16 replies to this topic

[KJB]

Hi again!

We're officially coming your way.

Has anyone here driven from a European country to Incirlik? We will be coming from Germany and we're considering driving, but we'd like some advice from someone who has done it.

Anyone know what the deal is as far as best route, difficulties, etc.?

We'd be traveling with our big dog and our kiddies. We have no fear of distance, but bad roads or scary people might give us (me ) pause.

Thanks!
KJB

[Cukurbagli]

Hi KJB, there's a short report of a road trip from UK to Turkey here. I shouldn't think you'll experience too many problems apart from bringing your dog. You'll need to research thoroughly what records/certificates and injections/innoculations your dog will need. It would also be advisable to ask at Incirlik if anyone has any experience of it, you can't be the first one to have thought of it.

By the way, your car will be totally safe in Turkey with a big dog sitting inside it.

[KJB]

Thank you so much for the reply! I just read about her trip and I'm off to the map to see her route.

I've heard you can take a ferry from Italy and that sounds interesting too.

Thanks again! Very helpful to know someone else has done it and survived. I think our trip will be a little shorter than hers since we're already in Germany.

[Cukurbagli]

I have some friends here who brought two dogs from UK and the only time they needed documents was coming into Turkey, but that was five years ago.

[Devilhawk]

A lady I work with drove from Italy to here and didnt really have any issues. She traveled with a dog and her two kids and husband. Just make sure to have the proper paperwork for the car.

[techguy]

Another alternative is to drive to Italy and take a ferry to the Izmir area. I believe that there are two departure points for this in Italy, one near Aviano in northern Italy and another one in southern Italy. The ferry trips takes a day or two but you are not driving but enjoying the voyage. The trip from Izmir can be enjoyable depending on which route you take from there on: along the coast, through Konya, or otherwise.

[sunny]

Here is a link for the ferries from Ancona Italy to Cesme near Izmir.

Marmara Ferries


And here is More Information

[KJB]

Thanks everyone!

We're seriously considering the ferry route. We travel in late July, so it's going to be hot!

If anyone has any further thoughts or suggestions, please post!

I'll try and post what we do after we do it for future travelers.

Thanks again!

[Cukurbagli]

I'll try and post what we do after we do it for future travelers.

That's what we like to hear KJB all contributions gratefully accepted.

[Ken]

I had a friend who had an assignment to Italy after his assignment in Izmir, US Air Force. He traveled from Cesme to Brindisi Italy on the ferry. I believe he took his car with him. And that was on US Air Force travel orders. These ferries might be seasonal, though, I don't know if they operate year-round. Ferries are nice because you can relax and enjoy a little boat trip on the way, I recommend it. Nothing like having a relaxing boat trip along the way! But it's a very long drive from Cesme to Incirlik, and for that reason I might not recommend it. People often don't realize how BIG Turkey is, it's the same size as Texas. I used to drive from Incirlik to Izmir and back every month as part of my job, it takes all day to get there, like ten hours or so. It will take even longer from Cesme. Plus you might need a little Turkish to be able to get gasoline or if you have a problem along the way, if a big smile and various gestures don't work, of course!

If I were you, I would ship the car and fly to Adana rather than drive all that way (not just in Europe but in Turkey), but that's just me. Incirlik, of course, is right outside of Adana, and once you arrive at the airport, a taxi can take you there in less than 30 minutes. There are ample places to rent a car at Incirlik until your vehicle arrives, and you can get a good deal if you don't need the latest model of car.

If you do decide to drive, the best, most up-to-date information about the countries along the route can be found at http://travel.state.gov/. The US State department is responsible for having updated travel information for every country in the World. If you're going to drive, Please visit that site and click "International Travel" on the main menu, then navigate to specific countries from there. It's arguably the best travel advice you can get on the Web for travel by Americans to various countries, and it includes road conditions, things to look out for, etc. Do that for each country along the way, since some countries are more of a concern than others.

Well that's just my opinion, but offered to help make sure you arrive at Incirlik safely and with the minimum amount of hassle!

[KJB]

We're here!

We drove from Germany to Ancona, Italy and took the Maramara lines ferry. The ferry voyage took a full 48 hours. We stayed in cabins on the ferry which were adequate. The ferry had a restaurant and a cafe/bar.

We traveled in our Suburban with two softside luggage carriers strapped to the top and our German Shepherd. We did not have to remove the luggage carriers from the top to ride the ferry. They had kennels for animals and our dog stayed with a geriatric schnauzer and a sad cat for roomies. The trip was hard on our dog, but she is doing better now. She's kennel trained and used to a kennel, but only getting out for a few hours a day was hard on her. We also have five kids, so we couldn't have her out as much as we would have liked.

The ferry arrived at 1 am in Cesme. It took a full two hours to get through customs which was a little absurd. My husband's NATO orders were key to getting us moving. Surprisingly, they didn't care much about our dog and they didn't even make our kids get out of the vehicle (for which we were thankful).

We drove from Cesme to downtown Izmir and stayed at the Hilton since they allow pets. We were chased by a pack of three wild? dogs through the streets of Izmir. The dogs heard our dog and wanted a recruit, I guess. That was a little scary but the Hilton made up for it. The Hilton was awesome. Tremendous views of Izmir and a overall great hotel. They allowed our dog to sleep in our room with us and (although they seemed a little afraid of dogs, no wonder with the crazy loose dogs in the city) were very friendly and helpful.

We drove from Izmir to Ephesus and did a little sight seeing. Then we drove on to Pamukkale to see the hotsprings. We found a hotel (actually a guy on a moped found us and recruited us to stay at his place). We took our dog in this hotel with no problem, too.

The next day we "power drove" from Pamukkale all the way to Incirlik. We went through Konya and found the highways to be surprisingly great.

Overall, the trip was easier than expected. The roads were much better than we anticipated and services (gas, food, hotels) were everywhere. Everything was open very very late, too. Coming from Germany where services shut down early, that was really nice.

We are now in TLF, tired, but happy to be here.

Anyway, thought I'd post again in case anyone else is considering driving. I would do it again. Our only "complaint" was the lack of Western toilets on our route. Our kids, are especially glad to be back in the world of the tidy bowl.

[sunny]

Well done KJB. So glad to hear that you completed the trip successfully.

Thank you very much for posting about your experience which will be a great help to others.

I hope you and your family enjoy your life in Turkey.

[Abi]

That was a good read KJB and thanks from me also for posting. It was nice to see that you managed to see a fair bit on your way down so well done to you. Glad you all arrived safely and you all enjoy your time in Turkey.

[Devilhawk]

Glad you guys made it, i might make the trip in reverse depending on where I go from here...

[Cukurbagli]

Sounds like a successful trip, thanks for posting it.

[moshahidmiah]

hi i was wondering if it is possible to drive from england to turkey and back again and then back to turkey for a second visit within 6 months.

[sunny]

A tricky question. A vehicle's stay in Turkey is limited to 6 months but I will have to check about leaving and re-entry.
The visa, at present, is for 90 days and may be renewed at the end of that period by leaving and re-entering the country, which may be easy or difficult depending on where you plan to visit but it is rumoured that a new visa may be introduced early next year that allows 90 days in total within a 180 day period which may be better for you.