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F.A.Q's

What is the time difference?
Turkey is on GMT + 2 (daylight saving = GMT +3 and operates between late March to late September). This means generally that Turkey is 1 hour ahead of European and 2 hours ahead of the UK standard times. Still it is a good idea to check the local time when you arrive in Turkey and adjust your watch accordingly.

What is the Mains supply voltage – are adaptors needed? 



The Turkish mains power supply is 220 Vac 50 Hz. The standard Wall sockets take two round pin plugs, similar to the one used in many European countries. You will need an adapter if you intend to use appliances not fitted with this type of plug; it is a good idea to bring a suitable adaptor with you as this may be difficult to find locally.

What should I take?

Most goods, including holiday essentials, i.e. sun tan and after sun lotions, insect and mosquito repellents, etc. are available in the larger resorts and supermarkets. Bringing these items with you may not only you save time but it will also ensure that you will have your preferred brands – if you are flying, remember not to pack these in your cabin luggage. 
A wide-brimmed sun hat is good to have also it is a good idea to have a photocopy of your passport and if you are driving a copy of your license, keep these on you as a means of ID and leave the originals in a secure place. Losing or having the originals stolen can spoil your holiday experience.

Will I be able to use my mobile phone in Turkey?
Yes – providing your phone is international roaming enabled.
The 3 main GSM operators in Turkey are Turkcell, Avea and Vodafone and all GSM operators have roaming agreements with international operators, but remember to check with your provider regarding the actual roaming costs.

If you intend to stay for a while and / or expect to be making a significant number of calls whilst in Turkey you may consider purchasing a local prepaid line to use during your stay. These can be purchased form one of the many mobile phone shops and “topped up” as required by purchasing credits .

Generally speaking, mobile phone coverage throughout Turkey is very good – there may be some problems in some of remote or mountainous areas though. Also remember that even though you are dialing a local number from one of the local GSM Networks the number you dial must be in the full international dialing format. 
I.e. the number should be prefixed by 00 90 and you should drop the first 0 from the area code of the number you are dialing.

What is the local currency?
The official currency in Turkey is the Turkish Lira (TL – Turk Lirasi) which is sub divided into Kurus (Kurus) 100 Kr = 1 TL, Images of the Notes and coins are on the below

The TL is internationally traded and can be purchased in most countries prior to your visit; although you may need to order this ahead. 

Once in Turkey, it's very easy to change all major currencies in Banks, exchange offices, post offices (PTTs) and many Hotels. 
Currency can be also obtained from the major debit or cash cards from many ATM machines. (Check the logos on the ATM machines)
However if you do run short of Turkish Lira at any point during your stay all the major foreign currencies, are widely accepted in many shops, hotels and restaurants especially in the tourist areas – be sure you know the exchange rate though.

Can I use my Credit Card?
Credit cards are accepted in most shops and restaurants in the main Cities or Resorts areas. This may not be the case in smaller villages or remote places so it is generally a good idea to try always to have some cash handy.

Can I use Travelers Cheques?
Travelers Cheques can be cashed at banks, exchange bureaus and most of the larger hotels.

Are there insects?
There can be mosquitoes in certain areas so some form of repellant is advisable, especially for those people who are prone to bites, it is also a good idea to take precautions in your bedroom with a mosquito plug, spray etc. Ants are frequent in some rural areas

Do I need a visa to visit Turkey? 
This depends on your nationality. At the time of writing the Turkish Ministry of Foreign affairs posts Visa information on their website here:
 

Is it safe in Turkey? 
Turkey is arguably one of the safest countries in the world to visit and the crime rate is low when compared to many Western European countries. Interpol ranks Turkey as the safest holiday destination in Europe for travelers. 
For sure common sense precautions should be taken against petty crimes such as pick pocketing, bag snatching etc. but by and large visitors will find Turks to be friendly and helpful. 
The following link may help you to compare the various crime statistics in Turkey against those in other countries.
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_tot_cri_percap-crime- total-crimes-per-capita

What ID do I need to carry with me when in Turkey?
You are required at all times to carry an official ID with photograph whilst in Turkey.

