Expert: Oguz Kosebalaban - 7/19/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hello,

We are planning to visit turkey. we'll be coming from Georgia. the places we want to visit are: Cappadocia -> Side -> Ephesus -> Izmir -> Istanbul

we plan to get off in Samsun first than to take a bus to Cappadocia.

is it possible? are there direct buses from samsun to cappadocia?
maybe it would be better to take a bus from another city, like Trabzon, Unye or Ordu?..

also we plan to use buses during our whole trip, so could you please tell us if it is realistic?.. :)

how long does it take and what are prices for:

samsun - cappadocia
cappadocia - side
side - ephesus
ephesus - izmir
izmir - istanbul

ANSWER: Hi ;

5 days is not enough if you would like to see these places as well as the bus driving by them .

For 5 days ; you must be realistic ; yo can not cover all those sites :




If your purpose is to go to Cappadocia ; via Sivas is shorter :


Day 1 . You should look for a bus through  Sivas from Trabzon to go to Cappadocia ( city name  is  nevsehir, you can get from Kayseri as well.   If you are 4 travelling together, renting a car is also good option.

Each leg of 300 km is usually 30 - 40 lira ; 500 km trip is usually 40 - 50 lira by bus ( 2009 rates ) .  

Trabzon  to Nevsehir ( via Sivas ) 643 km 11 hour .  

Day 2 - 3  In Cappadocia


Day (4 ) ?


Day  5 return


( or you could just make it to Side , maybe with a brief stop in Cappadocia )

Bus tickets : Ankara to Cappadocia is possibly like 30 - 40 lira ,

Trabzon to Ankara is like 50 lira .
1 US $  = 1.54 lira

Enjoy it - Oguz



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hello,
thanks for an answer!

i have just one more question...

so if we take a night bus from samsun or maybe from trabson to cappadocia, spend there 1 day then take a night bus to pamukkale (denizli) then spend a day there than take another bus to ephesus and the last day in istanbul (on saturday we're going to a festival, so we'll be leaving back to georgia on monday)  

so how about this plan?...

ANSWER: if you are around the age twenties, if you can sleep on the bus, if you are ready for  very tiring trips it could be done. But will it be worth all the torture ; your legs will swell from sleeping in the bus and this you plan for 5 days at a row.  You will fall asleep here and there during day time . All those sites are worthwhile to see, for sure ; but not at the cost of torture.  


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hello,

thank you very much for your answers, it was helpful, we managed to visit
cappadocia and pamukkale and now in Istanbul at the moment, on a festival
acctually...

as we're going to georgia tomorrow (or today at night) i want to ask you,
where can i find timetables and prices for Istanbul-trabzon or istanbul-tbilisi
buses?

thanks in advance
best wishes
nino

Answer
Hi;

On internet search for turkish bus tariffs look for tiflis for tbilisi.

I looked up on internet ; this company has got comfy brand new busses to Tbilisi , and on a forum I read good feedback on them ; they use man fortuna busses :
http://www.mahmudoglu.com/  
their time table ( double check to see ) :
iSTANBUL-TİFLİS
Pazartesi    12.00    18.30
Salı          12.00    18.30
Çarşamba    12.00    18.30
Perşembe    12.00    18.30
Cuma    12.00    18.30
Cumartesi    16.00    -
Pazar          16.00    -


tickets were at one point possibly 50$ US.

their phones :

REZERVASYON:0-212-588 24 02

CENTER
BÜYÜK İSTANBUL OTOGARI NO:3 ESENLER İSTANBUL
Tel.: 0212.632 80 00
  
BRANCH : ( this is like 4 stops towards the airport from blue mosque stop of the street car : )
K.LANGA CAD.EMNİYET GARAJI NO:4 AKSARAY İSTANBUL
Tel.: 0212.588 24 02

their info is also at http://www.otogaristanbul.com/index.php?firma=10

this is the central bus terminal website, and they are listed, that is to say they should be a well established company.



Ulusoy busses make it to Trabzon :
Ulusoy is one most the most comfy and safest bus ; slightly pricier - you end up paying maybe 10 lira = 7$U.S. more.
their site to look at - buy ticket online   is www.ulusoy.com.tr

other good company sites :

www.metroturizm.com.tr , www.kamilkoc.com.tr , www.pamukkaleturizm.com.tr/

Bus ride tickets to Trabzon will be around 55 - 70 Lira.



Enjoy the ride
Oguz

p.s.


An airfare could be this much if you had bought your ticket in advance ; you could have a look at www.flypgs.com , www.sunexpress.com , www.onurair.com  .tr ?  , ( www.thy.com - expensive) to check flights, but with one day in advance cheap tickets are possibly sold out.