Changes

In many parts == Hitching in Europe you can find Turkish truckers, who might be heading to Istanbul. Watch out for Turkish number plates beginning with '''34''', the city code for Istanbul, however a high proportion of all trucks heading for the Asian side of Turkey still have to go through Istanbul.==

<map lat='41If you drive highway look around and ask your driver to let you out in place where you see a Istanbul in walking distance than ask local people for bus/metro.04207384890103' lng='28For example Paşaköy.989486694335937' zoom='10' view='0' float='right' />You should have some small local cash to pay for ticket. Or walk :)

A third option is possible if your driver is going to the Asian side of Istanbul. If he will cross the bridge ''Fatih Sultan Mehmet kuprusu''. ask him to drop you at the last exit before the bridge's toll booth=== Northwest towards [[Greece]] , which is right after you pass the new stadium. if you walk/hitch down that road[[Edirne]], very soon you will arrive at a metro station, which will take you directly to Taksim.[[Bulgaria]] {{E|80}} {{E|84}}===

== Hitching out ==Test option - Ispartakule Park Area North ==== Ispartakule Park Area North is a fuel station on E80 highway(See Google maps for getting there and update how its. There is bus 76E going to Sehit Serife Bacı Lisesi bus stop not far place)

Generally, you can just start hitching anywhere in the ==== Out of city center. Just walk to the nearest highway 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 transport.option ====

''Taksim Square in the center You can get out of the European part of Istanbul is chosen as a starting point for the upcoming description due city bus 303 from Yenibosna Metro to the fact that there the most last bus stop Silivri Halk Otobüsü Bekleme Garajı (or bus 303B from Otogar Metro till bus lines of the European side start stop Mimarsinan Mah). Ticket cost 11 TL and endyou can pay only with Istanbulcard.''

There are several ways to get out of the city centre and onto the main highway. If you stop a car that B) 5 km walk away is not going a long distance, then it is best to aim for the Mahmutbey D-7 higway toll booths in the northwest of Istanbul where the E80 really begins. From here, it is possible to 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.place Kınalı Gişeleri

You can take A good middle option seems to be taking bus 83O* from Taksim Square 303 to the big bus station Selimpaşa from where it''Bayrampaşa Otogar'' on the European side, which is just along the motorway to Edirne / Bulgaria. Take the bus s about a 30 minute walk to the last stop, get off and E80 or about a 40 minute walk back to the entrance. From there, you'll be hitching directly along first gas station on the motorway. A sign works well here, E80 and there catching a ride is plenty of space for drivers easy. The first few cars will go to pull over since a lot of buses and minibuses stop for passengers just outside). While exiting, Silivri but you'll notice a petrol station are bound to your right that is catch a possible alternative starting point where you can ask drivers for lifts (or just use the toilet)ride going towards Edirne relatively quickly.

Hitchhikers experience: we don't understand what means when you write "last stop". And turkish people didn't understand when you try ==== Getting to explain them that you whant to get out suburbans of the city to highway. They offer to you their buses. It's easier to take bus from this bus station to the nearest village Catalca, get out before bus turn to Catalca.Istanbul ====

==== Another way to get to city's western outskirts is to take the metro from Aksaray close to Sultanahmet in the old city centre, and ride it till ''Yenibosna'' station (2.0 TL pp, roughly €0.80). Then, take the public bus #448 (''Yenibosna Metro ====-Mimarsinan''; an extra 2.00 TL pp), which departs from the stops right next to metro station. You will ride this bus for a ''long'' time, roughly an hour, until where it quits the motorway west and turns to right in a cloverleaf interchange near the village of Mimarsinan, where the bus eventually heads. Get off at the stop right at the very location bus turns right, this is where as much west as you can get on Istanbul's public transportation. Then walk a bit further from the junction, and start thumbing.

