Flying
Istanbul Airport (IST) is the main international gateway; Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) serves the Asian side and budget carriers. Turkish Airlines and Pegasus fly the domestic network: Istanbul to Cappadocia (Kayseri or Nevşehir), Antalya, Izmir and Trabzon are all about an hour.
Book domestic flights early for the best prices; they are often cheaper than the bus on major routes.
Trains
High-speed YHT trains link Istanbul with Ankara (about 4.5 hours) and Ankara with Konya (under 2 hours): comfortable, punctual and city-centre to city-centre. Book seats ahead in summer.
The Eastern Express (Doğu Ekspresi) from Ankara to Kars is the celebrated slow journey: a 24-hour winter ride through snow country, with tourist sleeper versions in season.
Buses and dolmuş
Long-distance coaches (Metro Turizm, Kamil Koç, Pamukkale Turizm) are comfortable, frequent and cheap: Istanbul to Ankara is about 6 hours, to Cappadocia about 12 overnight.
Dolmuş minibuses run the short hops: along the coasts, up to the highlands, between towns and ruins. They leave when full.
In the cities
Istanbul's trams, metros, ferries and the Marmaray rail tunnel cover the city; buy an Istanbulkart for all of it. The commuter ferries across the Bosphorus are transport and sightseeing in one.
Taxis are metered; agree nothing in advance in Istanbul, insist on the meter. Traffic is heavy: allow double the expected time.