Izmir's main bus terminal, called Izmir Otogar, is located east of the city center, providing bus routes throughout Turkey. There are restaurants, restrooms, rapid phone charging stations, gift shops, and luggage storage areas where you can leave your baggage temporarily for a small fee.
However, Izmir's bus terminal is big even compared to some other major bus terminals in Turkey, so it can be confusing to find your way inside. Still, you can ask any ticket agent or shopkeeper about a certain destination, and they will direct you to the proper ticket counter.
Intercity Bus Routes
Several major bus companies operate different intercity routes throughout Turkey's major cities. The most popular bus routes include Izmir, Istanbul, Ankara, Eskişehir, Antalya, and other major and smaller cities and towns.
You can find various bus firm ticket offices in the long row of offices in the Izmir bus terminal. However, we recommend using the following list of intercity bus firms for a better experience.
List of Reliable Intercity Bus Firms in Izmir Bus Terminal
Here are the most reliable intercity bus firms in the Izmir bus terminal.
- Pamukkale Turizm: Pamukkale offers many bus routes to major and small towns in Turkey. There are buses to many destinations throughout western Turkey, including Kuşadası, Nazilli, Datça, and Kemer (near Antalya), and the most popular destinations are Bursa, Antalya, Istanbul, and Ankara.
- Kamil Koç: Kamil Koç has busses to most major cities in Turkey. It also offers bus routes to nearby locations in Izmir, such as Çeşme, Manisa, and Aydın.
- Balıkesir Uludağ Turizm: Balıkesir Uludag has bus routes to many smaller towns and cities in western Turkey and the Sea of Marmara towns, which you might not find in other bus firms. Popular bus routes are Bursa, Balıkesir, Muğla, Fethiye, Urla, Çeşme and Alaçatı.
- Metro Turizm: Metro is another major bus firm in Turkey that operates in most major cities in Turkey from Izmir, including Bandırma and Istanbul.
- İstanbul Kalesi: Istanbul Kalesi operates mainly in western Turkey. Aydın, Denizli, Bursa, and Izmir are the most popular bus routes.
- Anadolu Ulaşım: Anadolu Ulaşım is another popular bus firm operating to most major cities in Turkey from the Izmir bus terminal.
- Çanakkale Truva Turizm: Çanakkale Truva Turizm mostly operates bus routes north along the Aegean coast to Bergama, Ayvalık, Troy and Çanakkale.
- Kontur Turizm: Kontur mainly operates busses from Izmir to Konya, Eskişehir, Kuşadası and Adana
- Özkaymak Turizm: Ozkaymak Turizm has bus routes from Izmir to mainly the east and western cities such as Antalya, Ankara, Alanya, and Aydın.
- Varan Turizm: Varan Turizm operates in larger cities and offers premium service. The most popular bus routes from Izmir are Samsun, Bursa, Istanbul, and Kuşadası.
Regional Minibuses
Regional minibusses are also used to reach destinations within an hour or so of Izmir, such as Bergama, Çeşme, Foça, and Selçuk (Ephesus), go to the bus station's upper level and the İlçe Peronları (Regional Gates).
These buses are generally smaller, and the fee is lower. You will probably need to buy your ticket when the bus departs instead of getting a ticket in the office (although you can buy one in the small bus firm offices).
Buying Bus Tickets in Izmir Bus Terminal
If you are buying a bus ticket at a ticket office in the bus terminal, it can get overwhelming. All bus firms compete with each other to get more customers, so people start inviting visitors to buy tickets from their offices.
However, don't pay attention to people calling and use reputable bus firms such as Kamil Koç, Pamukkale Turizm, and Metro Turizm, which are among Turkey's most well-known bus firms. Here is our list of the Best Turkish Bus Companies.
Alternatively, you can buy your bus ticket online using the bus firm's website, which can be serviceable using a translator or a third-party firm such as Obilet. Plus, you don't have to print your ticket, since you can get it printed for you at the ticket office in the bus terminal.
Transport From the Bus Terminal to the City Center
While the bus terminal is not far from the city center, only 6 km (3.73 mi) to most parts of Izmir, public transportation is difficult to navigate. We recommend taking a taxi from the bus terminal to your destination or the nearest metro station.
However, if you want to use buses or minibusses departing from the terminal, walk to the exit gate near Terminal Café. At the exit, you should see the city bus stops and several minibusses departing to various parts of Izmir. Here's how you pay the fare.
If you use public city buses to reach your destination, here are several major ESHOT bus routes. (ESHOT is the official name for public buses in Izmir.)
Bus route 54: is used to reach the Konak district of Izmir
Bus route 302: to the Basmane Gar bus stop near Basmane Gar (train station).
Bus route 204: goes to Izmir's airport Adnan Menderes Airport
You can check the sign for minibusses hanging in front of the vehicle.
—by Tom Brosnahan, updated by Can Turan
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