BY TRAIN
Trains rim directly to Istanbul from Athens and Bucharest. Some lines may be sus¬pended due to political crises in the Balkans. Eurail passes are not valid in Turkey, but InterRail passes are. The Under 26 InterRail Pass (from US$165) allows either 15 days or one month of unlimited travel within one, two, three, or all of the seven zones into which InterRail divides Europe; the cost is determined by the number of zones the pass covers. The Over 26 InterRail Pass (also zone-based) offers unlimited second-class travel for 22 days for US$220.If you have a Eurail pass and are traveling from Greece to Turkey, take the train as far as Alexandroupolis, and ride the bus from there. Beware: the 38hr. ride from Athens will wear out even tire most seasoned traveler.
BY FERRY
Femes connect Turkey to Greece, Northern Cyprus, and Italy. Reservations are recommended, especially in high season. Be warned that ferries run on irregular schedules. If you sleep on deck, bring warm clothes and a blanket. Don’t forget motion sickness medication, toilet paper, and a hand towel. Bring your own food to avoid high prices on board, and check in at least two hours in advance.
Connecting Turkey and Greece, ferries run between Ayvalık and Lesvos , Çeşme and Chios , Kuşadası and Samos , Bodrum and Kos and Marmaris and Rhodes (with connecting ferries to southern Cyprus and Israel) Between Italy and Turkey, ferries connect İzmir and Venice and Çeşme and Brindisi Ferries to Northern Cyprus leave from Alanya, Taşucu, and Mersin Individual city listings, referenced above, contain specific information about schedules and fares.
BY THUMB
Let’s Go does not recommend hitchhiking. Those who hitch between Turkey and Greece usually try to get to İstanbul in one ride from Alexandroupolis or Thessaloniki; there isn’t much traffic, and people are not permitted to walk across the border. Hitchhikers have said that they made sure the license plate number did not get stamped in their passports (but rather on another, disposable piece of paper), so that they wouldn’t have to produce the car to leave the country.
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