Ski Resort Transfers in Turkey

For Palandöken use Erzurum Airport (ERZ): the hotel zone is 16 km from the airport and 7 km from the city centre, a 25-minute transfer from €40. For Erciyes the closest airport is Kayseri Erkilet (ASR): the Tekir hotel zone is 37 km and 50 minutes away, from €65; Cappadocia Airport (NAV) is 117 km and 1 hour 38 minutes, from €154, for those adding a ski break to a Cappadocia trip. For Uludağ use Istanbul's two airports or Bursa: Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) on the Asian side is 168 km and 2 hours 31 minutes, from €204; Istanbul Airport (IST) 239 km and 3 hours 16 minutes, from €287; Bursa city hotels 38 km and 1 hour 4 minutes, from €67.

The Istanbul to Uludağ road takes the Northern Marmara Motorway and the Osmangazi Bridge down to Bursa, then the Uludağ mountain road up to the hotel zone; motorway, bridge and national park fees are included in the price. No airport has direct public transport to a ski resort; at least two changes are needed.

Palandöken (Erzurum) has pistes between 2,200 and 3,176 m, 22 runs, 5 chairlifts and the Ejder 3200 gondola; the season from late October to early May is the longest in Turkey and night skiing is available. Hotels sit at the foot of the pistes with ski-in/ski-out access.

Erciyes (Kayseri) lies on the northern slope of the 3,916 m Mount Erciyes between 2,150 and 3,400 m; 41 pistes and 16 lifts link the Tekir, Hacılar, Hisarcık and Develi gates, and the season runs from 15 November to 1 May. Hotels stand next to the cable car station at the Tekir gate.

Uludağ (Bursa) is inside a national park; the hotel zone lies between 1,800 and 2,200 m, the summit at 2,543 m. A skiable base usually forms between 25 November and 15 December and the season lasts until 15 April to 1 May; it is the big resort closest to Istanbul and the most visited in Turkey. The Bursa cable car climbs 8.8 km from Teferrüç to the hotel zone, but with luggage a car transfer is more practical.

Winter tyres are compulsory for intercity commercial passenger vehicles from 15 November to 15 April; GET4S vehicles carry winter tyres and chains in that period. On snow days the gendarmerie checks chains on the mountain roads up to the resorts; at Uludağ no vehicle passes the Karabelen national park gate without chains, and the driver fits them when needed. Quoted times are dry-road averages, so add 20-40 minutes in heavy snowfall.

Ski and snowboard bags fit in the boot of the Mercedes Vito; up to 4 people with equipment fit in one Vito, larger groups should choose a minibus. There is no charge for equipment. The driver drops you at your hotel door in the hotel zone or at the cable car station, and collects you from the same point on the way back.

Your driver waits at the arrivals exit with a name board; if the flight is late the pick-up time moves automatically and 60 minutes of waiting after landing is free. Pay online by card in advance or in cash to the driver (EUR, USD, GBP, TL); cancellation is free up to 24 hours before pick-up.

Pick-ups between 22:00 and 06:00 carry a 20% night tariff and a return booking gets 5% off. The school half-term (late January) and February weekends are the busiest hotel dates, so book the transfer with your flight for those. GET4S is a TÜRSAB-licensed travel agency (no. 14225) and the drivers speak English.