Welcome to www.HELLOTURKEY.net
We believe these are
some important and practical facts that
YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE YOU VISIT TO TURKEY
First of all, before any thing else... check your passport if it is valid at least for 3 months. Your stay in Turkey as a tourist is limited up to 3 months.
If you need a visa and you didn't get it through a Turkish Consulate, please be prepared to pay exact amount of $45.00 USD for an entry visa. This can be paid at any port of entry into the country Stamp Visa or any consulate worldwide.
No immunization shots are required for travel within Turkey.
The national monetary unit is the 'Yeni Turkish Lira'(YTL), 'New Turkish Lira'.
The exchange rates for foreign currencies are published daily in every bank and privite sector's exchange places. In Turkey there are everywhere private sector's exchange businesses in operation. The best exchange rates can be usually found there. To find one, ask to anyone in Turkish where there is an exchange office: 'DOVIZ BUROSU NEREDE ?'
Don't worry, they are in everywhere and one is closed to you. So, when you arrive at the airport in Turkey, we suggest you not exchange a large amount of your money. You may be charged a high commission. Get only the amount that you need for your transportation and other immediate needs.
Although exchange rates fluctuate, one YTL is worth approximately USD 0.65. Conversely, USD 1.00 is approximately YTL 1.52 (as of February 20, 2010). Practically 2 USD can buy ~3 Turkish Lira.
Check for actual exchange rate click here.
People living in Turkey are free to have foreign currency in their possession; to buy foreign currency without limitation from banks, authorized institutions and private finance institutions; to transfer foreign currency abroad; and to open foreign currency deposit accounts at banks.
Banks are open between 8:30 to 12:00 Monday through Friday. Closed Saturdays and Sundays. But in some touristic area banks are kept open 7 days a week and for afternoon hours too. Also, ATM machines are available in the large cities and in towns that cater to tourists. ATMs are mostly connected to worldwide cash point networks such as Cirrus or Plus systems.
Eurocheque and other major traveler's cheques can be cashed easily in every bank and Postal Service units(PTT), with proper identification.
The exchange slips for the conversion of foreign currency into Turkish LIRA should be kept, since you may be required to show these, when reconverting your Turkish Lira back into foreign currency and also when taking souvenirs out of the country... to prove that they have been purchased with legally exchanged foreign currency.
Major credit cards and travelers checks are widely accepted by larger businesses. However most small businesses still prefer good old cash.
In fact sometimes you might purchase the same item for less, if you pay cash.
We have a good news for you: In Turkey there is no airport tax !
Turkey has same time zone all over the country.
Local time in Turkey are:
April-September: GMT + 3 hrs. and October-March: GMT + 2 hrs.
Emergency service telephone numbers in Turkey:
155 - Police,
112 - Medical Emergency (First aid),
110 - Fire,
118 - Information (Unknown numbers),
161 - PTT Information (Turkish Postal Service)
Before you take your trip going to Turkey, we highly suggest that visit our particular page and get it printed: IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS and WEB LINKS IN TURKEY
This page offers information on all the Airlines, major Hospitals, Airports, Museums and other worth to visit places and more...
The link also can be reach on every major tourist destionation page's left columns.
The electrical current is 220 volts, 50 cycle's alternating current (AC) all around Turkey. Wall outlets take standard round continental type plugs. The voltage is clearly marked on all hotel outlets.
Very small section of Istanbul distributes 110V.
It is customary for people to hug and kiss both cheeks regardless of the sexual origin.
While visiting any of the Mosques in Turkey, it is required that women are required to cover their heads with a scarf and naked parts of their legs and shoulders. If you do not have a scarf, please ask at the entrance. In most cases you might get one free, while you will use it during your visit.
Silence is required inside the mosques, it is suggested that you shouldn't laugh loudly inside as this may offend people praying. Please respect religious and social traditions to avoid offending local sensitivities.
There are no chairs or benches in a mosque. A Turkish mosque is often covered from wall to wall with several layers of carpets.
Most of the mosques are closed to visits at prayer times.
Do not look for inside! All public restrooms are located out of the Mosque.
If you're planning to travel over the period of a Religious holiday, make sure you've got your tickets & your stays booked in advance and also if are you traveling by your own transportation please be very careful on the road, highways are so much busy day and night!
During holidays, like in every where else, Turkish people travel most, but majority use inter city bus transportations, therefore highways and all the roads becomes extremely busy. Also majority of small businesses keeps their door close for business... especially in small cities. This might effect your travel plan. For example Istanbul's famous Grand Bazaar is always close at least the first and second days of any Religious holiday.
Tap water is safe to drink in all cities as it has been chlorinated for sanitation reasons. Because of this, you might not like how it does smell. Bottled drinking water is available in almost everywhere. Btw; you can safely brush your teeth with tap water.
If you will drive in Turkey, you must obtain an International Driving Permit (IDP). The IDP is a special licence that allows travellers with a valid foreign driver's licence to drive in over 160 countries without a specific test. Contact your local AAA office to pick up an application or have one mailed to you. An IDP is valid for one year from the date of issue.
Doctors and dentists can be found in major hospitals and as in individual businesses. There are certain foreign-operated hospitals in Istanbul.
See this page
Almost all pharmacies in Turkey are individually owned and operated.
In Turkey weights and liquid measurements are in metric system.
Turkish domestic flights are often much more expensive if purchased outside of Turkey, so you should consider having a good Turkish travel agent make your internal flight reservations.
Turkey has zero tolerance in drug policy. Sale, traffic or use of drugs is strictly forbidden by Turkish Law.
Please keep in mind that; if you visit a Turkish family, in general, Turks take their shoes off upon entering a house. Thus, the dust and dirt of the outdoors are not tracked inside. In most houses the family keeps some extra pairs of terlik (slippers) for their guest.
