By Plane - It was one of Ataturk's pronounced aims that Turkey should become self sufficient in terms of air travel. While this has not yet been achieved Turk Hava Yollari (TK) and Istanbul Airlines (IL) are working on it. You'll find that they offer flights from all over Europe, New York, the Middle East and some cities in the Far East. The majority of package tourists will arrive on charter flights operated by Onur Air, Top Air or whatever, and step onto the tarmac somewhere on the South Coast. Lufthansa are a major carrier in and out of Turkey and have been offering very competitive fares for some time now.Turkey's major airports are located as follows:

• Istanbul - Ataturk airport: Good for access to the Maramara, Dardanelles and Northern Aegean as well as Istanbul itself.

• Ankara - Esenboga airport: Good for the Black Sea, Cappadocia is 4 hours away and the south coast about 8 (by bus).

• Izmir - Good for the Aegean coast.

• Dalaman - Southern Aegean, Western Med., between Fethiye and Marmaris

• Antalya - Good for Western Med, Fethiye is doable, Kas and Olympos closer.

• Adana - Western Med., easy access to Cappadocia from here.

• Iskenderun - As far east as you're likely to want to fly to. Access to the Hatay.

From the UK - If you're flexible and plan ahead you should be able to get here fairly cheaply. In recent years it's been possible to pick up return flights to the South Coast, Kusadasi or somewhere similar, with accommodation thrown in for just over 100 quid. Most of us aren't quite that flexible and scheduled flights are offered by several airlines operating out of the UK.

• British Airways - 156 Regent Street, London W15 5TA - 0181 897 4000

• Turkish Cypriot Airlines - 41 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5JG - 0171 930 4851

• Istanbul Airlines - (UK Agents President Holidays)
  542 Kingsland Road. London E8 4AH - 0171 249 4002

• Onur Air - 46 Newington Green, London N16 9PX - 0171 359 9214

• Turkish Airlines - 11-12 Hanover Street, London W1R 9HF - 0171 499 9249

By Bus - I'm prepared to believe that there are more buses in Turkey per head than anywhere else in the world. Anyone got the figures? Getting here by bus is probably a more comfortable option than that offered by trains and usually quicker. Whether or not it's cheaper than flying is debatable. Varan and Ulusoy are the major Turkish bus operators with services to and from Europe. Contact details below:

• Varan - Istanbul Office. Tel: +90 (212) 243 1903

• Varan - Vienna Office. Tel +43 (1) 504 6593

• Ulusoy - Istanbul Office. Tel: +90 (212) 244 1271

• Ulusoy - Frankfurt Office. Tel: +49 (69) 790 350

• Ulusoy - Munich Office. Tel: +49 (89) 591 824

• Ulusoy -Vienna Office. Tel: +43 (1) 505 0644