How to get to Turkey

The wide range of flights to Turkey from the UK (fewer from Ireland) take between three and a half and five hours, depending on your start and end point. Turkish Airlines (THY) flies direct from North America to Turkey, but North American airlines reach Turkey via a European gateway airport. Travelers from Australia and New Zealand usually fly via the Middle East or Asia, or use a Round-the-World (RTW) ticket that includes Istanbul. There are direct flights from South Africa to Istanbul.

Airfares from Europe and North America are at their highest during Easter week and from June to early September. They’re lower in April and May, and from late September into October, while you’ll get the best prices of all between November and March (excluding Christmas and New Year, when seats are at a premium). While the price of flights from Europe and to some extent North America are affected by Turkey’s high or summer season, for flights from the southern hemisphere, early booking rather than time of year is the most important criterion for bagging a cheap seat. Flight comparison sites like http://skyscanner.net and http://expedia.com are a good way to search for the cheapest option.

Flights from the UK and Ireland

You can fly direct from the UK to Istanbul (Istanbul or Sabiha Gökçen airports), İzmir, Bodrum, Dalaman and Antalya. Reaching any other destination in Turkey involves a change in Istanbul.

Direct, scheduled flights are provided by Turkish Airlines (THY; http://turkishairlines.com). THY flies from London (Gatwick or Heathrow), Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh. British Airways (BA; http://britishairways.com) links London (Gatwick or Heathrow) with Istanbul (Istanbul or Sabiha Gökçen) year-round, with less frequent flights from, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh. London is generally the cheapest departure airport.

Budget and charter flights

Among budget airlines, easyJet (http://easyjet.com) offers summer flights from Gatwick to İzmir; from Gatwick, Luton and Manchester to Antalya; from Bristol, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Luton, Gatwick or Stansted to Bodrum; and from Bristol, Gatwick, Manchester, Edinburgh or Stansted to Dalaman. Advance low-season fares can be very cheap, though late bookings can cost a premium.

Pegasus (http://flypgs.com) links Heathrow and Stansted to Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen International Airport year-round, from where they have a far-reaching network of domestic flights . Jet2 (http://jet2.com) has summer-only flights to Antalya, Dalaman and Bodrum from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leeds–Bradford, Manchester, the East Midlands and Newcastle.

The widest choice of charter flights to Turkish coastal resorts is offered by TUI (http://tui.co.uk), who filled the void created by the collapse of Thomas Cook in 2019; they also took over Thomson Holidays. There are year-round charters to Antalya and Dalaman, while services to İzmir and Bodrum usually operate from late April or early May to late October. Peak-season prices can be as high as scheduled flights, but in winter they be very low.

Flights from Ireland

From Belfast, British Airways offer year-round daily scheduled services, involving a stop in London or Manchester, but prices are relatively high compared to other UK airports. From Dublin, Turkish Airlines have a direct daily flight to Istanbul Airport. Usually the cheapest option is to use a budget carrier from either Dublin or Belfast to one of the UK cities, and connect with easyJet or Pegasus to Turkey from there.

Flights from the US and Canada

The cheapest way to reach Turkey from North America is to buy a bargain transatlantic fare to Europe, and arrange your onward flight separately.

THY has expanded significantly in the US and now offers direct flights between Istanbul and Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, New York (JFK), Los Angeles, and Washington DC. American Airlines (http://aa.com), United Airlines (http://united.com) and Delta (http://delta.com) partner up with European airlines: American Airlines stopping flights go via London; United via Frankfurt or London; and Delta via Amsterdam. European carriers route through their hubs: British Airways (http://ba.com) via London; Air France (http://airfrance.com) via Paris; KLM (http://klm.com) via Amsterdam; Lufthansa (http://lufthansa.com) via Frankfurt; and Swiss (http://swiss.com) via Zürich.

There is only one direct flight from Canada to Turkey: THY and Air Canada (http://aircanada.com) partner daily flights between Toronto and Istanbul. Otherwise, several airlines fly to Istanbul via major European hubs.

Flights from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa

There are no direct flights from Australia or New Zealand to Turkey. However, several options will get you there after either a plane change or short stopover in the airline’s hub city. The most straightforward routes are through the Middle East: Emirates via Dubai (http://emirates.com); Etihad Airways via Abu Dhabi (http://etihad.com); or Qatar Airways via Doha (http://qatarairways.com). Other options include Malaysia Airlines via Kuala Lumpur (http://malaysiaairlines.com); Singapore Airlines via Singapore (http://singaporeair.com); or South African Airways (http://flysaa.com) and Qantas (http://qantas.com) via Johannesburg in South Africa. THY (http://turkishairlines.com) also fly to Istanbul from Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Johannesburg. A marginally less expensive but far more time-consuming strategy would involve taking a flight to London and proceeding from there with one of the low-cost airlines

Round-the-World (RTW) tickets including Turkey use combinations of airlines, and could be worth considering for a long trip taking in many destinations; generally, some free stopovers are allowed. Fares vary enormously so shop around.

From South Africa, THY has direct flights from Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town to Istanbul. The other options from South Africa (with changes) are with Emirates, Etihad Airways or Qatar Airways. South African Airways (http://flysaa.com) flies daily to Frankfurt, Munich, London and Zürich, from where you can connect to Istanbul.

Trains

Traveling to Turkey by train is slow and expensive. It only makes sense if you are a rail buff or wish to visit several other countries en route. The best route from the UK begins with the Eurostar (http://eurostar.com) from London to Paris, then a high-speed service to Munich, followed by a sleeper to Budapest, and finally two more nights aboard sleepers to Istanbul (including a change in Bucharest), making a total journey of five days and four nights. Check the excellent http://seat61.com for more information. As each leg is booked separately, you can stop off in any of the cities where you change trains.

Interrail passes

The best train deal is provided by an Interrail pass (http://interrailnet.eu), which offers unlimited travel (except for express train supplements and reservation fees) on a zonal basis within thirty European rail networks. These passes are only available to European residents, and you must provide proof of residency to purchase one. To reach Turkey via the route described above, you’ll need a Global Pass.

Interrail passes do not allow free travel between Britain and the Continent, although Interrail pass holders are eligible for discounts on rail travel in Britain and Northern Ireland, the cross-Channel ferries, and the London to Paris or Brussels Eurostar service.

By car from Europe

You can drive from the UK to Turkey in three to four days. However, this allows little time for stopping and sleeping, and most travellers prefer to do it more slowly, taking in a few places en route. Customs formalities and car insurance once in Turkey are covered in ‘Getting around’ .

The all-land itinerary goes via Belgium, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, though a more relaxing (if less direct) route is through France, Italy and Greece.

Ferries from Greece

Many travelers take short-hop ferries or catamarans from the Greek islands to Turkish ports. These include Lésbos–Ayvalık, Chíos–Çeşme, Sámos–Kuşadası, Meis/Kastellórizo–Kaş, Kós–Bodrum and Rhodes–Marmaris and Fethiye. Services are daily in season (early May to early October), with much reduced sailings in winter. Fares are overpriced for the distances involved. All the above have car-shuttle services (though Kuşadası has only one car ferry weekly), bar those serving Fethiye and Kaş.