NEW! Arslankoy: Buses depart from Mersin at 6am, 8am, 11am and 2pm, and return to Mersin at 10am, noon and 2pm. Fare is 2M each way. Phone the depot at 0044-324-336-5496
NEW! Edirne, an excursion from Istanbul, by E. Redekop: Take the Tramway to its western terminus at Zeytinburnu, and tranfer to the Metro stop of the same name. Board any northbound train, and get off again at the Otogar stop. Exit from the complex into daylight and look around for the Metro bus lines storefront. When you walk in to buy your ticket, remember to get the open return ticket for 7M (~$8.75CAD). Window = Penecere, Aisle = Koridor. Buses leave hourly on the hour during the early part of the season, and more frequently during the summer months. When you arrive at the Edirne Otogar, check with the Metro desk for the times buses return to Istanbul, then wait for the free dolmus into town if you aren't in a hurry, or accept the offer of a taxi ride for 2 or 3M (~3.75CAD) to the central square. After viewing the Eski(map #2) and Selimye(map #1) mosques, take a longer walk out to the Beyazit(map #4) mosque. Before boarding your bus back to Istanbul, take some refreshment at one of the outdoor cafes next to Selimye mosque or shop in the Arasta bazaar (map #10) next door. The bus back (map #6) to the Otogar (No. 4) is only 500,000 (~$0.63CAD). The Metro bus will return to the Otogar Metro stop outside Istanbul [if you buy your ticket at Edirne separately, you could also choose Radar (226-0149) or the Lux Edirne Express (226-0060) bus lines; confirm that they arrive at the Otogar also]. Go back on the train to Zeytinburnu, and back as far as Eminonu on the Tramway. Total costs: Tramway 1.3M, Metro 1.3M, Bus (return) 7M, Dolmus 0.5M, Lunch 5M = 15.1M (~$18.88CAD).
NEW! Findikpinari: Buses depart from Mersin at 6:15am, 7am, 8am, 9am, 10:30am, noon, 2pm, 3pm and 5pm, returning to Mersin at 7am, 8:30am, 10am, 11am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm. Fare is 2M each way.
NEW! Gozne, an excursion from Mersin, by E. Redekop: Walk into the Otogar behind the Guven Hipermarket on Zeytinli Bahce Caddesi. Buses leave at 6:40am, 7:40am, 8:30am, 9:20am, 10:10am, 11am, 11:50am, 12:40pm, 130pm. Fare is 1M each way (~$1.25CAD). The bus will arrive at the village terminus about 90 minutes later. Follow the driver and his friends into a nearby canteen and join the city fathers warming their hands by an old iron stove. From an elevation of 1400 meters, the return trip is almost entirely downhill to sea level at Mersin at a distance of about 30 kilometers. At the 20 kilometer point, the Sarnic Tesisleri serves chicken shish, salad and ayran for 5M, including tip (~$6.25CAD). No menu so confirm the price (fiyat) when ordering. If you get tired of walking, flag down a bus for a lift into the next village, or all the way into Mersin. Walking the whole way takes about 8 hours. Take lots of film.
NEW! Istanbul Metro: Trains run every four minutes from Monday to Friday, every five minutes on Saturday, and every seven minutes on Sunday. Blue and Red lines only (see map). The fare is always increasing, but it is still very cheap and convenient.
NEW! Istanbul Tramway: Trains run every five minutes seven days a week. Green line only (see map). The fare is always increasing, but it is still very cheap and convenient.
