Hi,
my question is about Turkey and the Middle East. I have heard, that it is tolerated in Turkey to use the shoulders of every highway. I'll skip Istanbul (have been there before) and will gå via Çanakkale, Antalya... and hope it is possible to enter Syria close to Aleppo. I have seen on Google maps that there is a bridge between Gallipoli and Çanakkale (closer to Gallipoli). Is it possible to cross that bridge by bicycle?
How about Syria, Jordan and Israel? Is it allowed/tolerated to use motorways there as well? Are there wide shoulders on the motorways?
In Egypt I read there will be police escorts. It feels safe for me, but are they accompanying on motorways?
Thanks in advance for your answers
Dorothee
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Hi Dorothee,
I am not sure you'd be able to enter Syria on your bike. I know tourists can go there now but only, as far as I know, in tour groups. I cycled in Jordan and Egypt about 4 years ago. Jordan was fine to cycle through. I took the ferry from Aqaba in Jordan to Sinai. There were no problems. You can go overland from Israel into Egypt but then you would have an Israeli stamp in your passport, which can cause issues in some countries. When I was in Egypt some areas were out of bounds for tourists and on some roads (not just motorways), the police tried to turn me bike. Sometimes they escorted cyclists. I managed to avoid this, but it took some effort and some sections I took the train. I don't know what the situation is now.
Hi Chris,
Thanks for your comments. It seems you are not updated about Israel. Nowadays, they don't put a stamp in your passport. The give you a "note" instead, that means a seperate paper.
In the meantime I also read about a cyclist on fb (bicycle travelers or long distance travelers), that he solo had been riding his bike throughout Syria.
I didn't find a ferry to Israel? Do you know, where it is leaving from (country and harbor) and at which harbor in Israel it will arrive?
All the best
Dorothee
Hi Dorothee,
I can't find your last comment, but re the Israeli stamp: the Israelis have not been stamping passports since the '80s. The issue is not the Israeli stamp. It's the stamp from the border crossing at a neighbouring country, e.g. if you cross from Israel into Egypt via land, it will be apparent from the Egyptian entry stamp that you entered Egypt via Israel. In some countries, the immigration guys look out for this. (If you enter and re-enter Israel via the Allenby Bridge-which is a major pain btw- you can get in and out of Israel without the stamp as Jordan doesn't recognise the West Bank as part of Israel. Ask if you need more info about this. ) There is no ferry from Israel to Egypt. You can, as I say, get the ferry from Aqaba to Egypt. If someone is cycling in Syria this is a new development. Until recently, you could only go as part of a tour. Some parts of the country are still at war. I would err with the utmost caution. I have learned the hard way from my own personal experience that war zones are not good holiday spots.
All the best,
Chris