Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
it stretches from the city limits
of Istanbul. A large number of
airlines from around the world,
such as
British Airways, KLM,
Lufthansa
and
Turkish Airlines
(see p. 34), fly into and out of
Istanbul's
Atatürk Havalimani
International Airport
(
www.
ataturkairport.com
), it seems, at
all hours of the day. From
Istanbul I suggest you hire a car,
which, with young children, is
probably the best option for
exploring the area. Alternatively,
you can reach the Marmara
region by Intercity bus or rail.
There are a large number of
car-
hire companies
(see p. 34) oper-
ating from the airport, as well as
taxis and a good network of
buses and trains
(see p. 35) that
depart regularly from the city to
head for the main towns and
cities of the Marmara region.
By Road and Rail
Intercity
buses operate on a highly effi-
cient system and run from the
airport out towards the main
cities of the Marmara region.
The main bus companies are:
Kâmil Koç
, Istanbul:
b
+90 212
658 20 00
; Bursa
b
+90 242 261
50 00
.
Ulusoy
, Istanbul:
b
+90 212 471
71 00
,
www.ulusoy.com.tr
.
Varan
, Istanbul
b
+90 212 251
74 74
,
www.varan.com.tr
.
Trains operated by the
Turkish
State Railway
(TCDD -
www.tcdd.gov.tr
), leave from
Haydarpa@a Station
(
b
+90 216
336 04 75
) and
Sires Station
(
b
+90 212 527 00 50
) in Istanbul
on a regular basis. Do allow
plenty of time if taking a journey
by bus or train to the Marmara
region as the journey times can
be on the slow side, which, with
children, could be a problem.
There are a few express routes,
such as the
Haydarpa@a-
Adapazarı service
that runs reg-
ularly from Istanbul and stops at
various stations throughout the
region.
Orientation
The Marmara region lies to the
northwest of Turkey and centres
around the great city of Istanbul.
It is divided into two main areas:
one side is European while the
other is Asian. In the northern
part of the region is the
Trakya
area
, characterised by its fields
of sunflowers and vines. Its
major towns and cities are
Tekirda
g
, Edirne and Kirklareli.
The
southern Marmara region
lies across the Sea of Marmara
with the Dardenelle Straits and
the Bosphorus, which separates
Istanbul in half, at either end of
the stretch of water. The south-
ern area has Balikesir, Bilecik,
Bursa, Çanakkale, Sakarya and
Yalova among its main towns
and cities. To the south of the
Marmara region is the
Aegean
region
(see p. 115), to the
northeast you reach the start of
the
Black Sea region
(see
p. 177) and to the east you are
beginning to venture into what
is regarded as
Anatolia
(see
p. 197), the largest region of
Turkey.
87
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