It is a good practice to have a photocopy of your passport, ticket details, travel insurance, hotel address etc. plus a 24-hour emergency contact number and you should carry these with you at all times.

Whenever it is practical though, try to avoid carrying your original travel documents with you, simply in case of loss or theft. If possible leave them in a Hotel Safety Deposit Box or keep them very securely about your person. As previously mentioned, you should carry some form “official Photo ID” with you, as you may be asked to show this. Normally a driver’s license or similar ID (with photo) will suffice and this has the added advantage that if lost or stolen it is reasonably easy to replace when you get back home.

One more “Passport safety tip:” There is a legal requirement for Hotels in Turkey to keep a nightly register of all their guests, often Hotel Receptionist will ask you to leave your passport with them to complete this register. Unfortunately there have been isolated instances of passports being misplaced or worse, stolen whilst in the care of hotel. Logically it is unreasonable to expect a hotel or receptionist to treat your passport with the same respect as you do yourself. (The safest thing here is to leave them with a Photocopy)

The point here is to remember, your passport is your property, your responsibility and nobody takes care of it better than you do. http://istanbul.usconsulate.gov/

What are the shop opening times?
During the summer season, and especially in the resort areas, supermarkets, mini-markets and shops are open everyday, often until late night and in many cases all night.

As a general guideline opening days and times are as follows:

Banks: 09.00 - 12.00 and 13.30 - 17.00 Monday to Friday. 
Post Offices: (identified by yellow PTT signs) 08.00 - 20.00 Monday to Saturday, and 09.00 - 19.00 on Sundays. 
Chemists (Eczane) - 09.00-19.00 Monday to Saturday: 24 Hour Duty chemists are open on a rota basis and their details are posted in all chemists’ window. Look for the “Nobetci Eczani” sign. 
Museums - 09.00 - 17.00 Tuesday to Sunday.

Cafes and restaurants tend not to close until the last customer has left and often stay open until very late in the evening or early morning some restaurants, especially the soup kitchens, stay open 24 hours.

How should visitors dress in Turkey? 
To avoid potential problems, should you be traveling around the countryside be a little “conservative” in your attire. Ladies should wear pants or skirts and when visiting a mosque it is recommended that a scarf is worn on the head, both sexes should avoid wearing shorts out of respect of local religious customs.

In any of the major resorts or on the beach you will be hard pressed to miss scantily clad holiday makers working on their sun tans, indeed on many beaches topless bathing is quite acceptable and almost the norm, the choice is yours. 
Do however be aware that outside resort areas local residents may not take such a liberal attitude towards dress code and you may embarrass or even offend the locals should you be “under dressed”

Is it safe to drink tap water in Turkey? 
Turkey has an abundance of Natural Springs and water sources and the sanitation standards are quite good. 
As a “general rule” tap water is suitable for bathing and regular tasks such as brushing teeth etc. However, it is recommended that visitors drink bottled water (there is a good selection and it is cheap) in general and with meals, as is customary in most Mediterranean countries.

Are any vaccinations required for tourists entering Turkey? 
Currently there are no vaccination requirements for any international traveler to enter Turkey. 
Please check at The World Health Organization web site, 
http://www.who.org
For more country specific details

 

What should I do if my Passport is lost or stolen?

This is a tourist’s biggest nightmare, replacing a passport is very serious business and requires all manner of bureaucratic hoops to be jumped through before travel documents can be issued or re-issued. (The very best thing to do is not to lose it!)

In the event of a loss, it is advisable to contact your countries nearest Embassy, Consulate or Mission and learn the specific documentation requirements for re-issue as these may vary country to country. However should your discovery be out of office hours the following information will help you to at least get started on the way to getting replacement travel documents.

The very first thing you must do having discovered your passport is missing is to “immediately and without delay” report the theft or loss to the local police. You will need to take from them an “official police report” of the loss, including as many details regarding time, place and circumstance as possible.

