People going to Ephesus are often ripped off by an exorbitant taxi or transfer from Izmir airport. You can avoid this by taking the train from Izmir Airport to Selçuk. There aren't many trains; they depart the airport at 8.01, 9.38, 15.32, 18.39, 19.34, 20.12 and 21.33 and take 1 ¼ hours. The alternative (if you don't have much baggage) is to walk to the end of the airport slip road (about 1 mile), cross the main road and pick up a minibus.

The train station is right next to the airport and well signposted. The train fare is 2 Lira (80p), the minibus is 6 Lira (£2.50). If you need to get a taxi, you might be able to haggle the price down to 80 to 100 Lira (£30 to 40).

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The Istanbul-Bodrum ferry is an ideal way to travel between Bodrum and Istanbul, offering excellent views of the Aegean coast and Greek islands on the way, and a dramatic entrance into the heart of Istanbul.

More like a cruise liner than a cross-channel ferry, it has a swimming pool, fitness centre and restaurants. The ship leaves Istanbul on Fridays and Mondays, and Bodrum on Sundays and Wednesdays (Istanbul-Bodrum is about 24 hours, Istanbul-Cesme is 17 hours). The midweek sailings stop in Çeşme on the way. Prices are about £50-70 per person sharing a two-berth or double outside cabin, meals not included.

Website www.denizline.com/eng/index.html
Telephone: +90 216 444 3369

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Some of Turkey's best beaches are within an hour of Istanbul on the Black Sea coast, with massive expanses of sandy beaches and tourquise waters backed by forests.

It is relatively undeveloped because Turks generally prefer the warmer and calmer seas of the Aegean and Mediterranean.

Be careful about currents, but unless it is very windy the sea is safe to swim in.

The beaches may get crowded on summer weekends as the residents flock to the seaside, but otherwise there is plenty of room.

The best beaches can be found at Sile and Agva, about 40-50 miles north-east of Istanbul; closer to the city centre is Kılyos, with Solar Beach www.solarbeach.net/default.asp?lng=tr&id=67 and Burç Beach offering beach clubs and activities.

To reach Sile and Agva, take the number 130 and 139 municipal busses from Harem or Üsküdar on the Asian side. Kılyos, on the European side, is closer, but involves taking two minibuses (one from Beşiktaş to Sariyer, and another from Sariyer to Kılyos). Slightly further afield on the European side, Kiyiköy (about three hours’ bus trip) is a good getaway for a weekend; the hotel Endorfina www.hotelendorfina.com/index.htm is a boutique hotel, and at prices of £20 per person per night is much better value for money than the overpriced (and generally full) hotels in Sile and Agva.

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