Driving to Ankara from Istanbul by WulfstanTraveller
Ankara is about 5 hours' drive from Istanbul, depending on the traffic. There is an excellent toll freeway, the otoban, the whole way between the cities. It is not expensive to use and makes the drive faster and easier since it is a 1st-class highway by any world standard.Unlike rest-stop facilities in the US, Turkish highways in this part of the country have both plentiful gasoline/petrol/filling stations, often one after another, and they have excellent rest-stop complexes with restaurants, supermarkets, et mangal (grilled-meat places), tea gardens,etc., and the food is really good. On the otoban, these are right on the highway so one need not go through a toll booth when stopping at or leaving the rest stops.
Throught eh Bolu area the terrain is very mountainous, with the road in some parts go up to over 6,000 feet elevation and in the winter one may experience heavy rain or snow. This is especially true near the city of Bolu itself, east of Duzce, where the otoban goes through a long tunnel in a high-elevation area, and south of the Gerede area near Dorukkaya, a major skiing region because it gets a lot of snow. However, the drive is normally easy and pleasant, with excellent signs, etc.