Exporting antiques from Turkey is absolutely forbidden. Antiques brought into the country must be registered in the owner's passport to avoid difficulties upon exit.
It should be remembered that Turks are by nature a modest nation, and find other people's nudity is offensive. Topless sunbathing actually contravenes the Turkish obscenity law; albeit a law not enforced on foreign visitors but please respect Turks' traditions.
Ministry of Tourism Offices and travel agents can provide professional interpreters/guides. Travel agents are obligated to provide professional interpreters/guides on all their tours.
Some of the foreign newspapers are always available in large cities book stores and tourist areas.
Turks as a nation love to drink water and in Turkey spring water is served everywhere, even on inter city buses.
Turkey has a well developed telecommunication system. You can easily call any country in the world using the public telephone. The telephone calls from the hotels are quite expensive that's why it is recommended to use PTT telephone cards both for domestic and long distance calls.
Public telephones takes tokens (called JETON) and phone cards which can be bought from any Post Office (PTT).
JETONS (the tokens)comes in three sizes; small for local calls, large for international calls and medium which can be used for either.
Local and international calls can usually made with no problems at all. Also PTT offices now provide fax and telex services.
Telephoning from your hotel room might be expensive, alternative would be to use the public phones available out on the streets, or in some hotel lobbies. All you need to do buying a phone card from a PTT (Turkish Post Office), which comes in 30, 60 and 100 units.
AT&T, MCI and SPRINT have international services that make calling home relatively affordable and convenient and let you avoid hotel surcharges. Before you go, call the company of choice to learn the number you must dial in Turkey to reach its network!
Note:
In Turkey Post Office called a PTT(Post-Telephone-Telegraph Company) and any PTT branch can easily recognizable by their yellow PTT signs.
As we are talking about PTT here, let us include here this too: Stamp collectors will be delighted with the wide range of special Turkish stamps available to them.
In Turkey toilets may be oriental or western style. Meanwhile, usually older buildings and public toilets have their in oriental style.
In Turkey, next to any Mosque, always there is public toilet. In the homes, restaurants/hotels/motels and other businesses mostly there are western style, or both toilets are in place. With western toilets small water pipes coming from the back of the toilets are for water to cleanse with providing a simplified bidet. Toilet paper is used just for drying. Therefore, since paper is not thought to be absolutely necessary, you might not find enough in all public facilities.
All touristic hotels, motels, and restaurants, etc, there are western toilets with toilet paper provided.
In most cases you need to look around, in all public toilets(restrooms),to see the sign for the fee(s).
Btw; in some cases... for example if you are in a restaurant, tea garden , privite museum and/or archaeological site, etc., even you are a customer of that place, restrooms use requires a fee. So, please keep in mind that it is always a good idea to keep some changes with you!
Turks use many form of body Languages. For example; in many times you might meet someone who says you 'EVET' (eh-veht)... which means YES, by nodding his/her head forward and down. They also say 'HAYIR' (hay-yurh)... which means NO, by nod their heads up and back, lifting their eyebrows at the same time. >> Read more...
Everywhere in Turkey there are lots of taxi cubs and they are ready to serve you. Taxis are easily recognizable by their yellow and black checker-board band around the cub and each taxi is metered.
Taxi cubs charge in two different tariffs: Daytime and overnight. Overnight tariff applies after midnight, till morning 6 am and will cost to customer 50% more than daytime fare. Additional expenses, like ferryboat or bridge crossings fees are extra added onto fare. Tipping is not necessary but however leaving the change or rounding up the fare is customary.
In Istanbul, if you have problem with taxi cub and it's fare, call this number to complain: 212-283-6546
Crossing the streets in big cities can be a big problem for you. Please before you do that, look for street cross for pedestrians or if there is not one, make sure that your cross can be in safe. In Turkey, cars have the privilege to use the streets, unless they stopped for red light. Although this is the general rule but some drivers unfortunately don't act respectfully :(
If you like to send home something from Turkey, you can do that by PTT (Turkish Postal Service), UPS or DHL. You might want to keep information below handy!
UPS UPS Turkey website
Istanbul - Karakoy branch: Ph. 212-3938219 & 2514069
Istanbul - Sirkeci branch: Ph. 212-5197662 & 5197663
Istanbul - Kadikoy branch: Ph. 216-4494447 & 3492035
Istanbul - Levent branch: Ph. 212- 3179097 & 3179098
Istanbul - Sultanahmet branch. 212-5174102 , 6384865 & 6384877 Email
Istanbul - Airport branch: Ph. 212-4680300 Email
Antalya branch: Ph. 4440033 Email
Izmir branch: Ph. 4440033
Izmir Airport: Ph. 4440033 Email
DHL (International Deliveries) DHL website
Yalcin Kores Cad. No.20
Yenibosna, Istanbul / Turkey 34540
Ph. (212) 478 10 00
Fax: (212) 478 14 00 & 01
Most of the restaurants display their food in windows and inside show cases, or waiters can bring the samples of them if you request. Ask your waiter that menus written in English and German language might be available in some of the restaurants.
Almost all the restaurants adds to your bill 10 or 15% service charge automatically, so when are you in a restaurant, it's not necessary to leave more than a few coins in the change plate, but in luxury and expensive restaurants, tipping is customary... even if a 10 or 15% service charge is added to your bill, you're expected to give around 5% to the waiter directly and perhaps the same amount to the maitre d'.
In your hotel, motel, pension, resort,etc. , porters and/or parking lot attendees expect a dollar or equivalent so; in taxis you might like to round up the bill.
Cellular Telephones entering the country must be accompanied by a certification form showing ownership. Ownership must be documented in the passport of the owner and will be checked on entry and exit.
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