Campervan hire in Türkiye: a practical guide for first-timers

Most people who come to Türkiye for a beach holiday see one resort and one airport transfer. In a campervan you get the bit in between: olive groves running down to the water, mountain roads, and a different cove every evening.

This guide is for anyone flying in from the UK, the Netherlands or Scandinavia and hiring a van for the first time. Rules change, so treat everything below as correct at the time of writing and check again before you go.

Why Türkiye works so well by campervan

• A long season. On the coast, April to June and September to October are the sweet spots. July and August are hot and busy, but the sea is like bathwater.
• Lots of coast, little distance. The Aegean and the Lycian coast are a string of small towns, ancient sites and bays, often an hour or two apart.
• Camping is cheap. Family-run campsites, farm camps and forest camps cost a fraction of a hotel room.
• National parks. Dilek Peninsula, Köprülü Canyon, Olympos and the Kaz Mountains are all close to the coast. In August 2026 the Fethiye-Kaş coast and the North Aegean around Gökçeada were declared Türkiye's first marine national parks.

Where to start: airports and regions

For a fly-and-rent trip there are four useful airports:

A one-way hire (İzmir to Antalya, or the other way round) saves you the long drive back. Ask your rental company whether they allow it.

Driving licence and IDP

Tourists can generally drive in Türkiye on their national licence for up to six months from entry. Carrying an International Driving Permit (the 1968 Vienna Convention type) alongside your licence is recommended, and in practice it is required if your licence has no photo or is not in Latin script. UK government advice is to carry an IDP, so get one before you travel.

Tolls: the HGS sticker

Motorway and bridge tolls are electronic, with no cash booths. The system is called HGS: a windscreen sticker read as you drive through. Rental vans normally come with one, and the rental company charges your tolls afterwards. Check this when you pick up the van, not at your first toll gate.

Driving notes

Main roads along the coast are generally good. The interesting bits are where you leave them: roads down to the coves are often steep, narrow and full of hairpins.

• Kabak. The road from Faralya down to Kabak bay is very steep and not suitable for campervans. Park higher up and go down in a small car or on foot.
• Olympos. The road into the Olympos valley is narrow and busy. Stay in Çıralı or Adrasan instead.
• Selge. The last stretch of road up from Köprülü Canyon towards the ancient city of Selge is narrow and twisty. Ask your campsite how it is before you take a big van up.
• Old towns. Kaş, Ayvalık and Cunda have lanes never meant for a 7-metre van. Park at the campsite and take a dolmuş (shared minibus).

Where to sleep: campsites vs wild camping

Wild camping is not banned across the whole country, but in summer it is mostly off the table in the places you would want to do it:

• Forests are often closed to entry in summer when fire risk is high. Provinces publish forest entry bans, for example from 1 June to 31 October.
• Turtle beaches. Many beaches are nesting sites for sea turtles and are closed at night (20:00 to 08:00), roughly from mid-May to mid-September. Patara and Çıralı are two well-known examples.
• National parks generally only allow camping in designated areas.

So in summer, use campsites, and never light fires. Many coastal campsites close from November to March, but some caravan parks stay open all winter.

You can compare campsites with photos and facilities on teknovan.com.tr and send a booking request there. Teknovan also rents caravans (the site is in Turkish for now).

A 10-day route from the Aegean to Lycia

This is a sketch, not a timetable. Each stop links to our longer guide for that area.

Days 1-2: İzmir and Urla. Pick up at İzmir airport and head west to Urla for olive groves, vineyards and quiet coves. If you have an extra day, carry on to Karaburun. See camping around İzmir.

Day 3: Kuşadası and Dilek. Drive south to the Dilek Peninsula national park near Kuşadası for a swim in clear coves inside the park. See Dilek Peninsula National Park.

Day 4: Bodrum or Akyaka. Pick one. Bodrum for the castle, Gümüşlük and the sunset. Akyaka for the cold, clear Azmak river and a calmer town. See the Bodrum peninsula guide or the Gökova and Akyaka guide.

Days 5-6: Fethiye and Kabak. Stay around Kayaköy or Faralya, walk a stage of the Lycian Way and look down into the Butterfly Valley. See the Fethiye, Kabak and Patara guide.

Day 7: Patara. Walk one of Türkiye's longest beaches, then head back to Gelemiş village before it closes for the turtles.

Day 8: Kaş and Kekova. Swim off the rocks in Kaş, then take a boat or kayak tour over the sunken city at Kekova (you look, you do not swim over it). See the Kaş and Kekova guide.

Day 9: Olympos and Çıralı. Walk up to the Chimaera flames after dark. See the Olympos, Çıralı and Adrasan guide.

Day 10: Antalya. Drop the van off at Antalya airport, or add a day at Köprülü Canyon for rafting. See the Antalya camping guide.

Ten days is enough, just. With two weeks you can add a second night where you like it.

Packing and budget tips

• Shop at the weekly markets. Most towns have a pazar (market) day, and fruit, cheese and olives cost less than at the supermarket.
• Public beaches are free. You only pay if you want a sunbed.
• Budget for national park entry. Some parks and ancient sites charge an entrance fee, including Olympos beach. Keep some cash handy.
• Rock pegs and a windbreak for the rocky ground in Kaş and the Aegean wind.
• A head torch with a red light. Kinder to turtles if you end up near a beach after dark.

FAQ

Do I need an International Driving Permit to drive in Türkiye? It is recommended, and UK government advice is to carry one. If your licence has no photo or is not in Latin script, you will need it in practice.

How do I pay motorway tolls in a rental campervan? Tolls are electronic through the HGS sticker on the windscreen. Rental vans normally have one, and the company charges you afterwards.

Can you wild camp in Türkiye? It is not banned nationwide, but in summer forests are often closed because of fire risk, many beaches are closed at night for turtles, and national parks only allow camping in designated areas. Use campsites in summer.

Sources

• Is an IDP required for driving in Turkey? (Honest John)
• Driving licence in Turkey (ikamet.com)
• HGS electronic toll collection (Wikipedia))
• Tolls in Turkey (tolls.eu)
• Türkiye's first marine national parks: Fethiye-Kaş and North Aegean (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, in Turkish)

Image credits

Photos illustrate the region; they are not photos of the campsites themselves.

• Kaş: Esginmurat, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons