Hello all
Next year I am looking at driving to Turkey for my holiday. We will be traveling in a camper van and in Turkey staying with some English mates who have just moved there.
What would you recommend is the best (scenic) but more importantly the safest route to travel and how long do you think it will take.
Thanks for any help in advance and have a good Christmas and new year to you all 
I’ve just done 2 trips to Istanbul and back this month in a van. We tell the customer 4 days from the UK to Kapicule (border).
I go from the train, to Brussels,Liege,Aachen,Koln,Frankfurt,Nurnburg,Passau,Linz,Vienna,Budapest,Szeged,Nadilac,Arad,Deva,Sibiu,Pitesti, Bucharest,Giurgiu,Ruse,Veliko Turnovo,Stalingrad,Kapicule.
The way through Zagreb,Belgrade,Sofia is quicker and motorway all the way but with the Serb’s been a bit to entrepurnerial I stick to the above way.
There is a good restaurant I come across the other night in Romania on the DN7 (Sibiu to Bucharest) at km141, owned and run by Rick an ex Bergen’s driver.
The 3-4 days it takes me to get to the border at Kapicule are good long days so on holiday I would allow 6-7 days at a nice leisurely pace.
Ben9:
I’ve just done 2 trips to Istanbul and back this month in a van. We tell the customer 4 days from the UK to Kapicule (border).
I go from the train, to Brussels,Liege,Aachen,Koln,Frankfurt,Nurnburg,Passau,Linz,Vienna,Budapest,Szeged,Nadilac,Arad,Deva,Sibiu,Pitesti, Bucharest,Giurgiu,Ruse,Veliko Turnovo,Stalingrad,Kapicule.
The way through Zagreb,Belgrade,Sofia is quicker and motorway all the way but with the Serb’s been a bit to entrepurnerial I stick to the above way.There is a good restaurant I come across the other night in Romania on the DN7 (Sibiu to Bucharest) at km141, owned and run by Rick an ex Bergen’s driver.
The 3-4 days it takes me to get to the border at Kapicule are good long days so on holiday I would allow 6-7 days at a nice leisurely pace.
Thanks mate that is exactly what I am after some one who has done it.
Appreciate your help
Many of Turk trucks drivers told me, from England to Turkey take about 5 days driving
Variety of routes
GB - F - B - D -A -SLO - HR - SRB - BG - TR - popular route for Turkish drivers
GB - F - B - D -A - H - RO - BG - TR
GB - F - B - D - CZ - SK - H - RO - BG - TR ( popular route for Iranian drivers) they used be busy route but now no more for them too costly due new Czech & Slovakian motorway vignettes & mauts!
GB - F - B -L - F - CH - I - Ancona catch the ferry to Greece then drive to Turkey
GB - F - I - Ancona / Bari Ferry to Greece then drive to Turkey
From Calais via Brussels > Liege/Luik/Littuche > Aachen > Koln > Frankfurt > Nurnburg > Passau > Linz > Vienna > Budapest > Szeged > Subotica > Novi Sad > Belgrade > Nis > Sofia > Plovdiv > Svilengrad > Edime > Istanbul.
The only problem I’ve had with Serbia is that you need an ‘invitation letter’ from whoever you’re delivering to (in Serbia) to cross the border! We were doing the Amy Winehouse tour, earlier this year, and we had to get this letter from the promoter before we could proceed to Belgrade. As you’re going in a camper I can’t see why you would have any problems.
The road between Nis and Sofia is particularly scenic as you have to pass through a deep gorge. Generally, Serbia and Bulgaria are really quite scenic but the condition of the roads is really awful! It’s dual carriageway from the Hungarian/Serbian border down to Nis and single carriageway from Nis to Sofia. When you get to a set of traffic lights near Sofia (it’s the only set of lights you encounter from Nis), do a left and take the northern ring around Sofia. Watch out for all the girls plying their trade!
Bob
i have just got back from driving to turkey . got it at tescos and drove it back home, 
its in my freezer now. took me about 20 mins
hope this is of use++++
Long distance clara:
Hello allNext year I am looking at driving to Turkey for my holiday. We will be traveling in a camper van and in Turkey staying with some English mates who have just moved there.
What would you recommend is the best (scenic) but more importantly the safest route to travel and how long do you think it will take.
Thanks for any help in advance and have a good Christmas and new year to you all
When you looking at going?
We’re planning on taking our caravan over to Bulgaria next year (to dump it there) so I’ve a very similar question in the European forums, we’re taking a slightly scenic route via East Germany to look at a big telescope - why not - and not planning on rushing over.
The Romania vs Serbia question will have to be answered closer to the times from the advise I’ve been given, both have their mood swings lol.
We did it in 2000 driving through france Belgium Germany Switzerland [most firghtening bit at the border} Italy, on the ferry at Ancona down to Patras then drove to Athens [What a place] caught a ferry at piraeus [Two had sunk that year if you remember] to Rhodes expecting to cross to Marmaris, the ferry was cancelled so we w ent back to Kos by ferry and took a very small ferry the short distance to Bodrum, then drove to Marmaris. We were taking a car back for someone who lived out there. The first time I flew on an airliner was when we flew back home. It was quite an adventure as I,d only been to france by car once before. good luck and keep good records to look back on.
Thanks all, not sure when we are going yet but I would guess around may/june time.
