Driving to TRNC with personnal items

annie


Joined: 30/05/2007
Posts: 208

Message Posted:
15/05/2009 19:15

Has anyone driven over with a car full of personnal items and breakables such as Tv & Computor.

I am looking for the best way to get those things over that you dont want to leave behind in the UK at the lowest cost.

My thought was one way van hire if there is such a thing or driving over in a cheap van which i could sell when we arrive either TRNC or Turkey. I dont want to break any laws or incur fines so would want to go by the book.



If any one has any other ideas it would be great.

johnd11


Joined: 09/05/2009
Posts: 3

Message Posted:
15/05/2009 22:40

hi annie we drove over last year. we took 5 weeks camping on way with tv. pc. personel things. was expensive but really enjoyed it. as for bringing car or van duty is very expensive we are handing our car over to customs as duty is £4500. may be cheaper to get removal firm to do it. anything you want to know please ask. john.

annie


Joined: 30/05/2007
Posts: 208

Message Posted:
16/05/2009 02:14

Sounds great how much would you say it cost you roughly and could you let us know the route you took.?

Did it take 5 weeks out of choice or how long it would take realistically?

When you say you will hand over car how long can you keep it before you have to pay the tax?



Sorry for all the questions but it sounds ideal.

Tinkie


Joined: 16/03/2009
Posts: 1256

Message Posted:
16/05/2009 07:26

Hi Annie



we drove over about 5 years ago and it was a great experience, we had lots of personal items including laptop in the car and didnt encounter any problems. We were time restricted so did it in 4 days and at the time it cost around £1000 to do the trip I think. That was staying in a couple of hotels, the tunnel crossing, fuel and provisions. We went france, belgium, luxembourg,germany, austria, slovenia, croatia, serbia, bulgaria, turkey.... I didnt feel at risk at all, the roads were mainly ok, couple of dodgy customs officials at the croatia/serbia border, and got ripped off for fuel a couple of times in Croatia and Bulgaria. Other than that it was great.



i would echo what John said though, about the car situation in Cyprus, the customs rules are very stict as to what vehicles you can and cant bring in (age of car etc) and the duty is invariably expensive and sometimes more than the UK value of the vehicle.



Good luck with your move, what ever you decide.

jock1



Joined: 06/01/2008
Posts: 3786

Message Posted:
16/05/2009 08:30

4 days to drive from the uk to north cyprus?????

jardap


Joined: 08/08/2008
Posts: 318

Message Posted:
16/05/2009 09:31

We took 8 days to drive over,but cheated and took the ferry from Ancona. The car was full of stuff

and we had no problems what so ever except for getting lost in Milan

LoopyLoo


Joined: 05/04/2009
Posts: 67

Message Posted:
16/05/2009 11:57

Has anyone taken the ferry from Tasucu in Turkey to Girne? Did you need to book the ferry in advance or just turn up? How long does it take? Are there births for the journey?

annie


Joined: 30/05/2007
Posts: 208

Message Posted:
16/05/2009 12:55

Did you camp out mostly rather hotels if yes was it camp sites you stayed in and did you book in advance or stop when tired?

Does anyone have more up to date budget for doing the trip?

It does sound worth looking into.



Anne

baxi7


Joined: 23/09/2008
Posts: 130

Message Posted:
16/05/2009 13:03

most of the time if you turn up before 7 pm , one should get that nights sail - leaves 1- 2 am gets to girne for 8 am just has customs start . cost £100 inc driver one way .

jardap


Joined: 08/08/2008
Posts: 318

Message Posted:
16/05/2009 14:22

Catching the ferry from Tasuca is quite an experience,there are no sleeping berths but i did see people

wrapped in blankets sleeping on the floor.

That's if you can sleep with the noise from the television,also eat before you get on or take some with you

because there is not a lot of choice on board.

