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Car Rental - Turkey
Turkey’s location has shaped its fascinating culture. Sitting between Asia and Europe, it has been the site of tussles between grand empires over the millennia and home to Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman dynasties, before being secularized under Ataturk at the start of the 20th century. It’s a country of church and mosque, vibrant cities and fantastic resorts with coasts on both the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.
You’ll find we have pick-ups all across the nation, from Istanbul to Bodrum, Antalyza to Izmir, south, west, north and east. Pay in advance and you’ll soon be in your car of choice and off to explore Turkey. Alternatively, you can pay on collection.
There are no hidden extras or credit card charges and you’ll have the benefit of our 24-hour help should you need assistance.
A Quick Guide to Turkey
Whether you’re here to immerse yourself into the busy bazaars of Istanbul or to sun yourself on the southern coast, you’ll find a rewarding vacation in Turkey. Few countries contain as much variety and ancient history, fusing east and west.
Ancient architecture, cultural treasures and spellbinding coastline, Turkey is a country with unparalleled breadth and variety. Make the most of this great destination with Hertz car rental in Turkey.
Istanbul Not Constantinople
Istanbul’s history is rich and eventful. This huge city has fallen to the Byzantines, the Romans and the Ottomans and all have left indelible traces – even when they’ve tried to erase the former tenant’s glories. Here you can haggle in bazaars for local crafts, clothes and spices, gasp in awe at the dome of the Aya Sofya, or wonder at the six minarets of the Blue Mosque.
The Black Sea Coast
While many visitors flock to the sunny south, there are treasures to be discovered along the northern coast. You’ll find evergreen forests hiding ancient churches and harbor towns that played their own role in history.
Head for the pretty town of Sinop with its cafes and fish restaurants, and make a beeline for the wonderful monastery at Sumela. It perches precipitously on a cliff-face, and while most of the remains date from the 12th and 13th centuries, work started here on this site in the 4th or 5th.
The Turquoise Coast
The golden beaches and scorching sunshine are, undoubtedly, key parts of Turkey’s allure. The Turquoise Coast, west of Antalya, is, for the most part, unspoiled and undeveloped, meaning you can drive along it and find quiet coves and deserted beaches, or seek out the resorts if you want a livelier time.
The sea doesn’t disappoint and is a tempting blue all along the coast, giving the area its unofficial title. The larger resorts are still only mid-sized – places such as Fethiye and Kas – while sophisticated Kalkan is known for its excellent restaurants. It’s not all sun and snorkelling, however, with great places to walk too.
Park up your rental car and wander the Lycian Way which winds along the coast and through forests in the shadow of mountains for over 300 miles. You’ll see plenty of ancient ruins along the way.
Turkish Delight
Turkish cuisine showcases the country’s myriad influences, and you’ll find mouth-watering things to try both in restaurants and at the countless street food stalls. You might be familiar with dolmades and kebabs, but the authentic versions you’ll find here are nothing short of incredible.
Opt for the Iskender kebab, sliced lamb with a tomato sauce. Turkish pizza – lahmacun – is a cheese-free version of pizza with a variety of toppings and is pretty much ubiquitous. You’ll find good mezze platters everywhere you go, before polishing off your meal with sweet and sticky baklava or fragrant Turkish delight.
For a polished taste of Ottoman classics, Deraliye in Istanbul serves dishes that the Sultans once feasted on. You’ll find almond soup made to a 1539 palace recipe and the same stuffed fillet of perch dish that would have been cooked for Mehmet the Conqueror at Topkapi palace in 1473.
Driving in Turkey
Drive your rental car in Turkey and you’ll find much to explore. This is a country with an extensive road network featuring vast, high-quality pan-European routes, as well as quieter rural backroads that haven’t had the same care of attention. The main roads are called ‘Otoyol’ and you’ll see these on signs as ‘O-1’, ‘O-2’ etc.
Sometimes these will carry another name beginning with ‘E’, meaning they’re part of the wider European network. You’ll find toll roads between Istanbul and Ankara and on several other major routes. You don’t have to pay at a booth, you have to display a HGS sticker – our local team can help you with this.
Driving on the right and overtaking on the left, you’ll find speed limits in kph that vary by type of road. You can find the latest limits and lots of useful information about driving in Turkey online. Some cities will have pedestrianized areas or one-way systems in operation in their ancient centers, to cut down on congestion and to preserve the buildings.
Istanbul sits in the north-west and lies on the route of the E80, which snakes west to Bulgaria and East to the border with Iran. Ankara is closer to the centre of the country and from here the E90 goes west to Bursa and skirts along with Sea of Marmara.
Alternatively, you can head down to the south-east of the country on the E90. The D650, which runs from north to south, will take you from Istanbul all the way to Antalya, opening up the popular southern coast. The D400 runs along the south, connecting Ankara with Fethiye, Dalaman and Marmaris on the shimmering Turquoise Coast.