Get into the metro at Taksim Square and take a train towards ''Haciosman''. 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 to be confused with Atatürk Oto Sanayi which is the last station en route), get ==== Trains out 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. city ====

Or better, you may get off For those who rather not try hitchhiking through the metro at ''İTÜ-Ayazağa'' station (overgrown western suburbs of the first one after ''Sanayi Mahallesi'')city, cross the street on an pedestrian overpass close a slightly more expensive but a lot easier way to that station's exit and then walk ''south'' for about 10 min follow this westbound route to get Greece may be to take the on ramp morning train to the motorway. You will have to walk past the military park on the right side of the road[[Muratlı]] from Sirkeci station in central Istanbul, and then you will see the big motorway belowhitch your way forward to Greece via [[Tekirdağ]] from there. See [[Muratlı]] article for full details.

Go somewhat down Once you have passed the border, try to stay in the car which took you through, as the first 20-30 km on the ramp Greek and you can find a good spot Bulgarian side are one of the worst places to stand hitchhike in Europe. Local people there are afraid of stories about immigrants from Iran and stop carsAfghanistan etc. Also try so it's especially hard to get short lifts (even some kilometres can help in Istanbul)a ride.

From Yenikapı, near Sultanahmet, one can take bus 146T and get off at the stop just after the bus turns north into the suburb Başakşehir. From the bus stop, you can walk a couple of hundred metres down to the toll booth === Westwards towards [[Cannakale]] (there is a handy gap in the fencevia [[Tekirdağ|Tekirdag]]). ===

=== Westwards towards [[Greece]] (via [[Tekirdağ|Take Bus #34B/C/BZ/G to the last stop and start hitchhiking with a Tekirdag]]) {{E|84}} ===sign there

* Hitchhikers experience: I took the train to Küçükçekmece like I read on here, === East and found the highway. To my dismay it was '''impossible''' to hitch. After walking 2 miles, hoping there would be 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, there was a huge spot to hitchhike. For anyone who goes this waysouth towards [[Ankara]], I '''highly''' recommend taking the bus the whole way instead of trying to walk like I did. OrBlack Sea coast, use another method to hitch. - JonAntalya {{E|80}} ===

Another way to get to city's western outskirts is to take the metro from Aksaray close to Sultanahmet in the old city centre, and ride it till ''Yenibosna'' station (2.0 TL pp, roughly €0.80). Then, take the public bus #448 (''Yenibosna Metro-Mimarsinan''; an extra 2.00 TL pp), which departs from the stops right next to metro station. You will ride this bus for a ''long'' time, roughly an hour, until where it quits the ==== From parking on motorway west and turns to right in a cloverleaf interchange near the village of [[Mimarsinan]], where the bus eventually heads. Get off at the stop right at the very location bus turns right, this is where as much west as you can get on Istanbul's public transportation. Then walk a bit further from the junction, and start thumbing. Hitchhiker [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] tried this route in 2002 or 2003, when he wasn't very experienced at hitchhiking. The first lift offer arrived so late (after about 2 hours of thumbing) and the following lifts were so short (and, again, late) that he could make it to [[Tekirdağ]], a mere 120 km away from this hitching spot, after the night falls, despite starting early in the morning.O4 ====

For those who rather not try hitchhiking through the overgrown western suburbs of the city'''Rest Stop Nr. 1:''' Take bus 19, 19C, 19Y, a slightly more expensive but a lot easier way to follow this westbound route 19T or just ask which bus is going to Greece may be to take 'Ferhatpaşa the morning train stop you have to [[Muratlı]] from Sirkeci station get off at you will see a road going in central Istanbul, and then hitch your way forward to Greece via [[Tekirdağ]] a circle like a big roundabout its Flat Prof Dr Necmettin Erbakan Park from theresearch Mirkelam Dinlenme Tesisleri İstanbul rest stop (40.98854931087875, 29. See [[Muratlı]] article for full details192601039813262) on E-80 / O-4.

Once When arriving from the bus stop you have passed will find the border, try to stay gas station completely fenced and you might think about climbing or cutting it. But there is a 'legal' open door in the car which took you through, as the first 20-30 km on the Greek side is one middle of the worst places to hitchhike in Europefence. Local people there are afraid The gas station itself has alot of stories about immigrants from Iran and Afghanistan etctraffic also for long distances. 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!

