International Flights

There are three main options:

1) RT flight to/from Istanbul - then domestic connection to Dalaman airport on the south coast. Note that it may be worth checking prices of domestic fares if booked online with a Turkish travel agent; Turkish Airlines often give their domestic agents better local rates.

2) RT flight to/from Athens - this may not seem like the most obvious route! - but it is actually very simple to get ferries between the Dodecanese islands and Turkey.

Eg - a) Domestic flight Athens to Rhodes (50mins), then ferry Rhodes to Marmaris
b) Athens-Samos (also 50mins), then ferry Samos to Kusadasi

3) Flight into Athens, out of Istanbul or vice versa - this makes the most logistical sense for those doing one of our "combo" Greece-Turkey trips. Otherwise, a RT to Athens is the next best choice.

Booking flights: SeaScape does not book airfares directly. Getting the best airfares these days needs fulltime attention to the airline industry, and as a small company, our focus needs to be on what we do best - running sailing adventures! You'll get the best deals from travel agents who specialize in airfares, either online or perhaps in your home town (airfare deals are sometimes better when booked from city of departure).

Direct charter flights from the UK

During the main summer months, there are several UK companies who operate direct flights from the UK to Dalaman & Bodrum airports - thus avoiding the need to transit through Istanbul. Their main aim is to sell these as "package deals" (flight + hotel), but they do also offer flight-only sometimes. There are some great deals to be had, given sufficient time to shop around; the drawback is that it can be hard to book a long ways in advance. Here's a few good URLs if you want to check them out: -

https://www.justtheflight.com
https://www.uk.mytravel.com
https://www.thomsonflights.com
https://www.excelairways.com

Getting from Istanbul to the south coast

Our rendezvous points in Turkey vary according to trip; we tend to sail one-way routes to avoid covering the same ground twice. Please check rendezvous location for your particular trip, and read these notes accordingly.

For rendezvous in Keci Buku, Gocek and Fethiye, the closest airport is Dalaman. This is a 90 min flight from Istanbul. If you are coming via Greece, you would take the ferry from Rhodes-Marmaris, and then a bus/taxi to the relevant meeting place. We can help with these details once you have the "big picture" travel schedule in place.

For rendezvous in Turgutreis, Bodrum airport is about 50mins drive away Or there is a ferry from Kos (Greece) to Bodrum, which takes about 45 mins. Taxi from Bodrum to Turgutreis is about 20 mins.

Ferries to/from Greece

There are three main points at which you can take a ferry from Greece to Turkey along this coast:

Samos - Kusadasi 90 mins
Kos - Bodrum 45 mins
Rhodes - Marmaris 60 mins

Marmaris and Bodrum are closest to our rendezvous points in Turkey; however it is worth noting that Kusadasi is very close to the famous ancient city of Ephesus, which is very worthwhile visiting. It is possible to then get a bus to meet us on the S coast OR a ferry from Samos to meet us in the islands.

The Turkish bus system is very efficient, clean and incredibly good value. If you are traveling with a few people, there are is also the ubiquitous dolmus - a little minibus, which can be rented much like a taxi, or negotiated to provide a half-taxi, half-bus service. You will see them around everywhere - don't hesitate to dust off your bargaining skills!

And finally….
When you have your flight itinerary sorted out, please email to us the details of your arrival and departure times. If you are traveling with with a GSM cellphone, it's always useful for us to have this info too.

We look forward to meeting you this summer!