Hi,

I will be traveling by bike from Nepal back to Germany in about 1 Month and I have to decide between the following two routes:

>>The dots on the map have no meaning<<

The first option seems to be the more popular one among bikers:



Route 2:



Both routes have a lot of very nice places along the way but my questions is which one would you recommend?


Thanks in advance,

Chris

There are fantastic roads in Northern Turkey but the route shown seems to go along the black sea coast - that is nothing special and I didn't really remember anything from it.

Just a bit further inland if you go through the towns of Agri, Erzincan and Erzurum the roads are ace, good scenery, light traffic and a really good fish place in the middle of nowhere that offered me a free bed.

If you do it in winter it is absolutely freezing. Right now it should be nice, but the southern route might be very hot.

I haven't done any riding south of Ankara so can't comment, but have had many reports that in South West Turkey my fellow Brits have created an unpleasant atmosphere where tourists are seen as drunken cash-cows or targets for sexual advances. Like I said, that's second hand opinion and particular to the area around Marmaris.

On the whole I rate all the bits of Turkey I've been too, apart from the bill at the petrol stations - although in most of the country what you save by not drinking makes up for the cost of go-go juice!

Thanks you fore your excellent reply!

But on both roads I should not come to close to Marmaris - but I guess that it makes sense that the southern road is more touristy - with some of its pros and all of its cons

To summarize your recommendation is doing the second route but not along the black sea but rather through the (more or less) middle of turkey - I will have to see because I love riding along coastal lines.

Thanks you Chris

Hello,
1-Exclude antalya,marmaris,bodrum.Full of russians,even more than locals.
2-Its boring between ankara and istanbul,nothing interesting or touristic..This is most crowded industrial area, many factories and so much traffic rush.

I can recommend you 2 choices,
including and discluding İstanbul..

1-If you wish to visit İstanbul, make it from mount nemrut or cappadocia to bandırma, take the ferry to yenikapı (ticket price and gas expense same for this distance) enjoy sea trip.Park there for a couple of days and enjoy istanbul... Definitely stay at sultanahmet close to blue mosque so you will not have to walk uphill everyday from your hotel if you stay close to the seaside...
2-Make it çanakkale, take the ferry to european side, camp at Gallipoli then to bordergate..

Road description 1...:
Cappadocia-Bandırma
Cappadocia-Eğridir(nice place by the lake)-korkuteli-finike-kaş-fethiye-(best seaside road here)selçuk(ephesus)-bergama-asos-babakale(western most part of main asia continent and get your certificate from the headman of the village)-çanakkale-ferry to eceabat-gelibolu-then edirne to bulgaria or ipsala to greece..

Road description 2...:
After bergama, make it to edremit-balıkesir,bandırma ferry to istanbul.Then main roads to bordergates..
(several times every day, link here)
İstanbul Deniz Otobüsleri A.Ş.

wish you all the best..

@henry... hope you were in exact time in nepal..
wish you all the best for the following steps of your trip...

__________________
Mehmet Zeki Avar
''Borderlines divide countries,HU friendship finds a way to reunited"
https://www.facebook.com/mehmet.avar.12?ref=tn_tnmn

Thanks you so much for your answer!

This is very helpful for me and I hope also others.

I definitely want to see Istanbul - never been there, just a must

One question though, both my previous routs would have gone through Ankara. Yours dont. So do you think Ankara is not worth it or that the ride along the see is just much better?

Thanks,
Chris

Mehmet is always full of great advice we really loved going to Ani & Akhtamar in the east (be careful of the sheep dogs), Nemrut is fantastic, Cappadoccia is essential. We blew past Antalya but there are a few small places on the southwest coast that are lovely (the towns near Saklikent). Ephesus & pamukkale are also major historical sights in the west. The small road up toward Istanbul is very scenic- avoid the main highway, you cant see water and its very commercial. Another great city to visit across the water from Istanbul is Bursa. Great food and ancient mosques. If you skip the ferry and ride around the water it's endless sunflower fields...wherever you go you will love it! Enjoy.

Si

Even all depends on your hobbies,likes,dislikes and way of travelling;

Highly recommend route 1, mostly seaside routes and some touching clouds moments..Just do gelibolu istanbul main road afterwards to include istanbul which is just 290 km.

This route is best to discover some natural colors of Turkey and meet some nontouristic-natural beauties and tastes (Hometowns for dishes are Gaziantep for baklava, kahramanmaraş for ice-cream,mid anatolian towns for kebabs,aegean coastline north of İzmir for sea food)

If you are not interested in visiting great archological museums, dont enter Ankara and İzmir and their crazy traffic.) Nothing more available..İstanbul also has a great archology museum next to topkapı palace..

Depending to your time for Turkey,sure you can include lake van,mount ararat,ishakpaşa, stone road,dark valley and kangal for doctor fishes which bite to clean your skin..They are next to each other in natural east Turkey..
And you can visit pamukkale between fethiye(dead sea,valley of butterflies) and ephesus..

You will love this route..

All the best..

@niello..we miss you both..may be some extra construction needed here..promise this time no dirty works..Also your bike has been seen while being loaded to an onion boat in SE Asia..you are lucky,it was not running last year...All the best..

__________________
Mehmet Zeki Avar
''Borderlines divide countries,HU friendship finds a way to reunited"
https://www.facebook.com/mehmet.avar.12?ref=tn_tnmn