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== Hitching in ==
=== From the west {{European Route Number|80}} === Trucks are banned from entering the city during rush hours (morning: ''?'', evening: about 17:00-22:00), and even when they can proceed through the city, there are few places to stop. Therefore it is highly likely that your driver will let you out at the Mahmutbey toll booths. There are two ways to the centre from here. One option is to walk to the side road to the right of the motorway, then turn to the first or second street to your right (the wide one). From the bus stop about 200 m down that street, take bus 89M "Zeytinburnu Metro", whichs costs about 1.50 TL pp (~ €0.75). From Zeytinburnu there is an extensive choice of public transportation into the city such as trams to Sultanahmet, buses to Taksim/Beyoğlu (93C), or the ''Metrobüs'' heading for the Asian side across the Bosphorus. The other option, from close to the motorway toll booth, are the frequent minibuses to Topkapı or Yenibosna, from which you can find transportation further into the centre. There are no ATMs on the outskirts of Istanbul. If you have no Turkish money, the driver may let you travel for free, or a friendly local may pay for you; arrive with some Turkish lira in your pocket to not be reliant on the kindness of strangers. == Hitching Out out ==The ''Taksim Square'' in the center of the European part of [[Istanbul]] is chosen as a starting point for the upcoming description due to the fact that there the most bus lines of the European side start and end.''
=== Northwest towards [[Edirne]] and [[Bulgaria]] ===
Once you have passed the border, try to stay in the car which took you through, as the first 20-30 km on the Greek side is one of the worst places to hitchhike in Europe. Local people there are afraid of stories about immigrants from Iran and Afghanistan etc. so it's especially hard to get a ride. It took hitchhiker [[User:Lapulevel|Lapulevel]] a full day to get out of this area—and that wasn't simply a shortage of luck as that happened twice!
=== Eastwards East towards [[Ankara]] , Black Sea coast {{European Route Number|80}} ===
For going east there are different options:
*'''From parking on motorway O4'''
Take ferry to ''Kadıköy'' on Asian side. Next to ferry terminal there is a bus terminal where you can take bus [http://harita.iett.gov.tr/en//?hat=19 19], [http://harita.iett.gov.tr/en/?hat=19c 19C], or [http://harita.iett.gov.tr/en/?hat=19y 19Y]. Get off at '''''Ferhatpaşa''''' (you will see road going in circle looking like a big roundabout). From there walk north east till you get to the motorway O4 Anadolu Otoyolu. There is a fence along the motorway but has many holes, so getting to the other side is not hard. Once you get to the parking you can ask around or make a big sign and show at the end of the parking to the drivers going by motorway, so they can stop on a merge lane. There's one small restaurant in the parking so many drivers stop there for a short brakebreak.
*'''From Gebze town''' Get on a ferry to ''Haydarpaşa'' (1,50 TL) and from there a suburban train to the last station '''''Gebze''''' (also 1,50 TL). There is only one train line. There After you leave walk up the train station stairs and come to the street, go left, and after 500 meters at the you´ll intersection turn left again. You'll see a signpost for the Istanbul-Ankara road . Follow the signs, and you can hitch from where the road branches off with the sign "Izmit Ankara". There is little long-distance traffic here, so get a lift going to Ankara on Izmit and get out at the leftservice station 9 km before Izmit.
*'''From Şekerpınar close to Gebze'''
Get on the 111, 112 or 200 and stay on the bus almost all the way to the last stop (get off approximately two or three stops before).
You are now located a little bit south of the O4 (E80) heading East towards Ankara. You will need to walk a little bit northwards in order to reach a ramp. There is a bus stop on the on-ramp. You can hitch out from there unto the O4 (E80) going East.
Most people who will take you might just drive for another 10km or so. There are lots of [[petrol station]]s on the way in this giant suburban maze but chances are only local people stop there. You will have to go for about nearly 20 or 30 km until you will actually be out of the Istanbul metropolis.
If you want to avoid 30km of urban hitch hiking, from the last stop of 112 take bus 134BK (other 134 buses may work as well) which leaves across the road from where 112 ends. Ride until the end and transfer onto 133Ş and ride it until the last stop. You are then in '''''Şekerpınar''''' and can walk the 2km to the main motorway O4 Anadolu Otoyolu.
*'''From Bostancı Köprüsü (Bostancı Bridge)'''
From ''Taksim'' Square take bus 129T (''Taksim - Üst Bostancı'' line), which, like the other transcontinental bus lines, requires two tickets (3 TL). Get off at the leaf-clover interchange called in Turkish ''Bostancı Köprüsü'' (literally Bostancı Bridge), close to its last stop. You can recognize the interchange by big signs saying ''Bostancı'' and ''İçerenköy'' (besides the usual ''İzmit'' and ''Ankara'' signs) there. Then, after getting off the bus, walk past the interchange until you see a safe shoulder down the road a couple hundred metres away. Start hitching there ready with a [[Signs|sign]] saying at least ‘[[Gebze]]'/'[[Izmit]]’, it’ll make you more visible and look like a total hitchhiker. Drivers around here seem to have some concerns about sharing their car with a stranger and looking like a total hitchhiker seems to somewhat ease their anxiety. However, there are also many minibuses heading for ''Gebze'' on this road, so hiding your sign when they are passing by and shaking your head both sides when its headlights flash (to ask whether you’d like a ride … for a fee) may prevent some of the unwanted attention. Expect to wait at least 30 minutes until you are offered a lift. Morning hours (approx. between 6:30-8:30) are best since the road is congested at that time and vehicles move slowly, which lets the drivers to think more about taking you in. Beware of the motorcycles by the way, which sometimes illegally drive inside the shoulder and literally skim you over.
There is a petrol station exactly 9km before [[Izmit]] where you can be dropped off. This It is a great place to catch direct rides to almost any part of the country.[[User:Garthelgard|Garthelgard]] got offered rides to [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] and the [[Syria]]n border from that recognizable for its BP petrol stationand Burger King restaurant. [[User:Harveypekar|Harveypekar]] found 2 rides on arrival to [[Tehran]]Trucks are regularly parked here and bound for all points in Turkey, but was forced after 5 minutes while sometimes one can even find a lift all the way to hitch at the exit with a security guardneighbouring countries.
For Mediterranean cities such as [[Antalya]], you should also take this eastwards route till [[Adapazari]], then head south via motorway D650 from there.
=== South towards [[Yalova]]/[[Bursa]] ===
See [[Eskihisar]] for how to get to the ferry jetty on the route and how to get into the ferry for free.
The route via [[Eskihisar]] is also the shortest way to [[Izmir]] and its adjacent area in western Turkey.
== Eating free or cheap == There is a community kitchen called "Karacaahmet Sultan Dergahi" on Nuhkuyusu street in Selimiye (Üsküdar, Asian Side), some 200 meters down from Karaca Ahmet Camii (the big mosque). You can just walk in around lunch time and ask for food. They hardly speak English though so maybe you can ask someone to translate a brief note. (I got some pretty good köfte for free! --[[User:Astikain|Astikain]] 22:10, 27 September 2010 (CEST))
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