Practical Intercity bus travel in Turkey guide
I’m a member of too many Facebook Turkey travel groups to count, and see questions about intercity bus travel in Turkey pop up all the time. I wondered why so I did a bit of searching to see what information was already available. What I found were some brief overviews of bus travel in Turkey on big name travel websites give overviews and blogger guides to intercity bus travel in Turkey based on a handful of journeys at most.
There was no one guide going into all the nuts and bolts of intercity bus travel in Turkey, from how to book your ticket, online or in person, and answers to questions like can I choose my seat, are there toilets onboard, to what happens when you arrive at your destination.
As a long-time user (I mean decades) of buses for long distance travel in Turkey, I decided to fill the gap. Based on that experience, here are my top tips to using and enjoying intercity bus travel in Turkey.
How to buy tickets for intercity bus travel in Turkey
One of the simplest ways to book bus tickets is online. I use the Obilet App. It has Turkish and English language options, as well as 15 others, and includes almost all the bus companies going to a particular destination. This makes it straightforward to compare prices and times. Their live customer service lines include English speakers, and you can easily cancel your ticket and get a refund from six up to two hours before your trip. Always check the specifics of this as it depends on individual bus company policies.
You can also book through individual bus company websites and apps but that doesn’t let you compare prices, routes and times.
If you prefer to buy your ticket in person you can go to the bus station, but in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir they are some distance away from the city centre. Rather than make an extra trip, look up the location of individual bus offices in the area closest to you. For example, I live in Kadikoy (add general Kadikoy link when live), and the bus company offices are located on Rıthım Caddesi that runs parallel to the waterfront, and surrounding streets.
The staff are usually very helpful but don’t expect them to know English. Use a translate app or, failing that, use an old-fashioned pen and paper to write down your starting point and destination, and have them write down the times and prices for you.
Outside of major cities in Turkey bus stations are often inside city limits, rather than set in light industrial areas. They can be ramshackle affairs more like big carparks than bus terminals, with small portable company offices set up around the perimeter. The further east you travel the less English-speaking staff you’ll encounter, combined with more unfamiliar bus company names.
As a rule of thumb if I’m travelling to/from a particular place, I’ll use the bus company originating from that city. For example, if I’m in Gaziantep and I’m headed to Şanlıurfa , I’ll go for the Urfa Cesur buses. They’re more likely to have auxiliary facilities (see service buses below), toilets and sometimes cafes on site.
However you do it, always book in advance especially in the lead up to national and school holidays. Every person and their pet will be on the road heading somewhere so if you don’t want to miss out, bookmark my guide to Turkish National Public Holidays.
How to choose your seat
Whether you book online or in person for your intercity bus travel in Turkey, you can choose where you want to sit. Even if you plan to go into a bus company office to buy your ticket, I recommend checking out the route on OBilet first.
As well as seeing the seat layout, you can find out which side the sun will be on during your journey, where the bus is coming from, where it will stop along the way, ticket cancellation terms and the time of arrival at your destination.
Regarding that last point, if you’re connecting with another form of transport allow time for delays. The bus companies do their best but unforeseeable events like accidents and so on can cause delays.
Generally couples are allocated seats together on intercity bus travel in Turkey, and women travelling solo in Turkey won’t be seated next to a man they don’t know. If when you board the bus there is a guy in the seat next to you and that is not OK with you, don’t be embarrassed to make a fuss until they change the seating configuration. Check out my Solo Travel Tips Turkey for more helpful information if you’re travelling on your own.
To avoid the problem all together, for a small extra charge you can book a single seat. It’s one of the few positives to come out of Covid which was when this arrangement was introduced.
Do be aware, however, that they can and do change bus models at the last minute. You’ll still get the same seat number but it might be in a slightly different location in the bus. If you’ve purchased one of the single row seats you won’t be too affected but if you’re like me and travel with a partner and want to sit at the middle door, you can board and find you’re one row back.
Getting to the Bus Station (Otogar in Turkish)
In the past and even now in smaller cities and large villages, intercity bus stations are located inside the town limits.
In big cities like Istanbul, Bursa, Ankara, Izmir and so on, the intercity otogar are some distance from the tourist centres.
These major bus stations service multiple bus companies while in other locations, like on the Asian side of the Istanbul, bus companies have their own small scale bus stations, often in the same suburb but on different streets.
Some but not all companies run what they call service buses that take you from the city bus station or bus company station to a major centre like Kadikoy and so on, free of charge. The thing is take the most circuitous routes possible and stop a billion times, often adding an hour or more to what will be or has already been a long journey. If that doesn’t put you off, ask about them when you book in person at the bus station or one of their offices.
