Hi ,
We are going to Turkey in a month. We want to travel independently .
We are having a lot of trouble booking buses. Maybe a train and/or a flight .
When the page translates we still can't work out the sites.
Does anyone know an agent who will book our buses and posssibly day trips and acccomodation if we give them all the information we have?.
Thanks
Travelling to Turkey Independently
clloyd on 29/05/2018 - 14:25
Comments
I used to work in the travel industry - these guyes were regarded as THE experts on travel to Turkey - no-one else was close: http://www.transturk.com.au/
Bear in mind you'll likely have to pay service fees for them to book anything thats not commissionable through them.
Thanks. I will look into that. We travel independently a lot but I just want this bit be eady We are traveling for 10 weeks andI want it to be fun. Not a chore.
10 years back we travelled independently in Turkey.
Used this site for advice : https://turkeytravelplanner.com/
advice proved to be accurate.Agree with Greenpossum. And, you will be pestered. Yo need to go with the flow a bit, not stress too much.
Example: booked overnight sleeper bus from Selcuk to Goreme, assured multiple times drop off in Goreme. Not so. Turfed off bus 5am somewhere with another couple, Japanese, who seemed to be in the know. Guy rocked up and we followed to his establishment where he tried to sell us day trips for the area. sound familiar to anyone?
Finally, minibus rocks up and takes us to Goreme, 30 minute drive. That is Turkey.Example 2: Arrived by ferry from Greece into Bodrum. No turkish currency, expected an ATM as you do, but ATM was on the other side of the border, would still have been there on the dock had not a kind fellow traveller not paid for our entry fee, which we recompensed from the now accessible ATM.
We booked accomm. from Australia, this was easy.
Internal transport we booked as we went, maybe a day ahead. Beware, buses are cheap but very hard work. Internal flights should be considered.
Tours we booked a day or so ahead, lots of local agents etc. be prepared to haggle the price.I have looked st that. I have now written to a tour company who has the exact trip I want except they go to Ephuses and I want to skip thet( been there). Not very ozbargain like but I think it sounds great.
The other thing is many otogars (bus stations) are outside the city so if it doesn't cramp your style fixing the date of departure and you want to be sure of a ticket, buy it on arrival before you take the local dolmus into town. But it'll usually be ok to buy on the day.
Thank you. I love that everyone is so helpful.
I just revisited the travelplanner site after 10+ years and it still seems relevant.
please do a balloon flight in cappadocia. Doesnt get much better. Our pilot landed the balloon back onto its trailer! unbelievable but true. He did say it was unusual.
also recommend visit to the underground cities nearby.have a great trip, and ozbargainers are OK with organised tours as long as it is good value.
Don't bother booking journeys on standard bus routes. Just buy the tickets when you are there, or perhaps a day or two earlier. But keep an eye on the Turkish holiday calendar.
Same with day tours, you will find a lot of choice when you are there. You will be pestered, in fact.