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[kiwi7kiwi]

My sister and I are traveling to Turkey alone for the first time and are not wanting to drive there. We have heard the buses are safe and comfortable. We are in a different town almost every day for 2 weeks so hope to get around by bus. Are there unlimited bus passes? If not, can we buy tickets all at one place or do we need to buy tickets each day? Also, we have heard women traveling alone might get hassled for not having men with us. What do you suggest?

[manzara]

Certainly the inter-city buses throughout Turkey are safe, comfortable and inexpensive. There are many companies operating all routes throughout the country such as Ulusoy, Metro, Varan, Pamukale Kamil Koç and many others. You can book on the day at the bus station (Otogar) or, if you know the exact dates and destinations, book tickets for several journeys at the same time. Unfortunately there are no unlimited travel passes. For shorter journeys btrween smaller town and villages, the Dolmuş (shared mini-bus service) is both frequent and inexpensive

I wouldn't worry about travelling with your sister. Turkey is a predominantly safe and friendly country. You may attract attention as a 'foreigner' in smaller towns or villages but only out of interest. I am sure, too, if visiting small villages you would both dress modestly. You may get hassled occasionally by shopkeepers but it's almost always friendly banter and you should accept it with a smile and a polite refusal if you don't want to buy.

Enjoy your holiday in our lovely country and do let me know if I can help further. Sorry for the delayed response we have had 12 members of our large family staying with us recently and I've only just found the laptop again!

[kiwi7kiwi]

My sister and I are traveling to Turkey alone for the first time and are not wanting to drive there. We have heard the buses are safe and comfortable. We are in a different town almost every day for 2 weeks so hope to get around by bus. Are there unlimited bus passes? If not, can we buy tickets all at one place or do we need to buy tickets each day? Also, we have heard women traveling alone might get hassled for not having men with us. What do you suggest?

Thanks so much for your response. IT will help us greatly. Do you think we can get from town to town and then hotel to hotel after we depart from the bus? From Antalya we go to Kas then to Marmaris, Bodrum, Selcuk, Cesme, Canakkale, and back to Istanbul. The hotel in Ankara quoted us 90 euro to get from the airport in Ankara to the Sheraton! That is more than our 10 hour tour in Istanbul. What do you suggest we do to get from the airport to the Sheraton in an economical way? We will only have carry on luggage as we don't want to be strapped down with big suitcases. Also, what do you think of a tour of Ankara in the morning before we set off on the 3 pm bus for Cappadocia? There only seems to be 2 main things to do in Ankara so do we need a tour or are the attractions close to the SHeraton so we could take a bus?

[kiwi7kiwi]

My sister and I are traveling to Turkey alone for the first time and are not wanting to drive there. We have heard the buses are safe and comfortable. We are in a different town almost every day for 2 weeks so hope to get around by bus. Are there unlimited bus passes? If not, can we buy tickets all at one place or do we need to buy tickets each day? Also, we have heard women traveling alone might get hassled for not having men with us. What do you suggest?

Thanks so much for your response. IT will help us greatly. Do you think we can get from town to town and then hotel to hotel after we depart from the bus? From Antalya we go to Kas then to Marmaris, Bodrum, Selcuk, Cesme, Canakkale, and back to Istanbul. The hotel in Ankara quoted us 90 euro to get from the airport in Ankara to the Sheraton! That is more than our 10 hour tour in Istanbul. What do you suggest we do to get from the airport to the Sheraton in an economical way? We will only have carry on luggage as we don't want to be strapped down with big suitcases. Also, what do you think of a tour of Ankara in the morning before we set off on the 3 pm bus for Cappadocia? There only seems to be 2 main things to do in Ankara so do we need a tour or are the attractions close to the SHeraton so we could take a bus?

[manzara]

Hello again. The price quoted by the Sheraton Hotel for an airport transfer does seem excessive. But then hotel prices often are!

There are regular Havaş buses from the airport to the city centre costing, I think, around 10 Turkish Lira. From the end of the route (or show the driver the name of the hotel and he may suggest a different stop) I would suggest you take a taxi to the hotel which may only cost (very approximately) 25 TL.

Have a look at the Ankara Airport webite here for useful information on shuttle and bus services.

Do let me know if you require any more information on your trip, especially if you do reach Çeşme (where we have lived for over 15 years) or the Selçuk area which I know extremely well - and İstanbul of course,

Enjoy your travels!

[manzara]

Hello again. The price quoted by the Sheraton Hotel for an airport transfer does seem excessive. But then hotel prices often are!

There are regular Havaş buses from the airport to the city centre costing, I think, around 10 Turkish Lira. From the end of the route (or show the driver the name of the hotel and he may suggest a different stop) I would suggest you take a taxi to the hotel which may only cost (very approximately) 25 TL.

Have a look at the Ankara Airport webite here for useful information on shuttle and bus services.

Do let me know if you require any more information on your trip, especially if you do reach Çeşme (where we have lived for over 15 years) or the Selçuk area which I know extremely well - and İstanbul of course,

Enjoy your travels!

[kiwi7kiwi]

Hello again. The price quoted by the Sheraton Hotel for an airport transfer does seem excessive. But then hotel prices often are!

There are regular Havaş buses from the airport to the city centre costing, I think, around 10 Turkish Lira. From the end of the route (or show the driver the name of the hotel and he may suggest a different stop) I would suggest you take a taxi to the hotel which may only cost (very approximately) 25 TL.

Have a look at the Ankara Airport webite here for useful information on shuttle and bus services.

Do let me know if you require any more information on your trip, especially if you do reach Çeşme (where we have lived for over 15 years) or the Selçuk area which I know extremely well - and İstanbul of course,

Enjoy your travels!

WOW thanks for all the useful information! We are staying at the Sheraton Cesme for 2 nights and then the Terrace Houses Sirince in Sirince by Selcuk. Which is the best day tour to book Ephesus? We don't have a car so we need to either get someone to pick us up at the Terrace Houses or get buses to Ephesus from there. The Terrace looks so nice online. I hope it is as good in person.

[manzara]

Glad to help! If your itinerary allows it, I would avoid weekends at Ephesus. Being the single most visited tourist attraction in the whole of Turkey, it can be busy at any time, but especially weekends. Also, try to get there early morning before the coaches form hotels and cruise ships arrive. Your Şirince hotel has excellent reviews on TripAdvisor.

There is a regular and frequent bus service from Şirince to Selçuk and from there it's just a fairly short taxi journey to Ephesus. Not sure how long you will be in Şirince but I am sure you will have researched other places to visit in the Selçuk area if you have time such as, for instance, the Temple of Artemis (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World), the İsa Bey Mosque, Mary's House, etc.

Have a great trip and enjoy Çeşme and the Çeşme Sheraton, located on lovely Ilıca Beach with an aquamarine sea warmed by underwater thermal springs.

Do let me know if I can help further.

[kiwi7kiwi]

Thanks again. Very useful information. I may have to ask you more questions as we go along. I will have my laptop. Can't wait for Tuesday when we leave for Turkey.

[manzara]

No problem and please don't hesitate to get in touch during your trip if you think I can help. Post here or send a message through TravelPod.

Have a good journey to Turkey next week and enjoy your travels in this lovely country.