Rent a motorhome in Turkey

What are the rental conditions?

The conditions for renting a camper may vary from company to company.
Below are the most popular rental conditions in Turkey:
—The minimum rental period in winter is 3-4 days, in summer — 7 days.
—Driver's age from 25 years, driving experience from 3 years, category "B" (passenger).
—Unlimited mileage
—A security deposit of 300-1000 euros.
—To conclude a lease agreement, two documents are required: a passport and a category "B" license

How much is it better to book a motorhome for?

In the high season (summer in most countries) it is better to book 3-6 months in advance. Mid and low season recommended a month in advance. Subject to the availability of motorhomes, you can make a reservation through us 24 hours before the scheduled start.

What category of driver's license is required?

The usual category "B" is suitable for driving a motorhome, since for the most part the permitted weight of campers is up to 3500 kg. International rights are not required to drive this type of car on Turkish territory.

What are the features of traffic regulations?

In Turkey, international signs are used, but instead of a mandatory stop sign, "STOP" may be its counterpart "DUR". Brown signs lead to the sights. The rules are standard, and it's easy for tourists to follow them.
Traffic control is carried out by the Traffic Police. A military patrol (Jandarma) can also stop the driver on the road for inspection. Such checks are quite common, especially at night. According to tourists, the traffic police are mostly loyal to drivers, and travelers in general try not to detain.

Are there any features of parking and refueling cars?

Free parking in large cities is available only near large shopping malls, at your hotel, municipal institutions, near residential buildings and near public parks. Paid parking is paid in advance. Municipal parking is usually cheaper than private parking. But there are always places on private ones. You can stop for 15 minutes for free at paid parking lots.
Gas stations are often found on the highways. Fuel costs a little more expensive than the average in other European countries, but the quality is consistent. You can pay for services in cash (only in lira) and by card.

Where to drain the toilet/ dirty water/ refuel the water?

The toilet cassette can be drained into a public toilet. Release dirty water from the tank of the car into the drains at the gas station.

You can also fill up clean water during a trip at a gas station, from a pump in a village, camping, at a car wash, or ask kind locals to fill the tank with a garden hose.

I can contact the rental company directly. Why do I need you?

We can help if you don't want to spend time collecting information about motorhomes, rental companies, routes, campsites and everyday moments on the trip. And all this is in Russian.

We earn on partnership with rental companies and do not take commissions from travelers. The rental price for you will be the same as directly in such a company. And often even lower.

We wrote more about this in the blog "Pros and cons of direct rental of motorhomes"

What does it take to get to Turkey?

For most citizens of the CIS countries, only a valid passport is required. And that's it! You can safely travel all over the country for the allowed 60 days of stay. This is enough to immerse yourself in culture, everyday life, see the main sights, azure seas and amazing mountains.

Why is it worth traveling in Turkey by motorhome?

This is an incredible country. Very beautiful. Imagine, Turkey is washed by 4 seas: the Mediterranean, Black, Aegean and Marmara - and you can swim in each. Here you can snowboard in the mountains during the day and swim in the sea in the evening. You will find out why the locals drink tea all the time, how polite and kind they are, try all possible fruits and vegetables in the local markets.

Why in a motorhome? This is convenient: you can go wherever you want, and not where the tour operator's program is directed. No need to adjust to the schedules of trains, planes and buses. You are the main person in your journey.
There are plenty of parking spaces in Turkey, clean water can be found almost everywhere, and it is not difficult to drain the water from the "gray" tank.

Well, comfort, friends: you have all the kitchen utensils with you, a soft bed, a shower and a toilet. Do you want to cook dinner with a sea view? Please. Sleep to the sound of the waves? Of course, this is possible. Travel comfortably with children, cats and dogs. Yes, a motorhome is ideal.

What are motorhomes in Turkey?

The camper market in Turkey is quite specific. Firstly, there are high import duties, so there are no factory European motorhomes for rent, and secondly, campers under 5 years old are heavily taxed, so most motorhomes are converted cargo or passenger vans. It turns out that the residential part of the camper, as a rule, is not older than 2-3 years, and the car base is always older than 5 years. In view of the foregoing, 90% of rental motorhomes in Turkey are of the format of a residential van (kastenvagen) designed for 3-4 people, built on the basis of Fiat Ducato, Peugeot Boxer, less often Citroen Jumper. Alcove-type motorhomes for 5-6 people can be counted on the fingers, there are several of them throughout the country. We have tact options in Antalya and Istanbul suburbs. It is worth noting that the Turks have learned to make campers of excellent quality and well equipped. Almost all have solar panels installed, which gives tourists more freedom and non-attachment to camping. We work with conscientious car rental companies who carefully monitor the technical condition of campers. You can be calm.

What insurance and deposit?

All rental campers have full insurance with a deposit and a deductible. This means that in addition to the cost of renting, you will be charged a refundable deposit at the time of delivery of the motorhome. On average, it is 300-500 euros, in rare cases 1000 euros. At the end of the rental, the deposit will be returned to you if everything is in order with the motorhome. If an insured event occurs through the fault of the tenant, then the amount of the deposit (it is also equal to the amount of the deductible) will go to cover losses, everything in excess of this amount will be paid by the insurance company. If the damage occurred due to the fault of a third party in an accident and everything is properly executed, then the insurance company will fully cover the losses. The windshield and equipment inside the motorhome are not insured. Also, the insurance will not cover losses in case of a gross violation of the camper operation rules, such as:
-drunk driving
- the driver was not specified in the rental agreement,
- allow water to freeze in the camper's water system,
-driving a camper off-road,
-intentional harm to the camper, etc.