The next phase is to make contact with the Travel agency, Tour operator, Airline and or Shipping agency (whoever carried you to and who intend to carry you from Turkey). Here you need from them a statement detailing your entire itinerary but with special regard to your arrival and departure information. (Dates, Times, Flight Number, Carrier Name, traveling from where, to where +etc)

Armed with take these documents and a few passport photographs (minimum 3, national requirements may vary) head off to your nearest Consulate or Mission, who will then be able to assist you in obtaining the necessary travel document that you will need to get back home.

Disclaimer: Please note these “tips” are only a guide to the minimum documentation requirements, anything else you can provide (Photocopy of your lost passport, a Drivers License, other Photo ID +etc) will only assist the process, also there could be additional requirements according to your nationality. http://istanbul.usconsulate.gov/

 

What to buy?

Apart from classical tourist souvenirs like postcards and trinkets, here are a few of what you can bring back home from Turkey.

• Leather clothing — Turkey is the biggest leather producer in the world, so the leather clothing is cheaper than elsewhere. Many shops in Laleli, Beyazıt, Mahmutpaşa districts of Istanbul (all around the tram line which goes through Sultanahmet Square) are specialized on leather.

• Carpets and kilims — Many regions in Turkey produce handmade kilims and carpets. Though the symbols and figures differentiate depending on the region in which the carpet is produced, they are generally symbollic expressions based on ancient Anatolian religions and/or nomadic Turkic life which takes shape around shamanic beliefs more than 1000 years ago. You can find shops specialized on handmade carpets and kilims in any major city, tourist spot and Sultanahmet Area.

You seriously cannot go anywhere in Turkey without someone trying to sell you a carpet. People will approach you on the street, engage in a little friendly conversation about where you're from, how do you like Turkey, and "would you like to come with me to my uncle's shop? It's just around the corner, and has the best authentic kilims." It can be irritating if you let it get to you, but remember that a large part of these people's economy comes from tourist's wallets so you can't blame them for trying.

• Silk — Dresses and scarves. Although can be found in many parts of the country, silk fans should head for Bursa and before that, pick up basics ofbargaining.

• Earthenware — Handmade Cappadocian pottery (amphoras, old-style plates, flowerpots etc) are made of local salty clay. Salt content of clay, thanks to salt spray produced by the Salt Lake –which is the second largest lake in Turkey- in the heartland of Central Anatolia, is what makes local earthenware top quality. In some Cappadocian towns, it is possible to see how these artifacts are produced, or even to experience producing one, at the dedicated workshops. Tiles with classical Ottoman motives that are produced in Kütahya are also famous.

• Turkish delight and Turkish coffee — If you like these during your Turkey trip, don’t forget to take a few packages back home. Available everywhere.

• Honey — The pine honey (çam balı) of Marmaris is famous and has a much stronger taste and consistency than regular flower honeys. Although not easily attained, if you can find, don’t miss the honey of Macahel valley, made out of flowers of a temperate semi-rainforest, which is almost completely out of human impact, in the far northeastern Black Sea Region.

• Chestnut dessert — Made out of syrup and chestnuts grown on the foothills of Mt. Uludağ, chestnut dessert (kestane şekeri) is a famous and tasty product of Bursa. There are many variations, such as chocolate coated ones. Chestnut dessert can be found in elsewhere, too, but relatively more expensive and in smaller packages.

• Meerschaum souvenirs — Despite its name meaning “sea foam” which it resembles, meerschaum (lületaşı) is extracted only in one place in the world: landlocked Eskişehir province in the extreme northwest part of Central Anatolia Region. This mineral, similar to gypsum at sight, is chipped into smoking pipes and cigarette holders. It has a soft and creamy texture and makes for a great decorative item. Available at some shops in Eskişehir.

• Castile (olive oil) soap — Natural, a silky touch on your skin, and a warm Mediterranean atmosphere in your bathroom. Absolutely cheaper than those to be found in Northern and Western Europe. Street markets in the Aegean Region and southern Marmara Region is full of olive oil soap, almost all of which are handmade. Even some old folk in the Aegean Region is producing their castile soaps in the traditional way: during or just after the olive harvest, neighbours gather in yards around large boilers heated by wood fire, then lye derived from the wood ash is added to hot water and olive oil mix. Remember – supermarkets out of the Aegean Region are generally offering no more than industrial tallow based soaps full of chemicals. In cities out of the Aegean Region, natural olive oil soap can be found in shops specialized in olive and olive oil. Some of these shops are even offering ecological soaps: made of organic olive oil and sometimes with additions of organic essential oils.

