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Travel tips for Turkey: How to get there?

Barring a detour via the USSR, you first have to get to Istanbul or Ankara. Istanbul is a short 3-hour flight from London, and even shorter from points in continental Europe. Once there, you have these options.

AIR

Trabzon and Erzurum airports have regular scheduled service from Ankara and Istanbul. Samsun and Kars airports are served by scheduled "air taxi" flights from Ankara and Istanbul. The following one¬way fares are approximate dollar equival¬ents. In Istanbul, contact Turkish Airlines at (1) 573-3525; Istanbul Airlines at (1) 574-7300.
Samsun
THK "Air Taxi" daily to/from Istanbul. ($50), daily to/from Ankara ($35). Trabzon
Turkish Airlines daily to/from Ankara ($40), three direct flights weekly to/ from Istanbul ($55).
Istanbul Airlines three direct flights weekly to/from Istanbul ($40). Erzurum
Turkish Airlines daily to/from Ankara ($40).

LAND

Samsun is connected with Istanbul and Ankara by good paved roads of 737 and 438 km respectively. A car can easily average 75 kmph on the first and 85 kmph on the second. It is also possible to take the coastal road from Istanbul via Zonguldak and Sinop. This is 918 km long and much slower because of curvy sections, but also more scenic.
Trabzon is 363 km further away on a good hut occasionally crowded road. This take: about 5 hours by car, driving straight through.
Many bus companies provide cheap and fre (lucnt service between the region and other s
parts of Turkey, and within the region itself. Istanbul-Samsun takes about 12 hours by bus and costs $8. Istanbul-Trabzon is approxi¬mately 19 hours and costs $12. Ulusoy is the big name in this field, with hourly service between Istanbul and Samsun, and a large intra-regional fleet. In Istanbul, all buses leave from the Anadolu Terminal at Topkapi, but Ulusoy also has a pickup point at Taksim Inonü Cad #20, (1) 143-4736/143-1094/ 145-1522).

SEA

Turkish Maritime Lines operate two weekly ferryboats between Istanbul and vari¬ous Black Sea ports.
The M/F Ankara leaves Istanbul every Mon¬day at 1730, arriving in Samsun at 1930 Tues¬day and in Trabzon at 0800 Wednesday. It returns from Trabzon every Wednesday at 2200. Istanbul-Trabzon fares vary between $8 (Pullman seat) and $22 (bed & shower in A class cabin for two) per person. Cars cost $20.
The M/F Truva leaves Istanbul every Thurs¬day at 1900, and calls at Zonguldak (11 hours), Sinop (25 hours), Ordu (37 hours) and , Giresun (40 hours). It returns from Giresun at 1600 every Saturday. Istanbul-Giresun fares are similar to those for Istanbul-Trabzon. Boats depart from Sirkeci pier in Istanbul (below Topkapi Palace). Tickets may be pur¬chased there, or at TML headquarters in Karakoy, across the harbor. TML regional bureaus can be contacted at (361) 146 47 in Samsun, (371) 110 13 in Ordu, (051) 123 82
in Giresun, and (031) 120 81 in Trabzon. Dur¬ing the summer season advance reservations d are essential for cabins and cars.
t Sunquest Holidays in London (01-749 9911), RECA Handels Gmbh in Sindelf¬ingen, FRG (07031-86356), and Worms Cie - Maritime in Marseilles (91-9022) represent TML within their respective countries.