It might vary at different times of the year according to how many bookings they have, but your car goes on one ferry and you go on another,also the ferry does not run Friday or Saturday nights

WETBRIT


Joined: 30/06/2008
Posts: 20

Message Posted:
16/05/2009 15:02

When we got married in 1982 our honeymoon was the drive from UK to Cyprus. We had a VW polo with a baggage trailer. We brought a TV,Hi Fi,VCR and lots more. Our route was Dover Calais,then Belguim Holland Germany Austria Italy to Brindisis and overnight ferry to Igoumenitsa . Being pre EEc as we entered Greece all high value items including the car were entered on my passport and had to be presented on leaving at Piraeus.The 2 day boat journey to Limassol via Rhodes was on a drive on reverse off,old Liverpool Belfast ferry. We took our time getting there but made the journey back to UK the same way except Patras to Anacona which we booked at the Rhodes stop as we were trying to get back in time for Christmas. Do not know what its like crossing into TRNC now but last time I visited I had no problems at any of the crossings.

annie


Joined: 30/05/2007
Posts: 208

Message Posted:
16/05/2009 15:56

The honeymoon sounded great, very adventurous. Has any one made the journey more recently with approx costings?



Annie

scoobydoo


Joined: 10/11/2008
Posts: 2434

Message Posted:
16/05/2009 17:54

What do you do with a car load of belongings when you need to stop for the night? Is it safe to leave it or do you unpack the whole lot into your room?



Sorry annie, I can't help but just wondering.

halffull


Joined: 26/01/2009
Posts: 571

Message Posted:
16/05/2009 19:54

Good question scoobydoo

annie


Joined: 30/05/2007
Posts: 208

Message Posted:
16/05/2009 20:00

Yes I had not thought of Scoobydoo

Perhaps a van that's no so obviously got a lot of items in might be better.

Or are we woory over nothing.

There have nt been many replys saying it has been done so perhaps its not such a bright idea!



Annie

johnd11


Joined: 09/05/2009
Posts: 3

Message Posted:
16/05/2009 23:15

hi annie we took 5 weeks by choice wanted to see europe before we retired. came through france, swittzerland , italy , ferry from brindisi to cesme drove down to ferry over to girne(worst part of journey) cost us about £3000 including campsites and 5nights hotel.john.

annie


Joined: 30/05/2007
Posts: 208

Message Posted:
16/05/2009 23:36

Sounds great its just what I would like to do. Did you bring quite a bit with you?



How much would you say it would cost if you had travelled same route but cut down on time in each place. do you think?



Annie



PS How long ago?

basil


Joined: 10/04/2009
Posts: 168

Message Posted:
17/05/2009 01:34

We drove out last June with a landrover and trailer; Dover-Calais, Belgium, (stopped in Ypres) Germany Austria, Italy (to Brindisi, ferry to Igoumenitsa Greece) then over the bridge into Asia, Istanbul, Ankara and finally the ferry to Cyprus.



Eight days, which was quicker than the import procedure in Lefkosa. Fuel cheap in Austria, expensive in Italy - you can suss it out on the internet and make sure you top up where it costs a little less.



We chose the pretty way, avoiding autobahnen and autostrada in favour of scenic roads - Brenner Pass and the Coast road past Venice etc. Did loads of research on where to go and what to see. In hindsight, would have taken more time on the jpurney - but allow time for import.



Took loads of stuff; sometimes camped wild, sometimes commercial campsite, sometimes a hotel just as we wished.



Great trip, would do it again; no trouble at any borders - in fact no borders until Turkey where we had to get insurance as ours didn't cover out of Euro

catalkoykid


Joined: 15/02/2009
Posts: 1190

Message Posted:
17/05/2009 07:31

births on the ferry over, my better half reckons Tasucu in Turkey to Girne ferry, was worse than child birth,i would rather stick pins in my eyes

scoobydoo


Joined: 10/11/2008
Posts: 2434

Message Posted:
17/05/2009 11:03

Sorry annie,



I didn't meant to worry you but I wouldn't leave a car full of gear in the UK and I just wondered whether other countries were the same, I have no idea.