=== East ''Mirrorworld used this spot in 2022 and south towards [[in just 30 minutes waiting time he was offered rides to Eskisehir, Ankara]], Black Sea coast, Antalya {{E|80}} ===and finally also to Samsun. Best spot ever.''

For going east there are different options'''Rest 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

* '''==== From parking on motorway O4'''Take ferry Şekerpınar close to ''Kadıköy'' on Asian side. Next to the ferry terminal there is a bus terminal where you can take bus 19, 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 to the motorway O4 Anadolu Otoyolu. There is a fence along the motorway but it has many holes, so getting to the other side is not difficult. 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.Gebze ====

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 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 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.

If you want to avoid 30km '''Other 2022 update''' There is no rest stop but the lane of urban hitch hiking, the enterance becomes a shoulder lane in like 50 meters.Move a bit away from the last stop of 112 take bus 134BK (other 134 buses may work as well) which leaves across lane so the road cars from where 112 ends. Ride until that enterance can see you and thumb all the end and transfer onto 133Ş highway cars and you'll have a ride it until in no time. As the last stop. You police in Turkey are then in Şekerpınar and can walk completely ambivalent towards thumbing on the 2km to the main motorway O4 Anadolu Otoyoluhighway 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 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.

Alternatively you could wait for a ride to take you across the bridge and get dropped off at the paytolls on the Asian side and find a ride onto the 04 E8O from there. === South towards [[Yalova]], [[Bursa]] or [[Izmir]] === See below the Eskihisar links for a road/bridge alternative. 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

=== South towards [[Yalova]]Doğalhane Dinlenme Tesisleri petrol station /[[Bursa]] ===rest stop on E80 highway next to Çayırova İtfaiye bus stop. Bus 133Ş stops there

See [[Eskihisar]] for how 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 ferry jetty on circle-underpass junction with the D-100 highway. A nice position just after the route and how to get into start of the ferry for freeon-ramp, where cars are still moving slowly, should score you a ride in minutes.

The route via [[Eskihisar]] However, the majority of traffic here seems to be going to Izmit, which is also past the bridge. Turn down rides if you have to until you get one going over the bridge, to Yalova/Bursa/İzmir etc. If you're really stuck, take a short ride and ask your driver to drop you off on the side of the road at the shortest way off-ramp going to [[Izmir]] the bridge, and its adjacent area in western Turkeycontinue hitching from there or after the interchange. If you're really stuck on that road leading up to the bridge, you'll have to walk a few km along it until you get to the Petrol Ofisi fuel station, about a Kilometre before the bridge. Hitch at the on-ramp to the highway from there.

== Public transport Wild camping ==

Istanbul has an extensive public transportation system consisting of a Hacı Osman Korusu park wild camping - ride metro, trams, buses line 2 to Darussafaka station and metrobuses (buses which run along a special lane in next to it on the middle circle corner of streets Buyukder and Ulu streets you can climb over the road)fance to Hacı Osman Korusu park https://ibb. co/RHmd9jb Get only a bit inside but be carefull there ar some sharp plants

On You will find many beaches on Prince islands, but many of them are privatised. You should walk away from the busestowns to find some wild beach. Büyükada island wild camping - you can get by paid ferry there (Kadıköy, payment must Bostancı or Kartal). Be aware that the forests are sometimes closed due to wild fires and the police might be made with a prepaid card called an ''akbil''. However, even more strict if you try 're caught camping (not to give mention the driver money, he will probably just ask another passenger danger to take your money yourself if there ever was a fire). You can camp on the top of the island between Aya Yorgi Manastırı and pay with his ''akbil''the communication tower. At metro stations You will have some shade from the trees and tram 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 you the closest but is stopsat 9 pm, there are machines where otherwise you can pay cash to take the BA-5 that runs until 11-12 pm. Be aware that you should not drink water tape on the islands. OGM (nature protection) may bother if you stay late in the morning, but you should not get a tokenfined, turkish or foreigner. == Nomadwiki & Trashwiki == {{nomadwiki}}