Car Travel in Turkey

CAR TRAVEL IN TURKEY

In Turkey a driver's license issued in most foreign countries is acceptable. While Turkey has one of the world's highest car accident rates, driving is an excellent way to explore regions outside the major cities and having a car allows you the freedom that traveling by bus, train, or plane does not. Turkey has 40,000 km (25,000 miles) of paved and well-maintained highways, but off the intercity highways, surfaces are often poor and potholes frequent. A system of four-lane toll roads is now in place around Istanbul, Ankara, and İzmir, but most major highways are two lanes, and cars overtake with some frequency. Sometimes roads have a third lane meant for passing; although the road is usually labeled with which direction of traffic is expected to use it, drivers don't always follow this rule, so be extremely careful when passing. In general, always expect the unexpected. Don't, for example, assume that one-way streets are one-way in practice or that because you wouldn't do something, such as trying to pass in a dangerous situation, the other driver wouldn't either.

In the main cities, it's possible to hire a driver along with a car. In some remote places, a driver is usually included in the package with the rental car and will either be the owner of the vehicle or an employee of the agency. If you're particularly happy with the service, you may wish to give a tip in addition to the price you pay to the company. Around 20 TL for a day's driving is reasonable.

Driving in Istanbul and other major cities is best avoided. Urban streets and highways are constantly jammed with vehicles operated by high-speed lunatics as well as otherwise sober drivers who constantly honk their horns. In Istanbul, especially, just because a street is marked one-way, you never know when someone is going to barrel down it in the wrong direction. Parking is also a problem in cities and larger towns. In these places, it's best to leave your car in a garage and use public transportation or take taxis.

If possible, avoid driving on highways after dusk. Drivers often don’t use their lights and vehicles may be stopped on the roads in complete darkness. Carts and other farm vehicles are often not equipped with lights.

Highways are numbered or specified by direction (e.g., the route to Antalya). Trans-European highways have a European number as well as a Turkish number (E6 is the European number for Turkish Route D100, for example). Note, though, that route numbers may be inconsistent from map to map. Archaeological and historic sites are indicated by brown signposts.
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