How to travel around Turkey
My last trip to Turkey
In 2005 I travelled to Turkey and joined a small group adventure tour to travel around the country. The tour was jam-packed with historical sites in western Turkey. Highlights were Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Ephesus, and Kas (pronounced like cash). Kas is on the Mediterranean Coast in the southeast, also known as the Turkish Riviera, also known as the Turquoise Coast.
Kas was my favorite place on the trip. So I decided to get back to Kas when I returned to Turkey. The other places were amazing but Kas felt like a place I could stay for a while.
My favorite place in Turkey
Kas is a town of about 7,000. It was a greek fishing village until the greeks were kicked out of Turkey, and vice versa, in 1923. (more about that event when I write about a deserted greek village I visited on my last day in Turkey).
It is backed by mountains and is about a mile away from an island belonging to Greece. It is also a long way from the closest airport, so it is not as easily accessible as some other spots along the coast. And that is why it is so charming.
To get back there I had to figure out how to travel around Turkey. I wasn’t sure it would be easy or cheap but it was both!
The way to Kas
With the help of the internet, I found that the closest airport to Kas is in Dalaman, two hours drive away. I then looked for flights and was shocked at the great price and availability. Flights to Dalaman left from both Istanbul airports several times a day, by two airlines, with costs starting at around $30! (I paid $20 extra to add full cancellation coverage, lunch, and early seat choice). But I had to pay for a bottle of water on the just over an hour flight.
I then searched online and found that I could get a taxi from the Dalaman airport to Kas for $80. That’s expensive but I couldn’t find any other option. But after booking my hotel, I contacted them asking for any other information on getting to them, and they led me to booking a very convenient airport shuttle for only 250 lira ($20).
The flight to Dalaman left from the Sabiha airport, the second international airport in Istanbul. To get there I had to cross the Bosphorus bridge to the Asian side of Istanbul. I had been told traffic could be crazy so had I given it a lot of extra time, but the taxi took about 45 minutes from my hotel.
Tips on booking flights, hotels, and transport in between
TIP – when booking flights, I check options with websites such as ITA Matrix, Google Flights, or Skyscanner. Then I go to the airline website to find the flights, where I usually find better options and service, and purchase there.
Or, best of all, use airline points. I love Avion through my RBC visa, since the points can be used on almost any flight, not just a certain airline.
TIP – it’s the other way around with booking hotels! I like to check the direct hotel website, but I most always find better deals and options when booking through a third party website – booking.com is my favorite. I always look for hotels with central locations so I can walk to attractions. And a seaview balcony? Yes please!
TIP – contact your hotel before you go to ask what your options are to get there. They can be very helpful. But they also may offer you a private shuttle, which will be more expensive than other options.
Kas to Fethiye
I booked a few nights in Kas, then two more nights in Fethiye. Fethiye is also on the turquoise coast, and is only 45 minutes from the Dalaman airport where I must return.
To get to Fethiye from Kas, the very easy and cheap option was to take a public bus. They run several times a day, and cost about $5. The bus stations are conviently located in the middle of the towns. I took inexpensive taxis to get to the bus stations.
And from Fethiye to the Dalaman airport, an airport shuttle runs several times a day, timed with flights, from the same bus station, for $4 (taxi to the station was $3). Or I could have paid 50 euros ($70) for a private shuttle that my hotel would have been happy to arrange for me!
I booked my flight to Dalaman and back before leaving home, but the shuttles and buses I only found once I was in Turkey.
I made a reservation for the shuttle from Dalaman to Kas, but not for the other transport since it wasn’t necessary. But it was just starting in to the tourist season. I would always recommend a reservation.
