Changes

Trucks are banned Update 2022: ''Definitely have some lira before hitchhiking into Istanbul. Both times we did it we were left far away from entering the city during rush hours center so you will have to get on public transport and for this you should buy an Istanbul card instead of a one-pass unless you're literally just passing through the city. The city is absolutely huge and getting an Istanbul card is a must unless you want to pay double every time you enter public transport (morning: ''?''15Tl for 1-pass tickets vs 7, evening: about 17:00-22:0067tl for a ride with the card). Even though you have to pay for the Istanbul Card itself, after 5 or 6 rides it's already much better to have had the card, and even when they we learned this the expensive way. You can proceed through buy the city, there are few places card on kiosks and you only need to stopbuy one as you can use it for as many people as you want. Therefore When the funds run out topping it up is highly likely that your driver will let you out at as easy as placing the card on the Mahmutbey toll boothsticket machine white illuminated area and uploading tl into it. There are two ways Blackriding sadly seems to be impossible or at least improbable as every entrance and exit of the centre from heretram or metro is guarded and the bus drivers only open the first doors.''

One option is Also you can get out at fuel stations and ask there for ride 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", which costs about 2.00* TL pp (~ €0.80).city

* Note about buses - At the time of this correction (2011-09-07) all public transport in Istanbul is 1.75 with an "akbil" which is used for pre-payment. It '''is''' usually still possible to ride the bus by giving the money to another passenger who will then use their akbil for you. Some drivers also ask passengers to do this for you if you try to give them money. It is almost certainly impossible to ride for free=== Northwest towards [[Greece]] , unless by permission of the driver.[[Edirne]], [[Bulgaria]] {{E|80}} {{E|84}}===

== Hitchhiking out == Test option - Ispartakule Park Area North ====

Generally, you can just start hitching anywhere in the city center. Just walk to the nearest Ispartakule Park Area North is a fuel station on E80 highway (See Google maps for getting there and stick your thumb out. It might need a few lifts until you get out of the border, but given that you hardly ever wait more than 10 minutes for a lift, it can be faster than public transportupdate how its.There is bus 76E going to Sehit Serife Bacı Lisesi bus stop not far place)

''Taksim Square in the center ==== Out 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.''city option ====

=== Northwest towards [[Edirne]] You can get out of city bus 303 from Yenibosna Metro to last bus stop Silivri Halk Otobüsü Bekleme Garajı (or bus 303B from Otogar Metro till bus stop Mimarsinan Mah). Ticket cost 11 TL and [[Bulgaria]] {{E|80}} ===you can pay only with Istanbulcard.

There are several ways to get out of the city centre and onto the main A) 4 km walk away is E8O highway. If you stop a car that is not going a long distanceemergency line, then it is best to aim for the Mahmutbey toll booths in the northwest of Istanbul where the E80 really begins. From here, it 5 km walk away is possible to Karbey Dinlenme Tesisi rest stop long-distance cars and trucks. Strictly speaking, pedestrians are not permitted here; if a bored traffic police officer asks you to leave, but ignore him and feign misunderstanding, and walk a few metres away and thumb.

You can take bus 83O* If you want to be at E8O highway emergency line faster get out from Taksim Square to the big bus station ''Bayrampaşa Otogar'' on the European side, which is just along the motorway to Edirne / Bulgaria. Take the bus to the last at Kamiloba stop, get off and walk back to the entrance1. From there, you'll be hitching directly along the motorway. A sign works well here, and there is plenty of space for drivers to pull over since a lot of buses and minibuses stop for passengers just outside). While exiting, you'll notice a petrol station to your right that is a possible alternative starting point where you can ask drivers for lifts (or just use the toilet)6 at Çakılyolu Sk street.