• Other soaps unique to Turkey are: laurel soaps (defne sabunu) which is produced mainly in Antioch, soaps of Isparta enriched with rose oil which is produced abundantly in the area around Isparta, and bıttım sabunu, a soap made out of the oil of seeds of a local variety of pistachio tree native to the mountains of Southeastern Region. In Edirne, soaps shaped as various fruits are produced. Not used for their lather, rather they make a good assortment when different “fruits” are placed in a basket on a table, they fill the air with their sweet scent as well.

• Olive-based products apart from soap — Other olive-based products to give a try are olive oil shampoos, olive oil based eau de colognes andzeyşe, abbreviation from the first syllables of zeytin şekeri, a dessert similar to chestnut desserts, but made from olives.

WARNING! To export or to take out the antiques which are more than 100 years old from Turkey is subject to heavy restrictions or in many cases outright forbidden. If it is the case that someone offers you to sell antiques, either he/she is a liar, just trying to sell cheap imitations or he/she is committing a crime, which you are about to be a part of, if you accept to be the purchaser.

Where I should complain?

Turkey has thousands of hotels, restaurants, tour operators, travel agencies and other travel businesses. Each year most of them provide good to excellent service to millions upon millions of travelers both Turkish and foreign, which is why Turkey is now among the top ten travel destinations in the world.

But of course no place on earth is perfect, and there are bound to be a few services, companies and people that do not measure up to expectations. Here's how to handle them:

1. You may wish to choose a travel agency from among those that I know and trust. Whatever you do, be sure to use a registered TÜRSAB travel agency or tour operator. More...

2. Contact the main office of the agency or operator right away, as soon as possible after you experience the bad service. Perhaps the agency can fix the problem right away. For example, if you are dissatisfied with the guide, the vehicle or the accommodations on a guided tour after the first day or two, call the main office, explain the problem, and give them the opportunity to satisfy you. Yes, it's a bummer that your trip did not go exactly as you had envisioned it, but travel is rarely perfect.

3. If you are not satisfied with the company's response, you can send a report of the incident toTÜRSAB, the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies, and/or TUROB, the Touristic Hotel & Investors Association, and ask for their help in rectification.

Association of Turkish Travel Agencies
Dikilitaş Aşık Kerem Sokak No: 55-1
Beşiktaş 80690 Istanbul, Turkey
Tel: +90 (212) 259 84 04 
Fax: +90 (212) 259 06 56, 236 39 78
tursab@tursab.org.tr
foreignrelations@tursab.org.tr

Touristic Hotels & Investors Association
Cumhuriyet Cad. Pak Apt. Kat 6 D: 12
Harbiye (Divan Oteli Yanı)
34437 Şişli - Istanbul, Turkey 
Tel: +90 (212) 296 08 80 (pbx)
Fax: +90 (212) 343 84 36
info@turob.com

4. You can also contact the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism:

TC Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı
Atatürk Bulvarı No:29
06050 Opera, Ankara - Turkey
kultur@kultur.gov.tr
Tel: +90 (312) 309 08 50
Fax: +90 (312) 312 43 59

Be patient: receiving a response from these large and somewhat bureaucratic organizations may take awhile.

5. In extreme cases, you may want to contact your credit card company and file a complaint, especially if you have already paid by credit card for services you never received.

If you have received some services and these are not in dispute, tell this to your credit card company so that the dispute can be limited to just the services in question. Your credit card company will carry out an investigation and may help you and the company come to a settlement.

(Keep in mind that credit card companies receive complaints from both companies and individual travelers, and may rely on complaint histories and other records in coming to a decision.)

By the way, your nation's consulate and/or embassycan probably NOT do too much to help you with a local complaint unless it involves criminal behavior or a serious threat to your health or well-being.

How can I use local transportations in Turkey?

Read more: http://www.worldtravelguide.net/turkey/local-transport#ixzz10QLIwr7e

 

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