10,000 km in three weeks. Belarusians went to Turkey by car: what did they see and how much did they spend?
Sergei and Svetlana from Stolin had never been to Turkey before, but in July of this year, they decided to go to the Mediterranean Sea by car on their own. During their 23-day trip, they saw the central part of Turkey, the legendary Cappadocia, the coast from Fethiye to Kaş, and also saw Elbrus and drove through Georgia with a stop in Batumi. In three weeks, they covered almost 10,000 kilometers, writes "Onliner".
"We don't even know the cost of package tours"
"Once upon a time, it seemed to us that Turkey was necessarily an 'all-inclusive' format," Sergei and Svetlana admit. "In fact, you can plan your vacation there in different ways. For example, travel to the country independently and book any hotel you like. We even considered flying to Istanbul and renting a car, but in season, prices are high - from €70 per day, not including fuel and insurance. So we decided to go by our own car and plan on the spot where to stay and for how many days. We didn't consider package tours and don't even know their cost."
The couple became enthusiastic about road trips a few years ago: back then, they traveled around the western part of Belarus with their two children. Soon, they wanted something more – and the family made it to Georgia, driving across it. Sergei and Svetlana say that was the first time they saw mountains, and those landscapes took their breath away.
This year, the road called them even further. So, Turkey became the final destination, specifically one of the most beautiful parts of the coast: Kaş — Fethiye — Ölüdeniz. However, the couple went on the trip without their children, as long journeys and active holidays are too tiring for them.
"Road trips are great because you don't just get from point A to point B; you can see everything in between," the article's heroes summarize the main advantage of their favorite format.
After the trip, acquaintances ask Sergei if he's a long-haul truck driver. And he invariably replies that he just loves the road, and the constant change of scenery outside the car window gives him strength and energy.
Route: tracking movement
Let's track on the map. On the first day of their journey, Sergei and Svetlana reached Pavlovsk (Russia, Voronezh region), covering a distance of about 1300 kilometers. The second day was a drive to Kislovodsk, known for its mineral springs. That's another about 900 kilometers.
"Then we planned to visit the 'Prievruse' National Park. The Dzhily-su area with its beautiful views of waterfalls and Elbrus is 80 kilometers from Kislovodsk, but the road is mountainous, winding, and takes approximately 2.5 hours. We drove at a speed of 25-40 km/h! We thought we were unlucky with the weather, but when we drove up to Elbrus, both peaks opened up to us. And this was one of the brightest impressions of the entire trip!"
On that very day, the travelers reached Vladikavkaz, and the next morning headed to the Russian-Georgian border, crossed it, and, admiring the beauty of the Jvari Pass, reached Borjomi. And already in the morning, they set off for Turkey.
"You can enter Turkey from Georgia by two routes. The first is through the 'Vale' border crossing, along a very beautiful mountain road. That's the one we took. And on the way back, we returned through 'Sarpi', near Batumi."
Cappadocia
Those who frequently visit Turkey know that cars with Belarusian license plates are not often seen on the roads of this country.
"We didn't meet a single one in two weeks. Perhaps that's because we traveled to a region not very popular among our tourists," says Sergei. "But we did, of course, meet Belarusians. One girl was very happy to see our car in the hotel parking lot, and with license plates from the first region. She drew a heart on the dusty window for us, wrote 'Brest' (her hometown), and ran into the hotel lobby, loudly asking: 'Who here is from Brest?' We talked, exchanged impressions, and recommended interesting locations in Turkey to each other."
The first point of their route in Turkey was Cappadocia. Sergei and Svetlana spent about two days there and, of course, watched the sunrise from the sky. The hot air balloon flight was booked in advance, but they might not have flown.
— On the first day, we were brought to the departure point at dawn, around 04:30. The balloons were already being inflated, but the flight was canceled due to strong winds. The balloons deflated, and we were disappointed. The next day, we booked the excursion again, and this time we were lucky.
— What were your impressions?
— Awesome! Many say it's scary, but we didn't find it so. We flew in a large basket that fits about 30 people along with the pilot. It's divided into small cells for three or four people. Once everyone is seated, the balloon takes off. Slowly at first, smoothly. Then the pilot makes sharp maneuvers up and down to show the surroundings from different heights. And in the canyon, it flies just a few centimeters from the cliff – expert piloting!
