Devon to Turkey by car - has anyone driven there before?

devondisplay

Good morning from Devon

I need to get to Turkey and wondering the best way to go about it if driving please

I think I need to get a ferry from Dover to Calais and then drive all the way down, once im in Germany it doesn't seem to much of a task according to right holidays.

Option 1: 

Route: Germany - Austria - Slovenia - Croatia - Serbia - Bulgaria - Kapikule 

Mileage: 1004 miles (1616 km) 

Duration: 15 hours 54 minutes 

I cant fly so have to drive and would be grateful if anyone could give me some tips and some idea of where to stop and stay after 12 hours of driving or something similar please

Thanks in advance

Voyager2002

What an interesting idea!

Firstly, driving is likely to work out a good deal more expensive than taking public transport. You could get there for very little on Flix Bus, although that would not be at all enjoyable. Trains (and occasional buses) would be far more pleasant. Or do you really need to have your car one you are there?

Secondly, there are various ferries leaving from ports in the west country: Plymouth, Weymouth, even Portsmouth and Southampton. You might well find that the journey east would cost less in France than in England.

When it comes to an overnight stay, food and so forth, costs are significantly lower once you have left western Europe (and of course this is particularly true of train fares). I would suggest going east to Poland and sleeping the first night there, then heading south (Budapest) and on through the Balkans. This trip is pleasant and very affordable by train but the driving conditions through the Balkans could prove challenging.

Turkey is a very large country: where is your final destination?

As it happens I am planning something similar. I live in Exeter and can fly (although this is not something I enjoy) so my plan is to begin with a flight to Poland. From Krakow there is a bus over the mountains to Budapest, from where a series of trains go smoothly to the outskirts of Istanbul.

k3lvc

As @Voyager2002 says Turkey is a very big place

I'd have a look at www.viamichelin.co.uk which has accurate options/costs but a quick look suggests EUR500 one way plus cost of crossing from UK to mainland Europe (and any accommodation/food/breakdown cover/insurance costs) 

eDicky

When I drive across Europe I don't make plans where to stop or book anything, if I feel the need of a hotel for the night I look at what's available nearby on Momondo or Booking.com, then go to my choice without booking, as a direct walk-in it's usually cheaper. But often I can do a 15+ hour drive in one shot through the night, if I feel drowsy a few minutes' kip with the seat reclined refreshes me, sometimes I don't even need that.

I prefer to keep going if I feel ok, arrive without wasting time and money by going to bed in a hotel, but you may feel the need to take a break. A comfortable car makes a difference of course.

Voyager2002

This is the route by train:
https://www.seat61.com/Turkey.htm

devondisplay

Voyager2002 said:

What an interesting idea!

Firstly, driving is likely to work out a good deal more expensive than taking public transport. You could get there for very little on Flix Bus, although that would not be at all enjoyable. Trains (and occasional buses) would be far more pleasant. Or do you really need to have your car one you are there?

Secondly, there are various ferries leaving from ports in the west country: Plymouth, Weymouth, even Portsmouth and Southampton. You might well find that the journey east would cost less in France than in England.

When it comes to an overnight stay, food and so forth, costs are significantly lower once you have left western Europe (and of course this is particularly true of train fares). I would suggest going east to Poland and sleeping the first night there, then heading south (Budapest) and on through the Balkans. This trip is pleasant and very affordable by train but the driving conditions through the Balkans could prove challenging.

Turkey is a very large country: where is your final destination?

As it happens I am planning something similar. I live in Exeter and can fly (although this is not something I enjoy) so my plan is to begin with a flight to Poland. From Krakow there is a bus over the mountains to Budapest, from where a series of trains go smoothly to the outskirts of Istanbul.

Hi thanks for your reply, I am going to Istanbul. The bus sounds good but I have troubles with mobility so I am just going to drive with my friend as co- pilot so i need the car really

I thought Plymouth route only went to Spain, I learn something new everyday.

Many thanks

Voyager2002

devondisplay said:

Hi thanks for your reply, I am going to Istanbul. The bus sounds good but I have troubles with mobility so I am just going to drive with my friend as co- pilot so i need the car really

I thought Plymouth route only went to Spain, I learn something new everyday.

Many thanks

My information about the ferry from Plymouth is very out of date: I just know that it used to go to Roscoff in France. In any case, a ferry from the Bournemouth area woul make more sense unless you fancied a tour of the far west of France.

Let me know if there is a spare seat in the car.

Do you have friends in Istanbul? I hope you are not going there for dental treatment. (I recently tried to arrange to see a dentist there but found the information they gave me was inconsistent, so chose Poland instead.)

devondisplay

No I have no friends out there

Yes I sure will let you know if there is Voyager, no its for my friend for weight loss surgery, maybe I should tell him to be looking at Poland.

Actually I do need work on my teeth so thanks for the heads up, i am not sure I can afford it but I will enquire

Are there some lovely places in Poland?

Voyager2002

devondisplay said:

No I have no friends out there

Yes I sure will let you know if there is Voyager, no its for my friend for weight loss surgery, maybe I should tell him to be looking at Poland.

Actually I do need work on my teeth so thanks for the heads up, i am not sure I can afford it but I will enquire

Are there some lovely places in Poland?

On medical tourism: as soon as I started looking I found there were lots of websites telling me that their clinic was outstanding, but there was very little evidence to prove it. One good indicator is membership of an appropriate professional society, and I found that several websites listed "good" dentists who belonged to international bodies where membership is only available to those who are competent or more in their speciality. These societies list their members, and so it was easy to check these claims, and generally they turned out to be false!

In the end I despaired of searching websites, instead finding a reputable and relevant professional society and looking at its list of members. In this way I found a good dentist in the far south of Poland: a lovely town in the mountains south of Krakow, with many opportunities to go walking in the national park. My dental treatment cost about one sixth of what it would have cost in England, and I was later seen at a dental school in Exeter where I was told that it looked like a really good job.

I know that Turkey has some excellent dentists and surgeons, but there are also some who are not so good and I do not know how to tell the difference.

maman

Fascinating idea, will follow with interest. 

For information, no ferries these days from Southampton.... unless you want to go to the Isle of Wight. 🤣

devondisplay

Voyager2002 said:

devondisplay said:

No I have no friends out there

Yes I sure will let you know if there is Voyager, no its for my friend for weight loss surgery, maybe I should tell him to be looking at Poland.

Actually I do need work on my teeth so thanks for the heads up, i am not sure I can afford it but I will enquire

Are there some lovely places in Poland?

On medical tourism: as soon as I started looking I found there were lots of websites telling me that their clinic was outstanding, but there was very little evidence to prove it. One good indicator is membership of an appropriate professional society, and I found that several websites listed "good" dentists who belonged to international bodies where membership is only available to those who are competent or more in their speciality. These societies list their members, and so it was easy to check these claims, and generally they turned out to be false!

In the end I despaired of searching websites, instead finding a reputable and relevant professional society and looking at its list of members. In this way I found a good dentist in the far south of Poland: a lovely town in the mountains south of Krakow, with many opportunities to go walking in the national park. My dental treatment cost about one sixth of what it would have cost in England, and I was later seen at a dental school in Exeter where I was told that it looked like a really good job.

I know that Turkey has some excellent dentists and surgeons, but there are also some who are not so good and I do not know how to tell the difference.

Some useful information there, my friend was just looking at KCM clinic in Poland and they have 17% bad reviews on Trust pilot, thanks for the heads up!

Are you an easy to deal with patient or very nervous? I am very tempted to learn more about your dentist, However really I must find someone suitable for my friend 

Cheers