TURKEY info?

Bert

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Done the homework for Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece etc but not for Turkey.

For those who have been (or live there!), could I get some info on places of interest/what to see with a small (!) narrative as to why it's worth visiting please?

Any good (read recent! ;) )tips appreciated- places to stay, friendly locals etc...
Ta v . much
Bert
 
First on my list would be Aya Sophia in Instanbul.

Going south are Gallipoli, Troy and Ephesus.

Heading east from there are Konya (whirling dervishes), Caravanserai and Capaddocia. Underground cities, third centuries churches and trogladitic dwellings...

See http://www.pachatours.com/Tours/ArtArchaeology/artarchaeology.html for some more ideas.

Tim
 
Backpacker type hostels are cheap and comfortable.

Food is good and cheap.

People are friendly.

Country is huge and varied.

Anything other than a main road could be classed as off-road :D
 
THank you all so far

6000 mile service booked in Wien and TKC's will be fitted too ;)
Roll on the calender!
 
Go to Budapest for 6000 mile service. Head mech at BM dealer was a good friend of Zsolt and will do a better job at a much better price.
Fixed my paralever pivot bearings for me last year. Booked bike in as a Police bike and fixed it after hours, with dealerships blessing, for much less than it should have cost and with zero notice.
Excelent mechanic, top dealership and good coffie whilst you wait:D
 
Check your insurance!

If you cross the bridge into asia in Istanbul some companies will not cover your insurance and can void the policy.
 
Bert

Some more stuff on Turkey.

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/richardandlisa/2003_09.php
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/duval/cat_turkey.php
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/kelly/000243.php
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/whyte/cat_.php

We loved the 'fairy chimneys' of Uçhisar in the Göreme valley (in Cappadocia).

I visited a couple of underground cities in central Anatolia. I think they were Derinkuyu and Kaymakli. Here's some links
http://www.turizm.net/cities/cappadocia/underground.htm
http://turkey.rdricketts.com/uncity.html

Also the churches; in one place there are several churches all together:
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/celynog/Cappadocia/cave.htm

Here's some more detailed info from a couple of walking tour by Explore Worldwide
http://www.exploreworldwide.com/worldwide/tourdetail.jsp?tourbroxid=12667 (click on view map)
http://www.exploreworldwide.com/worldwide/tourdetail.jsp?tourbroxid=12549 (map shows combo of West and East routes)

Depending what turns you on, you might also want to visit Çatalhöyük which is generally regarded as the OLDEST human city yet discovered, dating back to the neolithic age. See http://catal.arch.cam.ac.uk/catal/catal.html

I'm seriously thinking of Turkey as my next trip after Morocco, so I'll be extremely interested in your experiences both within Turkey and also the ride there and back.

Tim
 
Turkey's less spoilt and even more packed with historical stuff than Greece.......but watch out for the dolmush (mental minibuses driven by myopic failed racing drivers with a death wish)

Nice country.
 
21-Cappadocia-1.jpg


See http://www.spiritsofadventure.com/World Record Journal.htm

Tim
 
Nemrut Dagi

Definately worth visiting. From Capadocia in one day. Great route, lots of gravel and extremely friendly people. Spend the night there and be sure to be on the top of the hill before sunrise. Astonishing scenery!
213.jpg
 
Thank you

Zmeagol said:
Bert

This is a link to a whole pile of info on Turkey provided by Paolo Volpara and the 'One More Mile Riders Group': http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/country/turkey/

Includes info on people who will help you, including sales manager, BMW Turkey.

Tim

Thank you very much Tim, very interesting- have made notes.
Thoughtful of you
Cheers
 
route

Paolo Volpara (One More Mile Riders Academy) has been kind enough to send me an article entitled "The Four Corners of Turkey"
Apparently there are 167 trees between Diyarbakir and Sanli-Urfa on a stretch of road 190 Kms long without corners...makes for good reading.
Email me and I'll email you the attachment in Word.
Thanks for the link above Tim.
How are you getting on?
 
Paolo Volpara (One More Mile Riders Academy) has been kind enough to send me an article entitled "The Four Corners of Turkey"
Apparently there are 167 trees between Diyarbakir and Sanli-Urfa on a stretch of road 190 Kms long without corners...makes for good reading.
Email me and I'll email you the attachment in Word.
Thanks for the link above Tim.
How are you getting on?

You still on here bert, i quite fancy seeing this.

Shad
 
Posted this as a pm to expat but he is obviously caught up with something else, any other experts in the house?