Get into the metro at Taksim Square and take a train towards ''Atatürk Oto Sanayi''. This is currently the last station for the trains departing from Taksim. One ticket costs 2,00 TL (~0,80 Euro), or 1.75 TL with an prepay "akbil". At the ''Sanayi Mahallesi'' station (not ==== Getting to be confused with Atatürk Oto Sanayi which is the last station en route), get out suburbans of the Metro. You will find yourself along the ''Büyükdere Caddesi'' avenue. Walk along the main street direction north (watch out for big signs that are leading drivers to the motorway to Edirne. After 3-4 min and passing a military camp you'll see the [[on-ramp]]. Unfortunately, there is no way to cross the street from right to left then by attempting suicide, because the main street is mostly full of fast traffic. If you are not brave enough to do so, walk another 10 min further and cross the street over a bridge and walk back the way along the other side. Istanbul ====

Or better, you may Another way to get off to city's western outskirts is to take the metro at from Aksaray close to Sultanahmet in the old city centre, and ride it till ''İTÜ-AyazağaYenibosna'' station (2.0 TL pp, roughly €0.80). Then, take the first one after public bus #448 (''Sanayi MahallesiYenibosna Metro-Mimarsinan''; an extra 2.00 TL pp), cross which departs from the street on an pedestrian overpass close stops right next to that metro station. You will ride this bus for a 's exit and then walk 'long'south'' for about 10 min to get time, roughly an hour, until where it quits the motorway west and turns to right in a cloverleaf interchange near the on ramp to village of Mimarsinan, where the motorwaybus eventually heads. You will have to walk past Get off at the military park on stop right at the very location bus turns right side of , this is where as much west as you can get on Istanbul's public transportation. Then walk a bit further from the roadjunction, and then you will see the big motorway belowstart thumbing.

Other buses pass Once you have passed the toll boothborder, try to stay in the car which took you through, as the first 20-30 km on the Greek and Bulgarian side are one of the worst places to hitchhike in Europe. One is 98H Local people there are afraid of stories about immigrants from Bakırköy, Iran and Afghanistan etc. so it's especially hard to get a suburb in the westride.

From Yenikapı, near Sultanahmet, one can take bus 146T and get off at the stop just after the bus turns north into Check the suburb Başakşehirarticle on [https://hitchwiki. From the bus stop, org/en/Kapitan_Andreevo-Kap%C4%B1kule_border_crossing Kapikule-Kapitan Andreevo border crossing] if you 're going towards Bulgaria as it can walk a couple of hundred metres down to the toll booth (there is a handy gap in the fence)be difficult.

Take the suburban train (''banliyö treni'') from the very city center (Sirkeci) towards Halkali. It's only 2.00 lira. Get off at ''Küçükçekmece''. If the train station is 6 o'clock, walk in the direction of 12 o'clock in order to find the on ramp === Westwards towards [[Tekirdağ|TekirdagCannakale]]. This is the same road that will take you directly to Greece, although you will still be well within the congested motorways of suburban Istanbul. Be aware that you cannot cross this border walking! You have to find somebody to take you across. Knowing (via [[Western Europe phrasebookTekirdağ|GermanTekirdag]] will help you a lot to explain that you need help to cross the border due to many drivers with a Turkish-German background.) ===

* Hitchhikers experience: I took Take Bus #34B/C/BZ/G to the train to Küçükçekmece like I read on here, last stop and found the highway. To my dismay it was '''impossible''' to hitch. After walking 2 miles, hoping there would be start hitchhiking with a spot for people to pull off, there was nothing. I noticed these buses that road in the middle of the highway, and decided to take one down the road. After two stops, it was the end of the line. Fortunately, Tekirdag sign there was a huge spot to hitchhike. For anyone who goes this way, I '''highly''' recommend taking the bus the whole way instead of trying to walk like I did. Or, use another method to hitch. - Jon

For those who rather not try hitchhiking through the overgrown western suburbs of the city, a slightly more expensive but a lot easier way to follow this westbound route to Greece may be to take the morning train to === East and south towards [[MuratlıAnkara]] from Sirkeci station in central Istanbul, and then hitch your way forward to Greece via [[Tekirdağ]] from there. See [[Muratlı]] article for full details.Black Sea coast, Antalya {{E|80}} ===

Once you have passed the border, try to stay in the car which took you through, as the first 20-30 km ==== From parking 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!motorway O4 ====

=== East and south towards [[Ankara]]'''Rest Stop Nr. 1:''' Take bus 19, Black Sea coast19C, Antalya {{19Y, 19T or just ask which bus is going to 'Ferhatpaşa the stop you have to get off at you will see a road going in a circle like a big roundabout its Flat Prof Dr Necmettin Erbakan Park from there search Mirkelam Dinlenme Tesisleri İstanbul rest stop (40.98854931087875, 29.192601039813262) on E|-80}} ===/ O-4.