The main location from where the balloons rise into the sky is near the town of Göreme, where we stayed overnight. There are so many balloons everywhere: during our flight, there were probably about 100-150 of them. Some were still on the ground, others floated in the air at various heights. A mesmerizing sight!
What else to see in Cappadocia
- Göreme National Park (an open-air museum known for its unique rock formations and Byzantine-era cave churches).
- Love Valley with its famous natural sculptures and rocks that turn red in the rays of the setting sun.
- Uçhisar Castle — the highest point in Cappadocia (you can take an excursion inside).
Fethiye — first stop on the coast
From Cappadocia, the travelers headed straight to Fethiye — a city at the junction of the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas, attractive for its beautiful promenade. In the evenings, cafes and restaurants are open there, music plays, and at dawn, one can quietly stroll in silence, admiring the sea and mountains. In another part, there is a picturesque marina with boats of various sizes.
Near Fethiye, towards Ölüdeniz, there is an excellent beach called Kıdrak — spacious, with developed infrastructure. The beach is paid, but the price is not high by local standards: 450 liras per person for a sun lounger with an umbrella (about 30 rubles) plus another 200 liras for parking (approximately 13 rubles).
From here, you can also visit Kayaköy — an abandoned Greek village, another open-air museum. Within Fethiye are the Lycian rock tombs.
Finally, Mount Babadağ, located near Ölüdeniz, is a paradise for paragliding enthusiasts. A paragliding flight over the Blue Lagoon was the second activity (along with hot air balloon flights) that was an obligatory part of Sergei and Svetlana's program.
Special atmosphere in Ölüdeniz
The village of Ölüdeniz is located about 10 kilometers from Fethiye, further from the sea, and hotels are situated in a mountainous area. Sergei and Svetlana came here and even stayed overnight for the special atmosphere of this place. During the day it's quiet, but in the evening, the main street becomes noisy and lively.
— Is it true that the most beautiful beaches are in the Ölüdeniz area?
— Possibly. At least, we accidentally found a beach there that we liked the most on this trip. It's called Könül. As we drove along the coast, we saw cars parked near a cliff. It turned out that there was a great wild beach below: it was difficult to descend to it, but it was worth it! The views there are very beautiful, the water is clear, and above you is a steep cliff. Tourists are brought to this beach on excursion catamarans, but you can also reach it from the land side as "wild campers".
It's the same story with Butterfly Valley beach: it's difficult to access from land, so mostly everyone reaches it by sea. But the beach is clearly visible from above, from the road leading from Ölüdeniz towards Kaş.
Kaş: a Greek corner on the Turkish coast
In Kaş, Sergei and Svetlana spent four days: two in a hotel right by the sea, and another two on Mount Yanakey, which offers a beautiful view of the bay.
The town itself is authentic and very Instagrammable: you can endlessly admire its ancient volcanoes and take photos against the backdrop of snow-white Greek buildings and traditional Turkish houses.
This place is known for its ancient and still functioning amphitheater, where you can watch sunsets and listen to musicians' performances.
20 kilometers from Kaş is one of Turkey's most beautiful beaches — Kaputaş. It's sandy-pebbly, with turquoise water. By the way, in Kaş itself, the shore is steep, and you can usually descend into the water from wooden platforms.
"We also went to see the ancient city of Patara (40 kilometers from Kaş). There's also a huge beach with the same name, which looks like sand dunes. In the evening, there are many people there: they have photo shoots or simply admire the sunsets. Very beautiful!"
Express period with "all inclusive"
After exploring all the beauties of the Turkish Riviera, Sergei and Svetlana decided to relax for a few days in an "all-inclusive" format. They returned to Ölüdeniz and rented a hotel near the sea with a pool for three days.
This was their longest stay in one place — usually the couple spent only one or two nights in each hotel.
"The most colorful place for an overnight stay turned out to be a hotel in Cappadocia with rooms located directly in a cave. Very authentic: no windows to the street, only from the room to the corridor. Beautiful, but damp."
"We mostly booked hotels with Turkish breakfast. In Kaş, we specifically looked for a hotel with a washing machine because we needed to wash clothes. Sometimes we would arrive, look at the room, and if we didn't like it, we would move on.
