Getting Around Turkey

The short version

Fly between the regions, because it is quick and the domestic network is dense. Inside Istanbul use the tram, the metro and above all the ferries. In Cappadocia take a driver.

Domestic flights

Istanbul to Cappadocia, or to İzmir for Ephesus, is an hour in the air against a full day on the road. The network is extensive and the competition keeps it honest. Book internal legs early in high season, when the coast fills.

Istanbul

The city is split by water, which is the whole character of moving around it. The ferries are public transport rather than a tourist activity, they are cheap, and crossing the Bosphorus on one at dusk is the best thing you will do for the price all trip.

The tram runs through the historic peninsula and connects most of what a visitor wants on that side. The metro handles the modern city. A single rechargeable transit card covers tram, metro, funicular, bus and ferry, and buying one on arrival is the first sensible thing to do.

The nostalgic tram on İstiklal Avenue is charming and is not transport. Walk the street instead; it is faster.

Intercity coaches

Turkey's long-distance coach network is genuinely good, far more comfortable than the word suggests, and it reaches places planes do not. It is the right choice for a scenic leg or a smaller town, and the wrong choice for crossing the country when a flight exists.

Cappadocia

Take a driver or join a small group. The sites are spread across the region between Nevşehir, Ürgüp and Avanos, the valleys reward being dropped at one end and collected at the other, and the good light is at dawn and dusk when you least want to be navigating.

Taxis

Use the meter or an app. Fare disputes with visitors are the most common complaint in Istanbul and an app removes the argument entirely by settling the price before you get in.

One routing constraint

The FCDO advises against all travel within ten kilometres of the Turkey-Syria border, and in Hakkari province you must get permission from the local Governor's Office to visit areas near the borders with Iraq and Iran. Neither affects a normal itinerary through Istanbul, Cappadocia and the west, and our routings do not approach either.

See travel safety and accessible travel.

Sources

• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Turkey travel advice: the FCDO advises against all travel to parts of Turkey. Accessed 14 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Turkey regional risks: all travel advised against within ten kilometres of the Turkey-Syria border, and the Governor’s Office permission required in Hakkari province. Accessed 14 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Turkey safety and security: terrorism, earthquakes and tremors, and demonstrations that may become violent. Accessed 14 September 2026.