For going east When arriving from the bus stop you will find the gas station completely fenced and you might think about climbing or cutting it. But there are different options:is a 'legal' open door in the middle of the fence. The gas station itself has alot of traffic also for long distances.

* '''From parking on motorway O4'''Take ferry to ''Kadıköy'' on Asian side. Next Mirrorworld used this spot in 2022 and in just 30 minutes waiting time he was offered rides to the ferry terminal there is a bus terminal where you can take bus 19Eskisehir, 19C or 19Y. Get off at the stop ''Ferhatpaşa'' (you will see a road going in a circle like a big roundabout). From there walk northeast until you get Ankara and finally also to the motorway O4 Anadolu OtoyoluSamsun. There is a fence along the motorway but it has many holes, so getting to the other side is not difficultBest spot ever. Once you get to the parking area, you can ask around or make a big sign and show it at parking area's exit to the drivers passing by on the motorway, so they can stop on a merge lane. There's one small restaurant in the parking area where many drivers stop for a short break.

* '''From GebzeRest Stop Nr. 2:'''Take Metroline M4 in direction Tavsantepe and get out at Pendik Istasyonu. Change to Busline KM18 and get out at Mehmetcik Vakfi. You're just next to a big highway reststop, where you will also catch all the traffic coming from SAW Airport. Coordinates: 40.92008 29.35054

Get on a ferry ==== From Şekerpınar close to Haydarpaşa (1,75 TL) and from there a suburban train to the last station Gebze (also 1,75 TL). There is only one train line. After you walk up the train station stairs and come to the street, go left and at the 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 Izmit and get out at the service station 9 km before Izmit.====

Most people who will take you might just drive for another 10km or so. There are lots of [[petrol station hitchhiking|petrol stations]] 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 30 km 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.E8O

* '''Update 2022:''' There is no reststop or gasstation at the Otoyolu at Şekerpınar. The highway is a really huge one with cars going very fast. Walking or trying to hitchhike on the highway in this part of Turkey is definetly not recommended. You can take the onramp though, but you will only be able to catch traffic coming from Şekerpınar and other surburbs. '''Other 2022 update''' There is no rest stop but the lane of the enterance becomes a shoulder lane in like 50 meters.Move a bit away from the lane so the cars from that enterance can see you and thumb all the highway cars and you'll have a ride in no time. As the police in Turkey are completely ambivalent towards thumbing on the highway catching a ride is pretty easy as long as you don't mind super-fast cars flying by you. ==== 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 (3.50 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.

* '''==== The (free) walking option'''====

While most people would find it more comfortable to take a bus to the outskirts and then start hitchiking there is another, slighlty slightly more challenging, option. Generally it is actually faster to just find a good piece of highway somewhere close to where you stay (even if it's in the centre of Istanbul), get ON the highway and put your thumb up. You are unlikely to wait more than 3-5 minute before a car pulls over (many people don't really mind stopping on the highway) and the police is very unlikely to give you any trouble (they picked [[Theo]] up, gave him tea and chocolate-cookies and dropped him of 20 kilometers further down the road)

From Taksim: Walk down Cumhüriyet Caddesi for about 40-50 minutes. It's a big avenue which is easy to find (alternativvely alternatively just follow the signs on Taxim for Şisli). After 40-50 minutes you'll see Cevahir shopping center on your right side and that's about 200 meters from where you'll start hitching. If you manage to get lost (hard as it's a big avenue without any real tricky intersection or anything) you should just ask your way to Cevahir shopping center.After the 40-50 minute walk (about the time when you pass Cevahir shopping center on your right side) you'll see the highway. This is th spot where the Mercidiköy bridge starts and about 70-80 % of the traffic is bound for the Asian side. When you get to the highway (which is actually about 10 meters over you as you are under the bridge) you'll see the Mercidiköy bustation to your left. Turn left,walk 20 meters until you see a small footpath leading up to the highway, climb up, thumb up, and smile at your audience (often about 50-60 people) who are waiting for the Metrobus to come. They might even give you an applause if you just put up a show.