Rent with return in another city

Basically, our tourists start their journey from Antalya, Istanbul or Izmir. These are large cities with international airports and the largest number of car rental companies. However, there are no network distributors in Turkey. You can rent a motorhome in one city and rent it in another, but you will need to pay all the costs associated with returning the camper to its original location. For example, an additional fee for the return of Antalya-Istanbul will be approximately 400-500 euros. Take in Istanbul, and give at the border with Georgia (or vice versa) will cost about 600-800 euros. The calculation turns out to be approximately 0.5-0.7 euro / km.

How to maintain a camper on the road?

The most necessary: fill up with fuel, water, drain used water and waste from the  toilet. About everything in   order. For gas stations, we painted below. By  water - you can refuel at springs near the road, gas stations and  car washes. Also in  any, even the smallest village, there is a mosque, next to  which is a column with  water. In addition,  camping sites will definitely have water.

You can also drain the "gray", used water from the  tank in the  camping in a specially designated place, or in the  drain near the road, in the  grass, this is not   critically, it will not harm nature.

Where to stay?

Option 1. Wherever you like.
In Turkey, you can stand anywhere, of course, where there are no prohibition signs. Before you is the sea, lake, mountains or plain - choose for yourself.

How to find good places:

• go wherever your eyes look, maybe you'll be lucky and there will be a great place. There are many empty, free places in Turkey, even in popular locations. Important: look for a place to spend the night in daylight so that in the morning it doesn't turn out that you spent the night at the foot of an active volcano (yes, there are such in Turkey)
• open any online map in the "satellite" position. So you can see from a height the presence of a parking lot or a secluded place
• use the park4night or ioverlander app, in which travelers around the world mark the locations where they managed to spend the night or stay longer, they also write about the availability of water, toilets and other amenities in the parking lot.

Almost anywhere you can find water, a trash can and some dry wood for a fire. Attention: before you leave, you need to carry out the operation "We weren't here", removing all the garbage behind you, and bury the coals from yesterday's fire in the ground.

Option 1. Camping.
They can also be found from the app above, or on our Rentals in Turkey page. Usually campsites are paid, less often for free, yes, and this happens here.

Turkey has a variety of campsites. For example, in Istanbul you can find a concrete platform without water and electricity for 50 euros per day. And a couple of hours drive from the same Istanbul, you will stumble upon a free campsite with electricity, unlimited water, showers, toilets and a seating area.

Therefore, if you want to spend time with maximum comfort, have a lot of water, electricity, meet new interesting people from different countries, then feel free to head towards the campsite.
On average, the price of 1 night in a campsite is 20 €.

What to expect on the road and how to feel confident behind the wheel?

To feel confident - drive according to the rules, cut and go into a turn on a motorhome with half a turn anyway. By and large, the Turks are adequate on the road, with the rare exception of young people in "racing" cars. Traffic rules are respected, you should not be afraid and worry.
The most enjoyable part of the journey is the roads themselves. They are perfect. Large highways, 4-5 lanes each, bridges, highways with a speed limit of 120-140 km / h. Where there are large streams, there is always an ideal road. Even in Istanbul, you probably won't have to wait long in traffic because the traffic is well regulated.

Toll roads

There aren't many of them, but they do exist. If you build a route on the map, you can take the free road and bypass the paid one.

All rental motorhomes have special stickers on the windshield, the passage on the toll road will be noted in the system and you will be able to pay the toll when you return the motorhome to the rental company.

Be prepared for the fact that around Istanbul, the center of attraction for travelers, almost all bridges are toll and expensive - for a trailer it can cost 25 euros. In the city itself, the passage on the bridges is also paid.

How safe is the country?

Upon arrival in the Republic of Turkey, you will constantly hear singing from mosques, most of the population are Muslims. Local residents have a high debt to religion, so crime is not high. Being in a small town, you can notice how at the end of the working day, street goods are left at the shops in the same place, on the street for the night, covered with a cloth.

In any case, follow the minimum security measures: close windows and doors in the motorhome, do not leave valuables in a visible place.

How do locals treat motorhome tourists?

Turks love nature, recreation, spending time with family and traveling in caravans. Sometimes it seems that every third local resident has a camper (and if not, then camping chairs, a table and a samovar kettle are in the trunk of a passenger car). The locals are very friendly, and in small villages, locals can treat you to fruits and sweets. If you need water or have a question, you can contact any person - they will definitely help.

What about gas stations?

Gas stations are common, both in the city and on the highway. You can pay both by card and in cash. At the gas station there is always a gas station attendant who will help fill the tank of your motorhome with fuel. While the diesel is filling up, you can wash the windshield of the car, and they will also offer you tea. Don't worry, it's free.

Often at large gas stations there is a cafe, a shop, a car wash, toilets, and water. Popular gas stations: Petrol Ofisi, Shell, Opet, BP.

How to deal with heat in summer and cold in winter in a motorhome?

Everything is very simple: in the summer you turn on the air conditioner, and in the winter - the heating stove. They are built into our motorhomes, so you can set any temperature that is comfortable for you. Without air conditioning in the summer, you can open windows and doors, creating a draft inside to enjoy a warm breeze, preferably somewhere by the sea. Winter in Turkey is different: it is warm on the coast, and snow can fall in the area of Istanbul or Ankara. This is also an interesting experience: it is snowing all around, and it is warm and cozy in the motorhome.

Mobile communication and Internet