover Turkey, but many of the other 'biggies' don't! If your insurance doesn't cover Turkey, then it's very easy to buy it at the border (Sigorta office in the duty free hall at the border - and you will have plenty of time to do it).

Finally, my mate came via Serbia only a few weeks ago - bloody nightmare he said , poor road surface and loads of hassle at the border - I wouldn't .

Leo- a good post and I agree with almost everything you say. HOWEVER I think the remark about Serbia is way off the mark. Serbia used to be a nightmare I agree - but over the past 4 years things have improved remarkably- especially at the border points. The motorway surfaces are not the best - probably on a par with Italy and parts of the UK. But Serbia has been a breeze for me over the past 4 years- there is no doubt that EU standard requirements are having an effect.
 

sgreat

Loveing Life !!
Driving to Turkey 2018
I can only speak as I found... As just said, I had no problems at all transiting through Serbia in June this year.. Yeah the roads aren't the best...but tbh I've seen far worse in the UK... A12 comes to mind.. We had a couple of stops, and found the locals to be very nice..The only negative was the 1hr delay at the the entry Border...Exit border into Bulgaria went smoothly....
 

ahmed226

Member
Driving to Turkey 2018
sounds very interesting. my Vauxhall corsa won't be able to hack it haha. steering started falling apart after doing 50,000 miles. bought it brand new too
 

evo80

Member
Driving to Turkey 2018
sounds very interesting. my Vauxhall corsa won't be able to hack it haha. steering started falling apart after doing 50,000 miles. bought it brand new too

That's about 4 years mileage .
I just sold a car I had for 6 years from new . 8000 miles .lol.
Who ever bought it after me got a real bargain .
 
Driving to Turkey 2018
Hello I wonder if some of you might have some suggestions.
I know this has been discussed probably many times before but it would be nice to get some relatively up to date info on driving from UK to Turkey.
Personally I'm thinking I'd rather go via Italy then across to Iguomenista and back up via Istanbul and my intended destination will be the Side area (we have a house near Manavgat)
I'm thinking this route may be the 'safer' route and maybe better roads plus the break from driving on the ferry and we plan to go around mid May.
I have a few questions though I'm hoping someone can answer, here goes -
Best route to Italy from Calais?
Any Tolls or Taxes between Calais and perhaps Ancona?
Should we get the ferry from Ancona or Brindisi?
Where is best to book that ferry, there are many online options?
How does this route compare with Hungary/Serbia/Bulgaria etc price wise (Tolls/Taxes etc)
All suggestions gratefully received
Thanks, Martin :hmm:
Buy your ticket at the port lots of agents and the tickets are usually half the price. The ferries are never full. We always used Superfast best price and they get there 5 min before the others!!
 

gally

Member
Driving to Turkey 2018
Buy your ticket at the port lots of agents and the tickets are usually half the price. The ferries are never full. We always used Superfast best price and they get there 5 min before the others!!

UOB Thanks, have you ever used Venice Port? Just imagining it to be popular/busy and concerned about not being able to get on a ferry from there if not pre booked?
I think I would prefer to go from Venice?
Thanks
 

Spurs

Spurs
Driving to Turkey 2018
As said by OP, if you pre-book I'm not sure what happens if you miss it. Never got to Ancona when I couldn't get on the next ferry to Greece.
 
Driving to Turkey 2018
UOB Thanks, have you ever used Venice Port? Just imagining it to be popular/busy and concerned about not being able to get on a ferry from there if not pre booked?
I think I would prefer to go from Venice?
Thanks
Sorry, no never Do superfast go there?
 

teklu

Member
Driving to Turkey 2018
Thanks for this info. I also need to make the trip and have been debating whether or not to do it. I still am, but at least I have learned a few things!
 
Driving to Turkey 2018
UOB Thanks, have you ever used Venice Port? Just imagining it to be popular/busy and concerned about not being able to get on a ferry from there if not pre booked?
I think I would prefer to go from Venice?
Thanks
*I don't know if S>F go to Venice
 

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