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Before your departure from home, 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.
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Always keep your passport handy especially at
the entry port
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Local time is equal to GMT + 2 hours. Same
time zone is all over the country.
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Major Credit Cards and Traveler's checks are
accepted in big cities however you may need to carry
some cash with you.
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Banks exchange foreign currency and travelers
checks with passport as proof of identity.
Commissions are charged at between 1 and 3% per
transaction. Banks are open between 09:00-12:30 and
13:30-17:00 on weekdays. On Saturdays and Sundays
are closed. The big retail banks all have ATMs,
some of which give cash advances against foreign
credit cards. ATM entry codes use numbers rather
than letters/passwords
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Passport is required for domestic flights
within Turkey
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Although you can find somebody in big cities and
towns who speaks English, but not at an
advance level
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Visiting mosques in Turkey, you will have to
leave your shoes at the entrance or carry them in
your hands, Women in most mosques are required to
cover their heads with a scarf and naked parts of
their legs and shoulders. If you don't have it, they
will give you one at the entrance free. Silence is
required inside the mosques, it is suggested that
you shouldn't laugh loudly inside as this may offend
people praying. Most of the mosques are closed to
visits at prayer times.
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Antique pieces are not allowed to be taken
out of the country; this is a serious crime and may
need a heavy punishment, most probably imprisonment
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Use and traffic of any kind of drugs is
strictly illegal
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Smoking is not permitted in flights and
public places
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Photographing the Turkish ladies especially
in the rural areas may offend them. The procedure
is, just direct your camera towards them, if they
say no, or mean it with gestures, just leave it.
Some people including ladies love to be
photographed, and will probably give you their
address hoping to receive a copy from you. If you
promise them you would send a copy, please do, or
you don't have to promise.
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Visiting museums, in some of the museums you
are not allowed to take pictures or use flash,
before you go in, just check if there is a sign with
a camera crossed over, which means keep you camera
in your hand bags, or check them in. Also, as a
universal rule you are not permitted to touch any of
the artifacts displayed.
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If you are visiting Turkey in summer time
(particularly July and August), you may need a sun
hat and sun blocks to protect yourself against
sunburning, also people with sensitive skin should
have something to cover their shoulders for the same
reason
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If you are visiting Turkey in winter time
(Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar), you will need your warm
clothes as the temperature may drop down as low as
-15 C (5 F) especially in the central eastern parts
of Turkey. Also, have your umbrellas and raincoats
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Public rest rooms are available at the town
centers, museums, restaurants, mosques and gas
stations; usually a small service charge is expected
(25 c.). Only the problem is that it is hard to find
a European style closet especially in rural areas.
Western style can be found at gas stations and
restaurants along the major tourist roads. In any
case, you should have your own toilet paper and
Kleenex where it is unavailable at public rest
rooms.
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Food matters, although the sanitation is
taken seriously and strictly controlled at tourist
places by the authorities, some rare instances of
diarrhea have occurred, that's partly because of the
hot and spicy meals eaten, or the guests may have a
sensitive stomach. So, have some medicine with you
against stomach upsets and diarrhea. Those who are
vegetarian will be able to find vegetable food or at
least omelet, which is very popular in Turkey,
almost in every town. I would like to remind you
that Turkish cuisine comes among the top three along
with Chinese and French.
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Most of the restaurants display their food in
windows, or waiters can bring the samples if you
request. Also, the menu that shows available food
can be found at your table, in tourist areas in
English as well
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If you are eating out in a restaurant, waiters
expect some tip usually 10% of your bill, and
it is not included in your bill, you will have to
leave it at the table separately
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Water, although it is safe to drink tap
water, it is recommended to buy bottled water for
drinking which can be found almost at store, that's
because the city water is chlorinated for sanitation
reasons of which you mightn't like the smell. You
can safely brush your teeth with tap water
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Electricity, those who use 110 V or any other
than 220 V at home need a converter as Turkey has
220 V power systems. Please check your electric
appliances before you use them in your hotel room
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Usually hotel guests are not allowed to bring
any food and drink into hotel rooms, but in most
cases, this is tolerable. All of the five star class
hotels have pools and others may have one too, you
don't need to take towels from your room, as
towels are available at the pool free to hotel
customers
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If you are provided a breakfast and dinner ticket
by the hotel reception to eat in the hotel
restaurant, have it with you, as though not all of
them but some of them may require it at the entrance
of the restaurants. Also, if you are provided a
hotel credit card, have it in your pocket, so you
can put your extra expenses on it, and pay your bill
before your check out
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Don't forget to return your hotel room keys
before your departure from the hotel, as this will
cost the friendly hotel receptionists a lot.
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Some of the hotels have energy saving
systems. You may need to insert the metal attached
to your room key in a slot, which is usually right
behind the room door. When you remove it from the
slot, all electric appliances including
air-conditioning will automatically turn off. If you
would like to leave your a/c on, separate the key
from metal attachment and leave the metal in the
slot while you can take the key with you.
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Crossing the streets in big cities, before
you do that, make sure that the car or whatever is
at a reasonable distance to allow you cross the
street safely. Because, in Turkey, cars have the
privilege to use the streets. You can safely walk on
the pedestrian walkways.
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Turkey is one of the safest countries in the world
to travel, but some rare instances of crime, theft
and robbery happen in big cities. Especially, if you
would like to walk around the city at night, leave
your valuable stuff, money and passport at hotel
safety box. Almost every tourist hotel has a
safety box service free to hotel customers
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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 is to buy a telephone
card from Post Office (recognizable by "PTT" sign),
which comes in 30, 60 and 100 units.
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If you are traveling independently, check which
dates that the museums are open to visits.
Most of the museums are closed to visits at least
one day a week. Archaeological sites can be visited
everyday from 9 AM to 5 PM (this may change from
summer to winter).
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Bargaining is part of Turkish culture; before
you purchase anything, try to get the prices down as
low as possible. In most cases, just leave the shop
or vendor and pretend to walk away, you will be
probably invited back to his shop by the vendor
asking what would be your best offer. Then, feel
free to declare your own price for your purchase.
Usually, bargaining margin starts from 10 % and may
go up to 60-70%. This depends on your bargaining
capabilities.
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You may be approached by vendors at archaeological
sites trying to sell ancient coins or
fragments of a statue or a piece of pottery, don't
buy them, they are fake.
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Usually customs check at entry and departure
ports is not strict. However, customs officials are
authorized to check your handbags and suitcases. At
their request, you have to open up your bags and
suitcases
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If the kids approach you saying " bon bon ",
they mean some candies or chewing gums. Or saying
"kalem ", that means pencil, or in most cases " Para
", which is money
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If street vendors trying to sell something to
you annoy you, don't look interested in their
products and look the other way. Even if you start
an innocent dialog, that may take half an hour to an
hour costing your invaluable time
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If you would like to contact or speak to local
people especially kids, go ahead, they love it.
If somebody approaches you saying he would like to
show you interesting things, or his shop or invite
for a drink, don't go with them
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Some airline companies may require a final flight
confirmation a few days before your departure
flight, please check it with your travel agent.
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Always pay attention to where you are
walking, as there may be some holes in the street or
some steps up or down
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When your car or bus is moving, always remain seated
as some of the roads are winding with sharp
curves.
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Although there is no restriction on the sale and use
of Alcohol, which is available at stores, the
guests should avoid drinking in public during the
month Ramadan
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