Quote:
Originally Posted by ExpatinIstanbul
Ask away.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shadwell
Quote:
Originally Posted by ExpatinIstanbul
Hey Shad,

That'll be a sore bum trip, but a good one. In case you need anything when here my contact details are below, don't hesitate to use them if need be.

September's usually a mad month work wise, but if I can i'd be happy to meet for a beer.

Email:
Mobile: +

David

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shadwell
Hi expat,

Me and Al are off on a trip leaving UK on about 31 Aug to try and blast all the way over to Lake Van and back in about 23 days. (I know its a long way)

Be good to meet up for a beer or three when we come through Istanbul if you fancy it. always good to have some local knowledge when you are looking for a good pint of guinness))

Should be there around Sep 07th.

Shad
Thanks for the offer David,

I have a few questions bouncing round my head about Turkey. would you be averse to answering a few of them for me?

Shad
Ok in order of questions that i have no idea of the answer.

Is the best place to cross into Turkey from Bulgaria on the E80 to Edrine? We want to go into Istanbul, although people say try and avoid it.

Do you need any visa to get into Turkey these days?

Do you have to have a green card for Turkey to cover insurance or can i buy insurance at the border.

Re last question is that insurance worth the paper it is written on if i have an accident.

Re 2 questions ago, any idea what a couple weeks insurance gos to, and do you know where the office is to buy it.

Me and Al will both be on road tyres to Istanbul but love offroading so is finding somewhere to buy and change tyres easy enough and is it worth putting the TKC's on or is practically everywhere paved roads now?

Any must see's on the way east from Istanbul? we will initially aim for cappadoccia then see how time goes to see if going further east is an option.


And finally you are more than welcome to join us if you can get a few days off work?


Apologies if any of these are bone questions, however i have found several snippets of information all of which contradict themselves.

Thanks in advance

shad
 
Here we go then:

Is the best place to cross into Turkey from Bulgaria on the E80 to Edirne? We want to go into Istanbul, although people say try and avoid it. If you're riding to Van, you'll have little choice but to go through Istanbul. Your alternative is down to Gelipoli and across to Bursa. If you come in via Bulgaria (as good an option as any), then going via Gelipoli is a funny old route. I'd come in via Bulgaria, and maybe leave via Greece. Istanbul is pretty hectic and can be dangerous for bikes which is probably why you've been advised against it, but find the thread about Steptoes Istanbul Run a few years back and see first hand reports. It hasn't changed that much since!

Do you need any visa to get into Turkey these days?
Yes, a tourist visa, available at the port of entry - £10 or 15Euros last time I looked. You'll also need to get your bike registered at the border and they stamp your passport to say you bought your bike in. I've posted before about the best way of handling the checkpoint... i.e. ride through, park up and do it all on foot - in the right order of course!


Do you have to have a green card for Turkey to cover insurance or can i buy insurance at the border.
Easiest thing is to buy the insurance at the border.

Re last question is that insurance worth the paper it is written on if i have an accident.
Probably not. :) It's 3rd party I think...

Re 2 questions ago, any idea what a couple weeks insurance gos to, and do you know where the office is to buy it.
No idea.


Me and Al will both be on road tyres to Istanbul but love offroading so is finding somewhere to buy and change tyres easy enough and is it'worth putting the TKC's on or is practically everywhere paved roads now?
Lots of gravel around, especially if you get out of cities etc. and you can basically ride anywhere. As soon as you get out of towns and cities into the rural stuff, it will be so quiet, you may be just as tempted to stay on the road anyway... and some of the roads are of dubious quality anyway, so it can be a bit like off roading!! You'll be fine on Tourances, but TKCs are pretty good ... though finding them and having them fitted will be a pain and costly. (I bring tyres over from the UK as its cheaper!)

Any must see's on the way east from Istanbul? we will initially aim for cappadoccia then see how time goes to see if going further east is an option.
The further East you go, the less touristy it becomes, so if you want "sights", then don't go East but stick to places like Ephesus. If you want rural, unmarked ruins and locals who don't know anything, buy a guidebook for advise, but be prepared to follow your nose! Oh, and you can spend a week in Cappadocia exploring anyway!

And finally you are more than welcome to join us if you can get a few days off work?
Love to, but won't be around..
 
Thanks L,

That helps a lot.

We are now taking tyres from here, hopefully it wont be to difficult to find some one to fit them for us. I might even do it myself.

Shad
 
Olkan is your man to change the tyres and do any servicing work you may need. He's not a million miles away from the BMW dealer in Istinye (he's in Resitpasa) Doesn't speak any/much English, but if you need help, David or I can help I'm sure. And if you turn up with tyres and point a lot, I'm sure he'll get the idea.

(He's ex-BMW by the way)


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