Turkey Ferries

Greece to Turkey: the Aegean crossings

The most internationally known Turkish ferry routes are the short crossings from Greek islands to the Turkish Aegean coast. These are international border crossings with passport control on both sides (see the entry rules below).

Bodrum is the busiest hub on the Turkish side. Fast boats and ferries cross to Kos in 15 minutes to an hour depending on the vessel, with more than ten crossings a day in summer and a reduced service in winter. Several companies share the route, including Bodrum Feribot (Bodrum Ferryboat), Sky Marine, Makri Travel, Exas, Turyol, Dentur Avrasya and Turkish Sealines. A Bodrum–Rhodes fast ferry (about 2 hours) has run in past summers, but check that it is scheduled before planning around it.

From Marmaris, fast ferries reach Rhodes in about an hour, running daily in summer and a few days a week in winter. Further east, Fethiye has fast ferries to Rhodes taking about 1.5 to 2 hours, three to seven days a week depending on the month.

Çeşme, near İzmir, connects to the Greek island of Chios in about 20 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes depending on the boat, one of the shortest international sea crossings in the Mediterranean. Ayvalık, further north, has ferries to Lesvos (Mytilene) taking about 50 minutes to 1.5 hours, including car ferries. Kuşadası, the port for Ephesus, has passenger-only crossings to Samos (Vathy or Pythagoreio) taking about 45 minutes to 1.5 hours, mainly from March to November.

Turyol, a large İstanbul ferry company, runs its own car ferries on Ayvalık–Lesvos and Çeşme–Chios and also sells tickets on several other Turkey–Greece routes. Smaller local companies run most of the southern crossings.

Entry rules: you clear Turkish passport control at the Turkish port and Greek border control on the Greek side. According to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UK, US, Canadian and Australian citizens and citizens of most EU countries can visit Turkey without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; citizens of the Republic of Cyprus need a visa. The UK government advises that British passports must be valid for at least 150 days after you arrive in Turkey. Greece is in the Schengen Area: UK, US and other non-EU visitors can stay up to 90 days in any 180 days without a visa, and since April 2026 non-EU travellers are registered in the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) at the border. The separate ETIAS travel authorisation is not yet in operation. EU citizens can enter Greece with a national ID card, but should carry a passport unless they have confirmed that Turkey accepts their ID card. Rules change, so check the official sources for your passport before you travel.

Sea of Marmara: İstanbul's fast ferries

İDO (İstanbul Deniz Otobüsleri) runs sea buses, fast car ferries and car ferries across the Sea of Marmara, the inland sea between the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles. These are domestic Turkish services, so there is no border control.

The İstanbul–Bursa fast car ferry sails from Yenikapı to Güzelyalı in the Mudanya district in about 1 hour 35 minutes. The terminal is about 25 km from central Bursa, which you reach by bus, taxi or car. Bursa, the first Ottoman capital, is a rewarding city visit: the Grand Bazaar, the Green Mosque and Mount Uludağ are all within easy reach.

The İstanbul–Bandırma fast ferry takes about 3 hours and is a useful route for travellers heading to the Aegean coast or the Dardanelles without driving through İstanbul. Bandırma has trains to İzmir, and buses from there reach Çanakkale. Both routes carry cars, which saves a long drive around the Marmara coast.

Both routes leave from Yenikapı, İDO's main terminal on the European shore, which is on the metro and Marmaray rail lines.

The Dardanelles: Çanakkale and Gallipoli

The strait of the Dardanelles is crossed around the clock by Gestaş car ferries between Çanakkale on the Asian shore and Eceabat on the European (Gallipoli) side. The crossing takes around 25 minutes, with sailings roughly hourly in the daytime and every one to two hours at night. Gestaş also runs a shorter crossing from Çanakkale to Kilitbahir.

Eceabat is the gateway to the Gallipoli Peninsula (Gelibolu Yarımadası), the site of the 1915 First World War campaign that has particular significance for Australian, New Zealand, British and Turkish history. Anzac Cove, Lone Pine, Chunuk Bair and the Turkish memorials are a short drive from the ferry port. Many visitors combine this with Troy (Truva), the ancient site about 30 km south of Çanakkale on the Asian side.

The Turquoise Coast

Turkey's south-western coast, the Turquoise Coast, is fringed with bays that are easiest to explore by sea. Gulets (traditional wooden motor-sailers) run day trips and multi-day Blue Voyages from Bodrum, Marmaris, Fethiye and Göcek, reaching coves and ancient Lycian ruins that are hard to reach by road. Local boats and water taxis connect coastal villages and resorts in season.