How To Reach Mardin
Planning A Trip To Mardin? Here are some guidelines on how to reach Mardin
Mardin is a Turkish city famous for its strategic location as it is perched on a rocky hill overlooking the Tigris River. It shares its border with the neighbouring country of Syria and has a population of less than 1 million. The best way to reach this historic old city is by flight, however, it is also connected by road. Mardin does not make it to all itineraries of tourists who visit Turkey, which is a shame, as the intricate stonework found in the city architecture is wonderful.
By Air
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The easiest and quickest way to reach Mardin is by flight. From India, you can take a flight directly to Istanbul and then a connecting domestic flight to Mardin via AnadoluJet, Pegasus Airlines or Turkish Airlines. There are direct flights to Istanbul from Mumbai & Delhi daily through Turkish Airlines. The airport at Mardin is located towards the southwest of the city, near Kızıltepe, about 21 km away. You can hail a dolmus or taxi or hire a private vehicle to take you to the city from there.
By Road
Photograph by https://devirsaati.com
Driving to Mardin from Istanbul would not be a very pleasant journey. Both the cities are almost at two corners of the country and to reach Mardin it would take more than 15 hours. The distance is over 1500 km. But if you like road trips, you could break the journey either at Konya or Ankara.
If you want to travel by bus, it is likely you will get a bus up to Urfa from other parts of Turkey. From Urfa, you can take a Dolmus/minibus or taxi up to Mardin. From Istanbul, this journey can take almost 24 hours.
By Rail
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Mardin is not connected directly to Istanbul by train or any of the other major railway lines. The city has a small train station, but it is not really used. The closest station that connects with Istanbul or Ankara is Diyarbakir, which is 85 km from Mardin. From Istanbul, you will need to take the YHT High-Speed train to Ankara and then the Güney Express to Diyarbakir. The journey is long (20 hours from Ankara) and runs only 5 days a week.
Getting Around
Photograph by https://www.mardintaksi.chttp
The best way to travel within Mardin city is by the dolmus (minibus) or a taxi. To get to the old city (which is on top of the hill) it is best to take a dolmus. Once you get into the old city, you can walk around as the roads are very narrow for vehicles.