It sounds like it will be fun 
lumpygreenpoo:
From Calais via Brussels > Liege/Luik/Littuche > Aachen > Koln > Frankfurt > Nurnburg > Passau > Linz > Vienna > Budapest > Szeged > Subotica > Novi Sad > Belgrade > Nis > Sofia > Plovdiv > Svilengrad > Edime > Istanbul.The only problem I’ve had with Serbia is that you need an ‘invitation letter’ from whoever you’re delivering to (in Serbia) to cross the border! We were doing the Amy Winehouse tour, earlier this year, and we had to get this letter from the promoter before we could proceed to Belgrade. As you’re going in a camper I can’t see why you would have any problems.
The road between Nis and Sofia is particularly scenic as you have to pass through a deep gorge. Generally, Serbia and Bulgaria are really quite scenic but the condition of the roads is really awful! It’s dual carriageway from the Hungarian/Serbian border down to Nis and single carriageway from Nis to Sofia. When you get to a set of traffic lights near Sofia (it’s the only set of lights you encounter from Nis), do a left and take the northern ring around Sofia. Watch out for all the girls plying their trade!
Bob
thats the way i came back from my holiday in bulgaria wouldn;t go any where near romanian again they are a butch of robbing gets and thats just the police just remeber you have to have a green card for your insurance before you can drive through serbia as not being in the e.u they don’t accept u.k insurance docs
Yep,turkey is very popular at Xmas.
At last Company we always got a Xmas hamper and a turkey.Cooked the by 190 Centigrates for around 2 Hour and was a tasty Meal.
Bit Big for me alone,but with the Bank Holidays was he gone too
Been there in 2006 (knsa.pl/turcja.php if Polish text is any help to you, if not, you can enjoy the pics 
). This is a little map with our route (but we started from Wrocław, Poland).
We were advised to do not go via Romania due to notorious bribe demands and we went through Serbia, which was OK - good roads, cheap fuel and noone bothered us either way.
The guy who advised us to choose that run was going regularly on business to Bulgaria, so he was doing a Poland-Bulgaria very often.
In Hungary we decided to do not use motorways but go with pararel national roads - the trucks are banned from them except for access, good mostly single carriage road with well kept surface, the traffic was not too big and the towns and villages were rare, very pleasureable drive with some nice places to see on the way and you can save on the motorway tolls 
And yes, it WILL be fun
orys:
In Hungary we decided to do not use motorways but go with pararel national roads - the trucks are banned from them except for access, good mostly single carriage road with well kept surface, the traffic was not too big and the towns and villages were rare, very pleasureable drive with some nice places to see on the way and you can save on the motorway tollsAnd yes, it WILL be fun
At 8euro for 4 days will keep cracking on at speed.
Ben9:
At 8euro for 4 days will keep cracking on at speed.
That why smiley was there. But my point was that you can be not much longer and have much more pleasurable drive than motorway.
Mind you, they are not going to deliver some hot shot to Istanbul Airport, they are going for holidays in their camper.
france, belgium, luxembourg, germany, austria, hungary, serbia.
don’t bother with romania, the roads are crap.
I did the trip to my home in BG this year, we went through Romania, and never encountered one single problem, the roads were fantastic, the hotels were also very good, and a very big improvement from the last road trip through there. I wouldnt touch Serbia because theyre not in the EU, and a green card on the border is 100 euro, but we were visiting relatives in montana anyway, before heading home to pomporie.
Whatever way you choose will be a nice experience, and a great holiday…enjoy it.
truckyboy:
I did the trip to my home in BG this year, we went through Romania, and never encountered one single problem, the roads were fantastic, the hotels were also very good, and a very big improvement from the last road trip through there. I wouldnt touch Serbia because theyre not in the EU, and a green card on the border is 100 euro, but we were visiting relatives in montana anyway, before heading home to pomporie.
Whatever way you choose will be a nice experience, and a great holiday…enjoy it.
So would I be right in assuming you had the misfortune of using the Steel Plate to Calafatâ– â– ?
Interesting topic. LD Clara you might also want to read the various route suggestions etc. re my possible trip to North Cyprus.
Hi LDC
That sounds like a fun trip.
I would go Eurostar to Calais, then either through France into Italy or my preferred route into Belgium, Luxembourg France Switzerland, Italy to Ancona then on the ferry to Igoumenitsa and across the top of Greece (Makedonia) via Thessaloniki. Here you can head NthEast across the scenic mountains via Serrai, or you can follow the coastline via Asprovolta. Stop at Kavala for a swim and maybe a day trip to the island of Thassos, and then onward into Turkey at Kipi/Ipsala, via Alexandropoulis. Then the road takes you to Istanbul via Tekirdag. Stay on the old road, via Buyukcekmece, this is the old E5, there is so much more to see and lots of nice places to eat and buy souveniers. You will get a real feel of just how crazy the Turks drive !! 
Time wise I would aim to get to Ancona by the second night, not really any point wasting time in France, Belgium etc. Over night on the ferry and then after a nice leisurely drive, park up at Asprovolta by the sea or in the mountains around Serres for the night. Next day lunch at Kavala and maybe park up for the night, there are some nice little fish restaurants along the water front leading into the old town of Kavala.
Depending on what time you get started from Kavala, you could be in Istanbul that night but you will miss some of the scenery driving after dark. You could park up at Marias, not sure of the name of the town, but it is where the Brits and European trucks park for a good meal and a shower, before heading to the border with Turkey.
Then it all depends on where in Turkey you are heading.
Best of luck.
GS
Well done guys - one of the most informative and interesting posts on this forum. Make a pleasant change to the crap stories about certain large companies and drivers â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â– about their jobs! Well done everyone who has contributed!