Often when planning a trip here, whether it’s to look for a property in Turkey to invest in or for a holiday in one of the country’s beautiful – and increasingly popular – coastal resorts, then the subject of getting around the country itself pops up.
Turkey has a good intercity bus system and the local transport by bus is known as the Dolmus. The latter tends to run regularly between towns and villages and is pretty reliably on the whole, we’ve found here at Oceanwide Properties Turkey.
Getting Around Turkey by Bus
Like in Britain, the Dolmus bus system (which is actually pronounced Dolmush) operates via a timetable. However one striking difference between the UK and the Turkish system is that the bus driver is permitted to drop travellers anywhere they like on a particular route (ie it could be outside their very gate). Fares are reasonable.
Intercity is the large, air conditioned and more reliable bus system. These buses aren’t expensive and you’ll find a good daytime and evening service between most major Turkish cities. It’s best to buy tickets a couple of days in advance in order to secure a seat.
Travelling Around Turkey via a Taxi
You’ll no doubt spot yellow taxis in Turkish towns, villages and cities. These have a meter which has a separate (and more expensive) night tariff. The latter runs from 12 midnight to 6am. Tips aren’t obligatory although it is common practice to round up the fare to the nearest lire.
Hiring a Car in Turkey
Of course another way of getting around the countryside and towns in order to visit Turkish property or generally sight see, is by means of a private car. It’s easy to hire a car in Turkey, provided you have a valid UK driving licence to hand and are over 21 years of age.
You’ll find that third party insurance isn’t an option – it has to be paid for and it’s a good idea to consider taking out collision and personal injury insurance too.
When driving you’ll be on the right hand side and expected to wear a seat belt if sitting in the front seats. The speed limits for the motorways is 120 kph, 90 kph for highways and 50 kph for towns. Speeding violations take the form of on-the-spot cash fines
If planning to visit smaller villages and therefore drive through the Turkish countryside then, like the north of Scotland, it’s a good idea to look out for animals on the road. In the islands of Skye it’s sheep and Highland cows, in Turkey you can expect to find goats, chickens and various types of cattle. In other words, it’s advisable to drive extremely slowly.
If you’re planning to visit Turkey in the near future – either to look at property for sale in Fethiye or other coastal areas or, as we mentioned above, for a holiday, then do get in touch with us here at Oceanwide Properties where we can show you plenty of property for sale and also advise on holiday lets.
Image via EatingAsia.com
