Tour of southern Turkey - suggestions?

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toontra
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Joined: 21 Dec 2007, 11:01am
Location: London

Tour of southern Turkey - suggestions?

Post by toontra »

A friend and I will be flying to Antalya in May for a 2-week cycle tour, staying in accommodation which we'd like to book beforehand if at all possible.

I've come up with a very rough idea of a route, starting NE to Konya, across to Izmir via the lakes and Pamukkale, and then back to Antalya mainly via the coast roads, going inland for any sights worth seeing.

We particularly like hill climbs, the higher the better!

Does anyone have any experience of this part of Turkey, cycling or otherwise? Any general advice about cycling/touring in Turkey (i.e. food, accommodation, customs) would also be greatly appreciated! Thanks.
captain offensive
Posts: 141
Joined: 22 Oct 2014, 8:36am

Re: Tour of southern Turkey - suggestions?

Post by captain offensive »

I've only ever done the bus ride from Antalya to Konya but I recall that there were some nice hills in the way. The Konya plains are flat though so you'll have a good few flat miles around that section. Pop into Catalhoyuk on the way into Konya. Great archaeological site, tell them I sent you! :-)
pwa
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Joined: 2 Oct 2011, 8:55pm

Re: Tour of southern Turkey - suggestions?

Post by pwa »

If I were going to southern Turkey I would take some time to check the security situation. As with Tunisia, there must be a possibility that tourists could be seen as a target by groups hoping to destabilise the nation. I've not heard of attacks on tourists in Turkey so far, but I would not dismiss the possibility. And whilst any one visitor is unlikely to be a victim, you could be looking at cancelled holiday plans. Sorry to be on a downer, but the bottom right hand corner of the Med is not a happy place at the moment.
DaveFY7
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Joined: 16 Jun 2009, 12:42am

Re: Tour of southern Turkey - suggestions?

Post by DaveFY7 »

I've cycled most of the western and southern coastlines of Turkey from Tasucu in the south to up past Gallipoli in the North and into Bulgaria. If you like climbing then there are plenty to go at along the coast. You will find a lot of roadside water taps along the way to keep your bottles topped up and it will be needed on the big climbs in hot weather. The main road D400 is fine for cycling along. Just take care around Izmir as it is all a bit hectic entering and leaving the city. There are cycle paths along the city foreshore and ferries are available to cross the bay. Accommodation along the way is cheap and plentiful if you need it. I used budget hotels on tour from Antalya to Tasucu at around a tenner a night and also stopped at Calis Beach in Fethiye, Kas and Ayvalik. All clean, basic and good value.

My ride from Antalya to up past Izmir is covered here: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/codheadontour2015

I've done Marmaris to Antalya and Antalya to Fethiye sections as well on previous tours and thoroughly recommend the Turkish coast for cycle touring. There are plenty of resources along the way and I never hand any trouble at all from the Turkish people. Quite the reverse in fact. I found them to be very friendly and supportive which didn't come as a surprise as I had a villa in Camyuva near Kemer (south of Antalya) for 6 years so had done a lot of acclimatisation along the way. The food is wonderful and cheap. Nice and fresh and very tasty. One of my favourites is Tavuk Sis which is chicken kebab. It is basically grilled chicken on skewers with bread, rice, onion and salad. Lahmacun is also nice. A round, thin piece of dough topped with minced meat and minced vegetables and herbs including onions, tomatoes and parsley, then baked.

There is a big climb out of Kas and also a big climb out of Kumluca heading towards Antalya. My favourite section is probably Fethiye to Antalya. When you get to Camyuva check the maps as minor roads can be taken heading towards Antalya to keep you off the D400 as it starts to get busy from there with a series of tunnels. When you get closer to Antalya you will have to rejoin the main road.

Good luck with the tour.
toontra
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Joined: 21 Dec 2007, 11:01am
Location: London

Re: Tour of southern Turkey - suggestions?

Post by toontra »

Thanks Dave - very useful info. Especially like the sound of the food. How did you find your accommodation - did you book any of it in advance? We normally book online when going abroad but maybe it's not necessary in this area? That would allow us to be more flexible with routes/plans.

Dave - have you ever tried taking your bike on one of the inter-city coaches? We're thinking of going straight from Antalya to Cappadocia and then to Konya, both journeys by coach, and then come back via Izmir and the coast, going inland to explore some of the higher hills. It's difficult to get an answer from any of the coach companies without speaking Turkish!
DaveFY7
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Joined: 16 Jun 2009, 12:42am

Re: Tour of southern Turkey - suggestions?

Post by DaveFY7 »

The tour east of Antalya was with a friend and we ended up in Cyprus flying back from Lanarca. We went fairly lightweight and pre-booked the accommodation for the first few nights then just winged it with a tent as back up which wasn't needed. Along the coast there is always accommodation to be found. It was clean and basic.

The tours I have done to the west of Antalya have been mainly wild camping but I did make use of cheap hotels on a few occasions before heading up into Bulgaria. There is loads of accommodation from Izmir southwards. Fethiye and Kas are nice places to stay. If you like a good climb then drop down to Olympus beach for a night. It is after Kumluca. It has lots of pensions, tree houses, ancient ruins and a lovely beach. The boat trips go there from Kemer during the day. Camyuva and Kemer are lovely resorts too.

I haven't used public transport much in Turkey so I'm sorry I can't help you with the coach information. I'd send them an email to find out.

It is a good exchange rate compared to a few years back so things will be even cheaper nowadays.
DaveFY7
Posts: 80
Joined: 16 Jun 2009, 12:42am

Re: Tour of southern Turkey - suggestions?

Post by DaveFY7 »

I don't know how much climbing you have done in really hot weather but I found electrolytes to be very useful to pop in the water bottles in Turkey. The temperature can get well over 40 deg C in the afternoons and the sweat pours out on the long hot climbs.
toontra
Posts: 1190
Joined: 21 Dec 2007, 11:01am
Location: London

Re: Tour of southern Turkey - suggestions?

Post by toontra »

We've done a fair bit of climbing in 40c+ conditions. We generally cope OK although my friend suffers from bad leg cramps for the first couple of days. He's tried electrolytes, salt tablets, etc but it just takes some time to acclimatise. I now recognise the shouts of pain and looking back to see him crouched over in pain!

Your posts, blog and Strava feeds have given me loads to work with Dave. It's invaluable stuff - how to deal with the tunnels for example, and some places that I'll include in the route. Many thanks!
DaveFY7
Posts: 80
Joined: 16 Jun 2009, 12:42am

Re: Tour of southern Turkey - suggestions?

Post by DaveFY7 »

toontra wrote:We've done a fair bit of climbing in 40c+ conditions. We generally cope OK although my friend suffers from bad leg cramps for the first couple of days. He's tried electrolytes, salt tablets, etc but it just takes some time to acclimatise. I now recognise the shouts of pain and looking back to see him crouched over in pain!

Your posts, blog and Strava feeds have given me loads to work with Dave. It's invaluable stuff - how to deal with the tunnels for example, and some places that I'll include in the route. Many thanks!


Glad you found something useful, mate. Have a good tour and give me a shout if you need owt.
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