Basil seems like he enjoyed the trip so sorry if I threw a spanner in your plans I didn't mean to.

annie


Joined: 30/05/2007
Posts: 208

Message Posted:
17/05/2009 11:35

Morning Scoobydoo



Don't worry it is food for thought you were right to bring it up. It sounds a great idea but I would be bringing things precious to me rather than valuable and if I lost them it would be alful.



How safe is it? so far it sounds okay but I need to think about the pros an cons



Annie

annie


Joined: 30/05/2007
Posts: 208

Message Posted:
17/05/2009 12:10

What if you could team up with someone else coming from UK at the same time.



Share the costs and take turns on sleeping with one eye open lol



Seriously though it would save both sides money and half a trailer would do us.



Anyone else considering doing this very early part of 2010?

annie


Joined: 30/05/2007
Posts: 208

Message Posted:
17/05/2009 14:19

Is it that crazy an idea that no one fancies it?

johnd11


Joined: 09/05/2009
Posts: 3

Message Posted:
17/05/2009 22:03

hi annie, our car was piled up on roof rack nearly 2foot high, boot was full, two bikes on boot and back seat was up to roof. we had no trouble at all, left it outside hotel in turkey for 4 days no problems at all.as for price work out mpg plus hotels etc.depends on how much you want to spend. john

jardap


Joined: 08/08/2008
Posts: 318

Message Posted:
17/05/2009 22:21

Hi Annie

When we drove over last year the car was full of stuff,laptop etc,we parked outside hotels at night and the

only thing that we took out of the car apart from overnight things was the laptop & sat nav

The cost for us including fuel,hotel accommodation and ferries was about £1200 but we did treat it as a bit of

a holiday so depending on how you treat the trip over you probably be able to bring the cost down

A sat nav is also very useful as is a laptop we just hooked into wi fi at the hotel we where stopping in to plan

the next stop on the way down

As for planing your possible route we used the Michelin route planner its very good

Hope you enjoy your trip

annie


Joined: 30/05/2007
Posts: 208

Message Posted:
18/05/2009 00:28

Have just checked out Michelin route planner sounds feasable. Might have to re schedule trip though January might be a bit bad weather wise for driving.



Annie

basil


Joined: 10/04/2009
Posts: 168

Message Posted:
18/05/2009 06:33

It's not just weather you should think about.



The days are short in January. Even if you don't much care for the scenery (which is brill) it's much easier to drive unfamiliar routes and roads in daytime, also more convenient to find or spot a half decent hotel, campsite or even a place to park.



Strongly recommend you reconsider, unless you absolutely have to go at that time of year (age of car, or other pressing need). Make the journey your holiday, and enjoy it.



Also, check the requirements in each country you pass through - we travelled with different headlamps (rather than sticky plastic converters), warning triangles, first aid kit, hi vis jackets, spare specs, and several other bits and bobs because they are legal requirements in some of the countries en route. If you go through Switzerland you'll need snow chains, which are not often called for in Cyprus!

Tinkie


Joined: 16/03/2009
Posts: 1256

Message Posted:
18/05/2009 09:23

Yes Jock it took us 4 days, why is that so shocking to you???? We got on the Channel Tunnel at 4 pm on Monday afternoon and we arrived in Girne Harbour at 9.30am on Friday morning. We spent one night in Germany and one night (in Bates Motel) in Croatia and we slept a night in the car just outside Istanbul, the final night was spent sleeping on the Ferry. i wouldnt recommend doing it in such short an amount of time because you dont get to see anything, but I am living proof that its possible!



My car was full on personal items and the only things that I took out at night when we left the car were my laptop and cash! I did feel a bit nervous leaving it all, but we were lucky and nothing ever happened.



Tinkie

annie


Joined: 30/05/2007
Posts: 208

Message Posted:
18/05/2009 10:09

Your right Basil we have already decided that if we drive we would go later in the warmer longer days.

We can be very flexible at the moment with dates. If we did drive we would want to take our time and enjoy the journey.



Annie

jock1



Joined: 06/01/2008
Posts: 3786

Message Posted:
18/05/2009 10:47

Well Tinkie, What can i say,4 day's is a very short time, as you say you would not recommended it, i think if i was doing it i would have liked to do a bit sight seeing on the way, however each to their own.

