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Winter Trip to Turkey 2012 (Don Madge) |
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WINTER TRIP TO TURKEY 2012 (Don Madge)
Don and Maureen Madge
We tried a new route this year, via France instead of Luxembourg and Germany. We did 1,920 miles from Calais to Fethiye, in ten days.
ROUTE
Tunnel to Calais, Lille, Reims, Colmar, Basel, St Gothard Tunnel, Milan, Bologna, Ancona Port, ferry to Igoumenitsa, Vergina, Thessaloniki, Alexandroupoli, Ipsala (border crossing into Turkey), Gallipoli, ferry to Lapseki (TL28), Izmir, Fethiye.
NIGHT STOPS
France
Fort Philippe Aire. N 51.00622 E 2.11417. Large tarmac car park with toilets.
La Cheppe Aire. N 49.04863 E 4.49292. Four parking places (not suitable for vans over 6 metres).
Fessenheim Aire. N 47.91795 E 7.53122. Super-U for fuel and shopping, also token (2.50) for 'borne' close by.
Italy
Somaglia Service area. N 45.14258 E 9.63356. On A1, 20 miles south of Milan. Autogrill restaurant, toilets and showers available.
Greece
Vergina Aire. N 40.48514 E 22.31957. 170 miles east of Igoumenitsa. Tarmac car park, owner very helpful. 4 per night, electricity available if required.
Alexandroupoli municipal campsite. N 40.84686 E 25.85617. 35.26 for two nights. Free wifi in 30 minute sessions. Good site before crossing into Turkey. Easy walk into town from site.
Turkey
Edremit. N 39.57528 E 27.03850 A large service station on the outskirts of the town.
Akayaka. N 37.05070 E 28.32776. A small fishing village with plenty of parking.
FUEL (DIESEL) PRICES
French Supermarkets 1.36 per litre
French Autoroute 1.55 per litre
Italian Autostrada 1.72 per litre. Many people now using the self-service option, which can be up to 8 cents cheaper than the attendant service. LPG available on many service areas.
Greece 1.40 per litre (this is just an average).
Turkey TL4.20 about 1.65 (£1.50) per litre
TOLLS
France: A26/A4 Reims 27.80
Switzerland: SF40 for vignette for vehicles up to 3500 kgs. We paid 35 for this vignette at a service station just north of Basel on the A5.
Italy: Swiss border to Milan 4.90. Milan South to Ancona North 27.00 (this included 1 night stop on the Autostrada).
Greece: A2 Igoumenitsa to Alexandroupoli 31.60 (this is a 400 mile trip across northern Greece).
FERRY
We used the Minoan overnight crossing from Ancona to Igoumenitsa. Depart 1400 hrs, arrive at 08.30 hrs. We used the inclusive camping option, where you pay for a deck passage and get an inboard cabin plus a free meal. We paid 247 for a 6 metre van and thought it was a very good bargain. Tea/coffee is very expensive on board, so we took our own makings.
ENTERING TURKEY
At the border post near Ipsala, at the first kiosk you come to just present your passports and vehicle registration document.
Then drive into the main complex and in front you will see five lanes. Don't go down the lanes until you have got your visa from the second kiosk on lane 5, marked VISA. The visa costs £10 (in Sterling cash) per person. Take your passports to the passport control kiosk in lane 1 or 2, then drive to the other end of the lane which is the customs kiosk. Here they will need your registration document, green card and driver's passport. Once you have your documents back, take them to the kiosk opposite for another check and stamp. Once you have finished there you drive out of the main complex and present all your documents to the last kiosk. Then you are free to go.
OBSERVATIONS
We had a trouble-free trip, except for a chipped windscreen on the Italian Autostrada. There were about 30 miles of road works between Bologna and Ancona on the A4 but there were two lanes open both ways. The weather was set fair all the way, with just a shower in northern Greece. We had no problems in Greece at all and exited with just a wave on by the police but did notice there were a lot of trucks waiting to exit Turkey into Greece - far more than we usually see.
Safe Travelling!
Don
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