Turkiye Travel Guide

Guide

Border crossings

• Kapıkule and its two Bulgarian neighbors

  Kapıkule sits on the E80 near Edirne, and it is the gate most people mean when they talk about driving into Türkiye from Bulgaria. Hamzabeyli, also in Edirne province, is the other Bulgarian crossing, and Dereköy in Kırklareli province, on the E87, is a third. Bulgaria has been a full Schengen member, land borders included, since 1 January 2025, so this is now an external Schengen frontier in both directions.

• İpsala and Pazarkule, the two Greek gates

  Both are in Edirne province. İpsala is on the E90 and faces Greece's Kipoi motorway crossing, while Pazarkule, open since 1952, faces Kastanies. Greece is rebuilding both sides at the same time, a 13 million euro upgrade at Kipoi and a 15 million euro relocation of the Kastanies station agreed in June 2026, so lane layouts and queue habits on the Greek side may not match older photos or blog posts.

• Sarp, and the inland Georgian gates

  Sarp, on the Black Sea coast in Artvin province, is the E70 gate into Georgia, with the port city of Batumi just beyond it. Two more Georgian gates sit inland in Ardahan province, Posof-Türkgözü on the E691 and Çıldır-Aktaş, which suit you better if you are heading toward Kars or Tbilisi than toward the coast.

• Gürbulak, Esendere, and the way into Azerbaijan's exclave

  Gürbulak in Ağrı province has carried traffic to Iran since 1953 and is the best known of the Iranian gates. Esendere in Hakkâri and Kapıköy in Van, open since 2011, are the alternatives, while a fourth, Borualan in Iğdır, has been listed as closed. Dilucu, also in Iğdır and on the E99, is the only gate into Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan exclave. Whether any of these is practical depends on your nationality and on Iran's own entry rules, so settle that first.

• Armenia, where the delay is political, not logistical

  The border has been shut since 1993. Ankara and Yerevan agreed in principle in July 2022 to let third country nationals and diplomatic passport holders cross, and Armenia says its Margara checkpoint is technically ready. On the Turkish side, the Alican crossing in Iğdır was reported to be around 90 percent complete, but no opening date has been announced. Turkish Airlines has flown scheduled Istanbul to Yerevan flights since March 2026, so you can get there, just not overland.

• Iraq and Syria

  Habur in Şırnak province is the Iraq gate, and Şemdinli-Derecik and Çukurca-Üzümlü in Hakkâri also connect with Iraq. The Syrian gates, including Cilvegözü in Hatay and Öncüpınar in Kilis, have been restricted or closed at various points, and several were limited to Turkish and Syrian passport holders. Check your own government's travel advice and Türkiye's current announcements before building a route around any of them.

Transit routes

• From the two airports into the city

  From Istanbul Airport the cheapest route is the metro (M11 to M2 to Marmaray), which transfer guides put at about 60 to 75 minutes to Sultanahmet or Taksim. From Sabiha Gökçen, the Havabus shuttle to Taksim takes around 90 minutes, and the metro can run longer if you are headed for the European side. If you are staying in Kadıköy or elsewhere on the Asian shore, SAW is the closer landing.

• Edirne is where the European overland routes converge

  Kapıkule, Hamzabeyli, İpsala, and Pazarkule are all in Edirne province, so the whole overland approach from Bulgaria and Greece funnels through a single province. If you are driving or taking a bus in from Europe, plan your day around that one place.

• By sea from the Greek islands

  One ferry booking site counts about 20 routes between Turkish ports and twelve Greek islands, running from daily to weekly and priced around 20 to 60 euros. The usual pairs are Kos and Bodrum, Rhodes and Marmaris, Samos and Kuşadası, Chios and Çeşme, and Lesbos and Ayvalık. The fast track Greek Visa Express scheme is for Turkish citizens only, so other passports need whatever Schengen permission they would need anywhere else.

Entry point notes

• Passport validity is measured against your stay, not the day you land

  The ministry's rule is a passport valid for at least 60 days beyond the duration of your stay, and it separately advises having six months left from your arrival date. An entry stamp that runs the full 90 days makes a passport expiring in four months a problem.

• The e-Visa is for tourism or commerce, and some passports carry extra conditions

  It is an online process, not a walk up service, and border issuance applies only to certain nationalities, so have it in hand before you fly or drive to a gate. Citizens of a listed group of countries, including India, Pakistan, Egypt, Bangladesh, and the Philippines, have been required to hold a valid visa or residence permit from a Schengen state, Ireland, the UK, or the US, along with other conditions. Check the current list before you assume your passport falls outside it.