After Important: BE PATIENT AND DON'T JUST ACCEPT ANY RIDE. Wait for someone who's going at least past the 40-50 minute walk main intersection in Atesehir (about the time when say that you pass Cevahir shopping center want to go direction Gebze/Izmit on the autoyol). Even though almost no traffic is going far from here it is important that your right side) first ride is gonna take you'll see to the O4 highwayafter the two highways merges and that may mean declining 1, 2 or 4 rides. This is th spot where Ask to get dropped of at the Mercidiköy bridge starts highway and about 70not at some on-80 % ramp or something even more silly (this is [[Turkey]] remember). You may have to repeat it one or two more times before you get out of Istanbul just because of the traffic is bound city's enourmous size. Alternatively you could wait for a ride to take you across the bridge and get dropped off at the paytolls on the Asian sideand find a ride onto the E8O from there. === South towards [[Yalova]], [[Bursa]] or [[Izmir]] === See below the Eskihisar links for a road/bridge alternative. When 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. Opet - Mehmetçik Vakfı Petrol petrol station / rest stop on E80 highway next to Mehmetçik Vakfı bus stop. Buses 130H, 132, 132B and KM 18 stopes there. Place isnt far from Sabiha Gokcen International Airport Doğalhane Dinlenme Tesisleri petrol station / rest stop on E80 highway next to Çayırova İtfaiye bus stop. Bus 133Ş stops there Marmaray metro east in the direction of Gebze. Get off at Osmangazi Station (two stops before Gebze) as this is closer to the D-100 highway that will carry you east. Walk roughly 300m north up the road from the station until you get to the circle-underpass junction with the D-100 highway (. A nice position just after the start of the on-ramp, where cars are still moving slowly, should score you a ride in minutes. However, the majority of traffic here seems to be going to Izmit, which is actually about 10 meters over past the bridge. Turn down rides if you as have to until you are under get one going over the bridge) , to Yalova/Bursa/İzmir etc. If you'll see re really stuck, take a short ride and ask your driver to drop you off on the side of the road at the Mercidiköy bustation off-ramp going to your leftthe bridge, and continue hitching from there or after the interchange. Turn leftIf you're really stuck on that road leading up to the bridge,you'll have to walk 20 meters a few km along it until you see get to the Petrol Ofisi fuel station, about a small footpath leading up Kilometre before the bridge. Hitch at the on-ramp to the highway, from there. == Wild camping == Hacı Osman Korusu park wild camping - ride metro line 2 to Darussafaka station and next to it on the circle corner of streets Buyukder and Ulu streets you can climb up, thumb up, and smile at your audience (often about 50-60 people) who are waiting for over the Metrobus fance to comeHacı Osman Korusu park https://ibb. They might even give you an applause if you just put up co/RHmd9jb Get only a show.bit inside but be carefull there ar some sharp plants

Important: BE PATIENT AND DONT JUST ACCEPT ANY RIDE. Wait for someone who's going atleast past the main intersection in Atesehir (say that you want to go direction Gebze/Izmit You will find many beaches on the autoyol)Prince islands, but many of them are privatised. Even though almost no traffic is going far You should walk away from here it is important that your first ride is gonna take you to the O4 highway after the two highways merges and that may mean declining 1,2 or 4 rides. Ask towns to get dropped of at the highway and not at find some onramp or something even more silly (this is [[Turkey]] remember). You may have to repeat it one or two more times before you get out of Istanbul just because of the city's enourmous sizewild beach.

Alternatively Büyükada island wild camping - you could wait for a ride can get by paid ferry there (Kadıköy, Bostancı or Kartal). Be aware that the forests are sometimes closed due to take wild fires and the police might be even more strict if you across 're caught camping (not to mention the danger to yourself if there ever was a fire). You can camp on the top of the island between Aya Yorgi Manastırı and the bridge communication tower. You will have some shade from the trees and a nice wind (at least during summer). You can take one of the small buses to get closer from the ferry. BA-2 is the one that will get dropped off you the closest but is stops at 9 pm, otherwise you can take the paytolls BA-5 that runs until 11-12 pm. Be aware that you should not drink water tape on the Asian side and find a ride onto islands. OGM (nature protection) may bother if you stay late in the 04 from theremorning, but you should not get fined, turkish or foreigner.

=== South towards [[Yalova]]/[[Bursa]] =Nomadwiki & Trashwiki ==