You should enter the gumball rally, i think you would do ok....

j555kes


Joined: 08/10/2008
Posts: 14

Message Posted:
18/05/2009 11:10

We are doing this at the end of June - Intend driving through France, Switzerland, Italy, Ferry to Igoumenitsa Greece, then through Greece, Turkey and ferry to TRNC.

The car will be loaded as full as it can be, every nook and cranny will be filled, in fact I have had to ban the wife from buying anything else to bring!

We leave 27th June and we have flights booked back to uk on the 18th July so the plan is to take 2 weeks on the journey and have a week in Cyprus before flying back.



Does anyone know if we can just tgurn up for the ferry from Italy to Greece, as we want to remain as flexible as possible...



j

basil


Joined: 10/04/2009
Posts: 168

Message Posted:
18/05/2009 13:47

j555

Yes, we waited until we were in Brindisi to get tickets for the Igoumenitsa ferry, booked and got on no problem - apart from finding it - we had to follow a taxi round Brindisi to the right dock. If you're not so lucky, you get to spend another day basking on the coast of Italy and catch the next one; I expect you can think of worse things!



The ferry we used was very posh with a sun deck and pool (quite a contrast to the Tasucu ferry). It takes a while to get to Greece, so you may wish to book a cabin and make it your overnight accommodation.



We gave up with satnav past Brindisi and used real maps from Igoumenitsa onward.

donegal



Joined: 23/04/2008
Posts: 48

Message Posted:
18/05/2009 14:56

Basil can you not take ferry to Limassol?

annie


Joined: 30/05/2007
Posts: 208

Message Posted:
18/05/2009 15:34

J555 Hi

Your route taking in Italy & Greece sounds great, when do you expect to arrive in Cyprus?

We are flying over on 27th June and flying back on the 11th July would love to know how your journey went.



Did you get your route from Michelin or similar site or did you map it out yourself?



Annie

j555kes


Joined: 08/10/2008
Posts: 14

Message Posted:
18/05/2009 15:50

Hi Annie

we hope to arrive Cyprus around the 11th July,

we mapped it out ourselves, been planning it for about 2 years, had originally thought of taking ferry from Italy to Turkey but this year there is only one running which leaves Italy on a saturday and takes 3 days, so we looked for something which would give us a bit more flexibilty.



We intend just stopping at places we like the look of, towns, hotels etc and taking our time, originally we thought we would have sold our home in the uk by now and would be taking 3 months or so and really touring around Europe on the way, but hey ho we are really looking forward to doing it over 2 weeks now.



J

basil


Joined: 10/04/2009
Posts: 168

Message Posted:
18/05/2009 16:10

donegal;

You can get ferries to the South but check how long they take - and how much they charge!

I'd be wary about bringing a car full of things for your home in TRNC through GC customs in Limassol ...



Our trip was an adventure holiday and we enjoyed the contrasts; in Thessalonika we wanted coffee and maybe breakfast at about 9am, having driven up from Igoumenitsa.

The Greeks in the only restuarant we could see open laughed at us and wouldn't serve us - so we made our own right outside, then drove on.

Later, on the long road South from Ankara, we stopped for a comfort break at a petrol station (they have little picnic sites, water, tables, shade WC etc and the guy there brought us Turkish tea FOC, even though we didn't buy anything. He just liked our car and wanted to chat.



We could have shipped our vehicle out in a container, but wanted to see places not sleep while we flew over them, or stare from afar on some boat. Some chaps we met told us they drove over in 2 days, no

LoopyLoo


Joined: 05/04/2009
Posts: 67

Message Posted:
18/05/2009 20:06

Re message 19:



You are scaring me now. I am travelling with my husband and three kids under 7 years old. I knew it would be 10 hours and am used to bringing food where ever we go but I thought we'd be with our car so the kids could lie down. I need details, cos I actually thought childbirth was ok .... however, I assume I wouldn't have the same access to drugs on the ferry that I had during childbirth!