Upon arrival in Istanbul, we got acquainted with the metro and changed some money, went to the bus station. By the way in Turkish, the bus station is written Otopark – Otopark. Later, in many Turkish cities, we met signs with such an inscription. Upon arrival in Istanbul, we got acquainted with the metro and changed some money, went to the bus station. By the way in Turkish, the bus station is written Otopark – Otopark. Later, in many Turkish cities, we met signs with such an inscription. There is a direct line from the airport to the bus station, so there is no need to make any transfers – very positive :-).
Bus services in Turkey
It is very well developed, since there are still very few railways in Turkey, but they are actively being built. Therefore, the main transport moves along the roads, by the way, very good roads! By bus you can get to almost anywhere in Turkey and the bus service is privatized, i.e. it is not state transportation but private companies. Therefore, ticket prices are slightly different, depending on the car company. The food is also different :-). Yes, yes, for long-distance calls on buses there is a snack, like tea and biscuits. This is all included in the ticket price. And yet, many bus carriers have a service: transportation on small buses to popular places. That is, in many cities, you are taken by a large bus to the outskirts of the city, and then you get to a specific, necessary area by a small minibus. This service is free! Therefore, you can immediately ask the bus conductor in which second bus you need to get on.
Bus station in Istanbul
In fact, this is a large square, in the center of which there is a metro station. And in the square itself there are different carriers. Often near the office of the car carrier, there are barkers who invite tourists. Be vigilant! They're all lying!!! And they don't care where you need to go, they will say in any case that the bus of their company will take you where you need to go, just go to the office. In a word, I recommend falling into the cold and calmly walking through the offices of all companies, in search of you need a flight. There is a problem with English in Turkey in Istanbul, i.e. a small number of people know it, so it is explained in sign language. Tip: Bring a notepad and a pen. It is very convenient to write the time and price and the city where you need.
Where to drop off your luggage at the bus station in Istanbul
We really had a problem with that. If you buy a bus ticket, then the luggage can be left at the office of the car carrier. But we were waiting for our friends from Russia and did not know exactly when we would leave for Marmaris, so it was impossible to take tickets in advance. As a result, after going around the entire bus station, we found a storage room on the corner and a seller of mobile phones! you guess that you can leave him bags. But we just noticed the small shelves with bags and asked if we could check in our luggage. It turned out that it is possible, but only very expensive! From 8 to 20-00 to leave the bags cost 10 lira, which is about 5 dollars. Perhaps this is not the real price and was worth bargaining :-). But we were so happy that we found a storage room that we paid the 10 lira. On the fingers of the seller of mobiles and part-time head of the storage room explained to us that it works until 20-00, and we must definitely pick up the bags BEFORE this time, otherwise we will have to wait 8 in the morning. But thank goodness we managed to return for bags before 20-00 and everything was OK.
Where to eat at the bus station in Istanbul
In the center of the bus station there is a metro station, where there are a lot of cafes and fast foods. There you can not have an expensive snack. There are also grocery stores, where prices are HIGH! There is nothing below the 1st lira, even a pack of napkins costs 1 lira, and this is half a buck! As for food, we are if shawarma :-), i.e. Doner kebab. The main thing to order ayran to it, so that the best digestibility would be.