cececat

know flying is one way, but we will be spending most of our time schlepping around Izmir airport to Istanbul airport, then Dalaman airport to then drive for 2 hours.

I want to drive from Izmir to Kalkan and see the coast and take our time. We will be getting to Kalkan late (and when it is dark), just wondering if the roads are "well lit" and marked well?

Suggestions? thnx. ccc

Marilyn

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Enjoy Turkey!

AP6380

You are talking about 340 km, which is 211 miles from, say Selcuk to Kalkan. We drove from Kalkan to Bodrum, which was about 300 km (186 miles). Granted, we made a few stops, but subtracting them and adding in a detour it took about 5-6 hours. If you are planning to do this after your morning in Ephesus, it will be exhausting. If you could do a 2nd night in the Ephesus area then drive the next morning, that would be better. Izmir to Ephesus is around 60 km. The main roads were good, but the detour was BAD.

sinan

I think bests way to travel to Kalkan is STOP overnight in Bodrum Gokova or Dalaman. It's depend on your driving skils. DO not make this trip in a day. I do not recommend you.

Have a nice trip

Sinan Akdeniz

propertravel

realise that its hot ! If you want to stop by and exploer all the yellow signs you may need overnight somewhere.

Otherwise its a great drive, you can give breaks in between. Its ofcourse possible to do it in a day, easy ! The roads might be good and well lit but still do not drive at night if you can avoid. Altough its dark after 20:30 hours.

Happy Travelling

Murat

cececat

Dear Sinan, Murat,and AP6380 -- thanks for your reply. Have any of you personally driven from Seclukd to Kalkan ever? Murat, why do you say not to drive at night -- is it for safety's sake?

If I allow 5-6 hours, with a lunch stop and bathroom break -- and we leave our hotel in Secluk around 1:00 p.m., wouldn't that give us plenty of time to drive and get to the center of Kalkan town by dark? Is it a straight drive on the same road pretty much the whole way? What are speed limits like in Turkey?

Do you suggest we take the bus from Selcuk or Ephesus instead? Probably a whole lot cheaper too.

Please write back with comments and suggestions. Thanks to all. ccc

AP6380

I drove from Kalkan to Bodrum, then Bodrum to Kusadasi. Looking at a road map, from Kalkan to Bodrum, It looks like the main road would be the same one you would be taking. The road appears to be labeled "400." We hit a detour at some point which delayed us an hour. I would think driving any new road, especially in a foreign country, wouldn't be such a great idea. You might miss signs, etc.

When are you going? Take into account there may be less hours of daylight depending on when you go. I would probably try to leave Selcuk earlier if possible. I must admit I didn't pay attention to the speed limits, and found myself passing a lot of cars- and I don't drive that fast. I found the drivers much less aggressive than in Italy.

Will there be two of you taking turns driving?

cececat

Hello again. I will be doing all the driving. Hubby doesn't drive. Since you are being so helpful, I want to tell you my itinerary and tell me what you think. The only parts that are definitive and not changeable are the Kalkan and Istanbul parts. We arrive in Istanbul airport straight from U.S. and take a flight to Kayseri to go to Cappadocia for 2 nights. Then we fly back to Istanbul to catch a flight to Izmir and then on to Secluk for 1 night. Honestly, I am thinking of scratching Cappadocia, but heard I will miss out on alot if I do. I really do not want to miss Ephesus and if you can think of a better solution or suggestion, please let me know. After 6-7 nights in Kalkan (renting a villa) we go on to Istanbul for 3 nights and then fly home.

AP6380

I skipped Cappadocia for my 1st trip because I felt like I would definitely go back to Turkey, and it was going to add a lot more flights to my trip. I find that I am the kind of traveller that likes to explore countries in regions, not trying to cover the whole thing in one trip.

When you fly to Izmir, what time do you think tou will get to Selcuk? Can you tour Ephesus that day? Then spend the night, and leave early the next morning for Kalkan?

propertravel

All doable no problem. Do not touch Cappadocia. Even 2 days is not enough but still you will have the taste of it.
Take a day off from Kalkan and make your drive and Ephesus visit more relaxed. I saw your question why not driving at night ? Becouse we like to drive with one head light or sometimes none, our donkeys and caws and dogs love to strall on main highways especially at that part of the country and our local village motocyclists also may appear all of a sudden from out of blue A bit of kidding but the truth is we drive a bit different than you are used to. day time drive is a lot of fun but also please be careful for the animals & tractors etc. Police are heavly controlling the roads so over 90 km.s might cost you a ticket. have a lovely time and you are always welcome for a cup of coffee in Cappadocia / Goreme.

Happy Travelling
Murat

cececat

Hi, thanks for your feedback. We will be arriving in Secluk late afternoon, early evening, therefore not allowing us any time to see Ephesus that day. AP6380, did you ever go back to Turkey and see Cappodocia? Thanks Murat for your vote of confidence that we can do our itinerary as is. I have to make a decision soon because I have not booked my domestic flights or a car. Do you think I could wait to make my flights once I get to Turkey? Thanks for all your help. ccc

trvlgrl

Cappadocia is a wonderful land that looks like hobbits should live there and is worth going to see... 2 days should be enough to get a good flavour of the area (though of course more time would be better...but take what you can). The scenery is as wonderful as Southern Utah, though in its own way.

Kalkan is also a lovely spot to relax in, with really nice food, and Kos is also a nice town to visit.

If you want to "see" the coast, you would be better not to drive at night. In other threads, people have suggested taking a bus... have you considered that? Buses in Turkey are incredibly civilized affairs, are extremely clean, comfortable and well run, with snacks, tea and sprinklings of rose and orange water served up by the conductors. You could then let someone else do the driving, which would mean you could relax, enjoy the scenery, read a book, etc and save a bit of money. Then once you get to Kalkan, you could rent a car there to get around the villages - or stick with the inexpensive and frequent and easy public transportation options... buses & taxis.

AP6380

My first visit to Turkey was in June, but I'll definitely go back! Like I said, I like to see countries in regions. I've been to Italy 5x and and am planning my 3rd trip to Greece for next summer.

propertravel

Hi Cececat,
If you can book your dometic flights via an agency in Turkey it will be cheaper than booking elswhere and you avoid possible answer of this flight is full ! Car rental is usually is easy but again prebooking might save you some dollars.
Happy Travelling,

Murat