The huge Esenler Otogar (it even has a library in it) in Istanbul is on the M1A Yenikapı – Atatürk Havalimanı and the M1B Yenıkapi-Kirazlı metro lines. If you’re staying around Eminonu you can catch the Marmaray from Sirkeci to Yenıkapi and transfer to either metro line there. From Taksim catch the funicular down to Kabataş and catch the tram to Aksaray and then walk 500 metres to the Aksaray Metro Station. Both lines run through it. The same tram runs through Sultanahmet so you use this route if you’re staying there.
Whichever M1 metro you catch, get out at the Otogar metro stop and the actual Otogar, the bus station, is only a couple of minutes walk away
If you’re in a group, have small children, heavy luggage or mobility concerns, you can catch a taxi to or from the bus station to your Istanbul hotel but I recommend always using the Bitaksi App. Make sure the driver switches on the meter before you leave. If he won’t, get out and take choose another driver.
Luggage
When I first started doing intercity bus travel in Turkey it wasn’t uncommon for people to stow huge sacks full of clothes, enormous barrels of cheese and I have no idea what else in the luggage compartment under the bus. Even we did it once when we moved from Istanbul to Antalya. A friend slipped the assistant a tip and he was more than happy to take our two backpacks and five boxes of belongings.
Bus stations can be very chaotic with seemingly random men floating around, calling out what seem like unintelligible words but are actually the names of places and bus services and demands to see your tickets. Don’t panic if one of them grabs your bags and makes off with them. Just follow him to the bus, make sure he gives you a ticket with your seat number on it for your luggage and then board the bus and get settled.
These days, especially on the west coast and central Turkey services, bus companies limit what you can bring. Normal backpacks and suitcase size roller bags are OK but there might be restrictions on hand luggage, mainly because the overhead sections can be rather shallow and not very deep. You won’t be allowed to shove in large bags overhead in case they shake loose during the trip, so unless you want to sit with them stuffed uncomfortably in the limited space at your feet, I recommend you redistribute your belongings when you pack.
What can you expect on intercity bus travel in Turkey
After you’re seated the bus attendant, usually a youngish man but more recently young women too, will come along and check everyone’s ticket. Once they’re sure everyone’s on board, the bus starts up and leaves, hopefully on time. Depending on the bus company, the time and the route you’re on, the bus attendant will come along and offer to sprinkle some lemon cologne on your hands. It’s a very old tradition of welcome, but is also a good way to keep your hands clean and feel refreshed.
At various points during your intercity bus travel in Turkey journey the attendant sets up a snazzy little trolley and comes along the aisle offering soft drinks, water and snacks like sweet or savoury biscuits, gofret (wafers) and cakes in little packets (some of the brands are Popkek or Dankek and I love them!). Pre-Covid they offered tea and coffee too but I haven’t seen that in a long time. Outside of the snack service you’re welcome to ask for water (su) when you get thirsty.
Free wi-fi is a relatively recent offering on intercity bus travel in Turkey but I have yet to be on a bus where it actually works. Many have screens on the back of the seat in front of you showing Turkish TV programs, and power points should you need to recharge your mobile, your tablet or laptop.
The seats recline which is good news if unlike me you’re one of those people who can sleep on buses, trains and planes. I’m not a fan of neck pillows but if you are, bring one along, especially for overnight trips. I always take a large cotton scarf/shawl to wad up as a pillow or cover myself with. Regardless of what I’m wearing and whether I’m travelling in summer or another season, the air-con is often set to winter inside.
Aside from scheduled stops, it’s common for intercity buses to be stopped by the jandarma, the Turkish security services responsible for rural areas, and sometimes even the army. The further east you travel towards eastern Turkey the more likelihood of identity checks.
By law you must carry the ID you used to enter Turkey on you at all times, even on the beach. This means a passport for most of us or a European ID card. Photocopies and screenshots are not acceptable. These checks are usually nothing to worry about as they are generally after specific people such as young men avoiding their obligatory military service. However be polite when asked for your ID, and remember you are a guest in Turkey, not a citizen travelling in your country.
Comfort stops, or as Australians call them, loo breaks
Some of the more prestigious companies have toilets on board which may or may not be a good thing depending on whether the attendant checks the state of them after each passenger use.
More often the bus will stop at various points along the way, and the attendant will let passengers know how long they have at each stop. This is usually announced in Turkish so always let the attendant or the driver know you’re going to the toilet, especially at a big otogar or you’re travelling solo. Toilets can be a long way from the bus bay you’re parked in and you don’t want to get left behind.
