Menu
Because of its large size and because it is a very tourist-oriented country, the question of how to get to Turkey will not be a problem: there are many options by land, sea and air. many options by land, sea and airso that you can choose the one that best suits your preferences.
In this page we review the main possibilities for those who come by plane, boat or other means of transportation.
Logically, air travel is the most common means of transport used by tourists to enter Turkey, since the main source markets for visitors come from distant countries, such as Western Europe, America and Asia.
In addition, the airport infrastructures are efficient and have been and have been expanded in recent years, so the variety and quality of options is a plus.
In addition, there is a wide variety of airlines operating in Turkey.
Of course, the most important one in this regard is national carrier: Turkish Airlines.
De hecho, se trata de una de las principales compañías del mundo en lo que respecta al número de destinos a los que viaja, con más de 300, repartidos por prácticamente todo el mundo (incluyendo Estados Unidos y Latinoamérica).
Otra aerolínea turca que cuenta con un amplio abanico de rutas es SunExpress.
In addition to Turkish Airlines and SunExpress, there are many other many other companies operating in the countrythanks to the tourist attraction of its main destinations.
Some of the airlines that can be mentioned in this sense are Lufthansa, Air France, British Airways or ITA Airways, among others.
In addition, Turkish Airlines has a code-sharing agreement with airlines from other countries with which it operates the same air route.
All this offers an additional advantage: the variety of combinations to reach Turkey is very wide when the flight is one stop or more.
In this way, many different routes can be followed to reach the Turkish destination of your choice.
To give you a general idea of the options you have to land in Turkey, we offer you a list of the main international airports in the country, as well as the list of Turkish or foreign airports with direct air connections:
Special mention should be made of the Atatürk International Airport (IATA Code: ISL). This airport used to serve the inhabitants and visitors of Istanbul, being located in Yesilkoy (European part of the city).
However, since 2019 it no longer operates regular commercial airlines and has been used for cargo flights, repair and maintenance operations and other special flights, such as diplomatic, charter or business flights.
Turkey has many other airports that are not considered international, but domestic.
This fact is interesting for those who are looking for a way to move around the country, but also for those who are looking for a way to get around the country. for those who wish to reach a very specific local destination and less known, lacking connections to other countries.
In this way, making a stopover in Istanbul or another local airport.
The vast majority of domestic flights within Turkey are operated by Turkish Airlines itself. Turkish Airlines or by one of its subsidiaries, especially Anadolu Jet, a ‘low cost’ or ‘low cost’ company.
You should know that the availability of these routes varies over time, so there may be some that are not operational at the time of consulting this content.
In any case, the airport with the most domestic flights is Istanbul (IATA code: IST).and is connected to practically all the airports in the country.
This is the list of such air routes to domestic airports:
In addition, the other international airports (Ankara Esenboga, Antalya, Izmir-Andan Menderes, Milas-Bodrum, Dalaman, Adana Sakirpasa and Sabiha Gökcen) also offer many other connections with the domestic airports listed above, so you can take them into account for a stopover or for domestic travel within the country.
For more information on these airports, please consult the Getting around Turkey.
The boat option as a means of transport to enter Turkey is feasible only if you plan to do so from a relatively nearby island. feasible only if you plan to do it from a relatively close island, since the ports of the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea in TurkeyThe Aegean and Mediterranean Sea ports in Turkey have hardly any connections with ports in other countries.
One of the routes that usually moves international travelers is the Tasucu-Tripoliwhich connects this city on the Turkish Mediterranean coast with this port in Lebanon, although it is not always operational.
Another international route that could be used as an entry route was the Istanbul (Karasu)-Odessa (Chornomorks) through the Black Sea, but geopolitical circumstances in the area led to the closure of operations in 2022.
On the other hand, another option could be the port of Izmir (Izmir)with connections to Athens and Thessaloniki (Greece)but both routes were inoperative at the time of writing.
Therefore, the ports in Turkey that have international ferry lines with Greek islands in the Aegean and can therefore serve as a gateway to the country are:
To all this can be added the ferry line of Tasucu-Girne (Northern Cyprus)with a journey time of 2 hours and a half.
In any case, most of the users of these international ferries use this service as an excursion of one or several days, returning back to their usual destination in Turkey.
If that is also your idea, do not forget to have everything in order as far as passport and visa is concerned, if your case requires it.
In this section of how to get to Turkey by boat we can mention one of our most demanded tourist products: the cruises to Turkey and the Greek islands of the Aegean. cruises in Turkey and the Greek islands of the Aegean..
Son circuitos que combinan estos dos países y que integran destinos espectaculares desde el punto de vista natural e histórico (Antigua Grecia), conformando así unas vacaciones de cultura y descanso únicas.
As we explained on this page about the geography of Turkeythis country has borders with eight other statesHowever, instability and often tense relations with them mean that some border crossings remain closed or are not a recommended entry point for tourist travel.
Especially on the border with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Syria and Iran.
Therefore, if you are planning a trip by car or bus to Turkey, the most feasible or recommended options are the following:
In any case, we recommend that you check with your embassy or consulate for updated information to ensure that these border crossings are safe and operational on your travel dates, or if any of the five non-recommended crossings have returned to normal and can be considered a valid way to enter Turkey.
Taking into account the above information about border crossing points, you will be interested to know that there are bus companies that operate major international linesusually departing from Istanbul:
The train presents itself as an interesting alternative for those wondering how to get to Turkey without taking the plane.
Since the road options are often long and cumbersome, with long waiting times in many cases, rail offers a comfortable counterpoint with a touch of romanticism for those who wish to reach Turkish soil, especially Istanbul.
These are some of the possible options from surrounding countries:
As you can see, there are many options on how to get to Turkey.
If you need advice on the subject, you can contact our agency.
Our travel packages do not usually include tickets to and from the country, whether by plane, train or other means of transport.
However, we can guide you and give you recommendations about it, especially taking into account the services that we will offer you once you arrive in the country (transfers, assistance, etc.).
Ask us what you need and do not leave to chance any detail about your exciting trip to Turkey.
Fill out the form below to receive a free, no-obligation, tailor-made quote from an agency specialized in Turkey.
