PASSPORT & VISA

Tourists are required to carry a valid passport for at least three months beyond the date of entry. For some countries a visa is required. Please consult the nearest Turkish Consulate or Turkish Embassy for visa related issues. Visa for the citizens of some countries can be obtained upon arrival.

LANGUAGE

Turkish written in Latin alphabet is the official language in Turkey. Especially in metropolitan cities and coastal regions most of the people speak a second language such as English, German or French. Italian and Spanish are also languages that are known and spoken.

CLIMATE

Spring and autumn are popular times to visit Istanbul because of the comfortable climate with highs between 15 - 25 °C (59 - 77 °F). The daily maximum and minimum temperatures in May are 21 °C (69 ° F) and 12 °C (53 °F) respectively.

TIME ZONE

GMT + 2 hours. Same time zone is used all over the country.

ELECTRICITY

The electrical current in Turkey is 220 volts, 50 cycles alternating current (AC). Wall outlets take continental-type plugs, with two round prongs. 110 Voltage is also found in some 5 star hotels.

WEIGHTS and MEASURES

Kilograms and metric system is used in Turkey as weight and measuring system.

BANKING, MONEY and CREDIT CARDS

The big retail banks all have ATMs, some of them give cash advances for credit cards such as Visa, Mastercard, American Express. Almost all ATMs have a language key that enable to read the instructions in English. Credit cards are commonly used in Turkey, and an ID card need to be shown while using for security reasons. Banks can exchange foreign currency and travelers' checks with your passport as proof of identity. Exchange offices offer a faster service and better rates when compared to banks or hotels. Turkey has no black market, foreign currencies are readily accepted in most shops, hotels and restaurants in many tourist areas. The countrywide branches of Finansbank, Fortis Bank, Denizbank, Oyakbank and TC Ziraat banks will do Western Union transfers.

The New Turkish Lira (YTL)(brought into circulation at the start of 2005 to replace the old lira's unwieldy denominations) comes in  banknotes of 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100. The New Kurus (YKr) comes in coins of 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 and one New Turkish Lira. One hundred New Kurus equals one New Turkish Lira.

The value-added tax, here called KDV, is usually 18% and nearly always included in quoted prices. Certain shops are authorized to refund the tax for foreign tourists.

CUSTOMS

Items such as jewellery and unusually expensive electronic and photographic gear are supposed to be declared on entry and may be entered in the passport to guarantee to take them out of the country again while leaving.

It is strictly illegal to export antiquities more than a century old. Customs officers may want a proof of having permission from a museum before letting to leave with an antique carpet.

WORK HOURS

Banks are open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. until noon or 12:30 p.m., depending on the bank, and from 1:30 p.m. until 5.00 p.m. However, there are some banks continuing to serve during lunch breaks.

Museums are generally open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. and closed on Monday. Palaces are open the same hours but are closed on Thursdays.

Shops and bazaars are normally open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 7.00 p.m., and usually closed all day on Sunday. But most stores in shopping malls and crowded streets are open seven days a week.

MAIL SERVICES and TELECOMMUNICATIONS

All post offices bear the distinctive yellow PTT sign, meaning Post, Telephone and Telegrams. The central Post Office in Istanbul is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Smaller ones are open Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5.00 p.m.

Direct local and international calls can be made from public phones by using telephone cards sold in PTT and big newspaper stands. In some public phones credit cards can also be used for calling. GSM service is also available in Turkey, and Turkcell, Telsim and Avea as the main GSM operators of Turkey have roaming agreements with many other international operators.

GETTING HERE

AIR

Turkish Airlines has direct flights from most European, Asian and African countries to Istanbul. Istanbul has two international airports; Atatürk Istanbul International Airport and Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, and mostly the former one is used by major airlines. Havas serves a shuttle service between the airports and main districts of Istanbul.

For more information about

TRAIN

The daily Balkan Ekspresi links Budapest and Sofia to Istanbul, while the Bosfor Express links Bucharest to Istanbul. The daily Dostluk Express (Filia Express) links Istanbul to Thessaloniki although the bus is much faster than the train.

BUS

Several Turkish bus lines, including Ulusoy, Varan and Bosfor offers service between Istanbul and major European cities such as Frankfurt, Munich and Vienna. There are bus services also to Syria, Georgia and Iran.

SEA

There are cruise lines serving from Italy, Greece and other Mediterrenean countries to Istanbul.

INNER CITY TRANSPORTATION

Apart from public buses, trains and trams, the most common means of transportation are taxis, ferry boats, sea buses and dolmuş - the shared taxi.