Overall, we noted more comfortable accommodations in hotels located further from the sea. Although once we were lucky to check into a very nice hotel near the sea at a good price – it had recently opened and probably wanted to attract tourists."
What to consider?
About a month and a half before the trip, Sergei and Svetlana began planning their route, gathering information about the country, and figuring out the nuances. At the same time, they calculated the budget (spoiler: they didn't stick to it).
In short, they arrived in Turkey prepared, even though they had never been there before.
— It was harder to decide on the trip to Georgia last year: everything seemed new, unknown. Now I could drive that part of the road without a navigator," says Sergei. "And in Turkey, I already felt calm: signs, pointers — everything was clear."
— Did the car not let you down?
— I did everything I could in advance to prevent that from happening. And everything went well, I didn't even need the spare wheel.
— How are Turkish roads and the driving habits of local drivers?
— The roads in Turkey are of very decent quality. We drove on free roads, although you can choose toll roads: there the speed limit is higher and there are more lanes. In cities, Turkish drivers drive quite aggressively, but on the highway, they behave more calmly and predictably.
An important point: in Turkey, the permissible speed limit is not +10 km/h, as in Belarus, but +10% of the value on the sign. I do not recommend ignoring this rule, as mobile radars are often encountered, and fines for violations are high.
On such a trip, it's important to anticipate all aspects related to insurance and border crossing rules.
"For example, you can easily enter Georgia without car insurance, but upon leaving the country, they will ask to see it and issue a fine if you don't have it. And you can't even enter Turkey without such insurance, but you can buy it before crossing the border. Since it's difficult to arrange a Turkish car policy in advance without a local card and residence permit, I found a chat where policies are sold legally and paid through acquaintances. With Georgia, there are no problems in this regard: you order a policy online through a specialized Georgian insurance website and calmly pay with a card."
When crossing the Turkish border, Sergei, as the car owner, had an entry stamp placed in his passport. And the date by which he must take the car out (a term of 90 days) was written in ink. Customs fines for untimely removal are very high.
An eSIM card for communication in Turkey was paid for from Belarus, but payment for Georgia didn't go through, so they had to buy a regular SIM card on the spot.
While still in Belarus, Sergei and Svetlana booked the first few hotels in Russia. And hotels in Georgia and Turkey were booked either a day in advance or even a couple of hours before arrival. Sometimes they would check Booking for vacancies and then negotiate on the spot — it was cheaper that way.
The travelers brought currency and Belarusian bank cards with them. It turned out that in Turkey, it's better to pay for hotels with cash, while in cafes, restaurants, and at gas stations, they could pay with cards. However, payment didn't go through a couple of times — you have to be prepared for that.
"Prices in Turkey were an unpleasant surprise"
Sergei and Svetlana said that in the central part of Turkey, you can find a hotel for $20-25 for two, while on the coast, prices start from $50-70 (with breakfast). A similar situation applies to cafes and restaurants.
"While driving to the coast, we could have lunch for 60 rubles in our currency. And initially, we didn't know that in Turkey, it's customary to bring compliments to the main dish – various vegetable appetizers, olives, bread. But near the sea, lunch or dinner would cost at least 150-180 rubles for two."
— Did you like Turkish food?
— We mostly ordered fish, vegetables. We didn't notice much variety. Traditional Turkish soups are mostly pureed. For us, it's strange when potatoes don't float in soup," Sergei laughs. "And generally, food prices seemed very high: compared to Georgia, everything is at least 20-30% more expensive. Fuel prices were even more surprising: almost $2 per liter!"
As a result, Sergei and Svetlana exceeded their expected budget on almost all items. Here are the expenses for the entire 23-day trip (converted to dollars):
- accommodation — 1175,
- food — 1030,
- fuel — 735,
- entertainment — 660,
- insurance — 210,
- toll road in Russia — 85,
- communication — 80,
- other — 125.
Total: $4100.
"Yes, prices in Turkey were an unpleasant surprise, but the nature, sea, architecture — these are worth seeing. We got the most out of this trip: we drove through the entire central part of the country, flew hot air balloons in Cappadocia, visited the main attractions on the coast, strolled through cozy authentic towns, saw magnificent ancient structures, enjoyed the beauty of nature in all its diversity. The Mediterranean Sea with its beaches is, of course, wonderful! And our list still has many places we would like to visit," Sergei and Svetlana note in conclusion.
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