This happened to me once in Gebze and it was very disconcerting, even though I speak Turkish. Should this happen to you, either locate a bus from the same company and ask them for help or go to their office inside the otogar. It’s also a good idea to photograph the number plate of your bus. At bus stations like Bursa there can be six or more identical buses parked side by side. And yes, I have boarded the wrong one.
Usually you have to pay to use loos at bus stations. Always carry tissues and collect the free ıslak mendil (wet wipes) given away by restaurants. Public toilets might start the day fully equipped but there’s no guarantee that’ll be the case as the day rolls on.
Some companies stop at dinlenme tesisleri as well as bus stations. These are places where you can buy hot and cold meals, Turkish souvenirs , chocolates, drinks and so on. Usually you line up at the cashier, the kasa, and place your order. Then you take the receipt they give you over to the food counter, and wait for your food to be prepared.
A number of the larger bus companies have their own rest stops where the toilets are free, but this isn’t universal. Until recently it was usual to have a 30-minute meal break on trips of 7 to 8 hours or more. However on a recent trip with Kamil Koç I discovered this was no longer the case for them. Luckily I always travel with my own food but really appreciate being able to stretch my legs and get some fresh air.
Ticket cancellations
As I mentioned in the ‘How to buy tickets for intercity bus travel in Turkey’ section above, it is usually possible to cancel your reservations and get a full refund, provided you do so within the time frame specified. You can also opt for a different day and time of your ticket, and even change it to an open ticket, valid for up to one year. If you book online you can arrange this yourself, otherwise you’ll need to do this in person, normally back where you purchased the ticket in the first place.
Some useful vocabulary for intercity bus travel in Turkey
Bilet – ticket Otogar – bus station Kimlik – identity card
Kasa – cashier Koltuk – seat Koltuk numerası – seat number
Nerede iniyor musunuz? – Where are you getting off (the bus)?
Pasaport passport Peron – platform Servis bus var mı? – Is there a service bus?
Tek kişi – single person Tuvalet – toilet Tuvalet nerede? – Where is the toilet?
Final words of advice
Cheaper isn’t always better when it comes to intercity bus travel in Turkey. What you pay can effect anything from the level of service and facilities on the bus, to the length of your journey. In recent years a number of new tollways have been opened throughout the country. They dramatically shorten the time needed to get from point A to B, but cost a lot to use. Consequently, some companies still use cheaper or free highways and this is reflected in the price of the ticket. To avoid going the long way round, use Obilet to compare prices, see the difference in journey times and whether or not they use new roads.
Big companies like Uludağ, Metro and Kamil Koç dominate the industry. Apart from the former, I wouldn’t recommend any one particular company as my past and recent experiences on a range of bus lines has been varied. After a recent trip with Metro when I nearly missed the ferry to Chios because they were 40 minutes late, and the return trip with Kale Seyahat where they arrived more than an hour after the scheduled time, I can’t recommend either of them. The last time I used Metro was more than a decade ago and they are they are as unreliable now as they were then but unfortunately there was no alternative available. If you want to know more about a particular company check their reviews on Google. Even with the idiosyncrasies of the translations, it’s pretty easy to learn which company to avoid like the plague and which are good to go.
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That’s it from me about intercity bus travel in Turkey. It’s a great way to see the country and meet ordinary Turks going about their lives. Here are some other tips on getting around and what you need to know before planning your trip in Turkey so you have the best possible time. After all, we want you to want to come back!
For FLIGHTS I like to use Kiwi.com.
Don’t pay extra for an E-VISA. Here’s my post on everything to know before you take off.
E-SIM are the way to go to stay connected with a local phone number and mobile data on the go. Airalo is easy to use and affordable.
Even if I never claim on it, I always take out TRAVEL INSURANCE. I recommend Visitors Coverage.
I’m a big advocate of public transport, but know it’s not suitable for everyone all the time. When I need to be picked up from or get to Istanbul Airport or Sabiha Gokcen Airport, I use one of these GetYourGuide website AIRPORT TRANSFERS.
ACCOMMODATION: When I want to find a place to stay I use Booking.com.
CITY TOURS & DAY TRIPS: Let me guide you around Kadikoy with my audio walking tour Stepping back through Chalcedon or venture further afield with my bespoke guidebook Istanbul 50 Unsung Places. I know you’ll love visiting the lesser-known sites I’ve included. It’s based on using public transport as much as possible so you won’t be adding too much to your carbon footprint. Then read about what you’ve seen and experienced in my three essay collections and memoir about moving to Istanbul permanently.
Browse the GetYourGuide website or Viator to find even more ways to experience Istanbul and Turkey with food tours, visits to the old city, evening Bosphorus cruises and more!
However you travel, stay safe and have fun! Iyi yolculuklar.
