ARRIVAL TO THE CITY

Turkey demands an official entry visa from citizens of several countries. Before your departure to Turkey it is better to check with a Turkish consulate in your country to determine if you need a visa. In some cases, you can obtain a visa upon arrival at Ataturk airport for a small fee. After passing from the passport control, it is appropriate to declare your foreign currency and your valuable objects and have it recorded in your passport. As elsewhere too, there are limits on the amount of alcoholic drinks and cigarettes that can be brought in: two boxes of cigarettes, 50 cigars, 200 grams of tobacco and 2.5 liters of alcoholic drinks are allowed.

WORK HOURS AND HOLIDAYS

Banks are open weekdays from 8:30 AM until noon or 12:30 PM, depending on the bank, and from 1:30 PM until 5.00 PM.
Museums are generally open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 AM until 5.00 PM or 5:30 PM and closed on Monday. Palaces are open the same hours but are closed Thursday. For museum specific information please visit our museums section.
Shops and bazaars are usually open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 AM to 1.00 PM and from 2.00 PM to 7.00 PM, and closed all day on Sunday. Most large stores and some small shops remain open throughout the day.
You can find restaurants or cafes open virtually any time of the day or night.

NATIONAL HOLIDAYS

January 1 (New Year’s Day), January 29-31 (Seker Bayram, marking the end of Ramadan), April 7-10 (Kurban Bayram, an important religious holiday). Muslim religious holidays are based on the lunar calendar and will shift about 10 days backwards each year. The dates given here for the Seker and Kurban holidays are for 1998.
April 23 (National Independence and Childrens Day), May 19 (Ataturk’s Commemoration Day), August 30 (Zafer Bayram, or Victory Day), October 29 (Cumhuriyet Bayram, or Republic Day, celebrating Atat?rk’s proclamation of the Turkish republic in 1923).

VISITING THE MOSQUES

Most mosques in Istanbul are open to the public during the day. Prayer sessions, called namaz, last 30 to 40 minutes and are observed five times daily. Tourists should, however, avoid visiting mosques midday on Friday, when Muslims are required to worship.
For women, bare arms and legs are not acceptable inside a mosque. Men should avoid wearing shorts as well. Women should not enter a mosque without first covering their heads with a scarf.  Before entering a mosque, shoes must be removed.

MAIL

Post offices are painted bright yellow and have PTT (Post, Telegraph, and Telephone) signs on the front. The central Post office is open Monday through Saturday from 8 AM to 9 PM, Sunday from 9 AM to 7PM. Smaller ones are open Monday through Friday between 8:30 AM and 5.00 PM.

THE MONEY

The monetary unit is the Turkish lira (TL), which comes in bank notes of 50,000; 100,000; 500,000; 1,000,000 and 5.000,000. Smaller denominations come in coins of 5,000; 10,000; 25,000 and 50,000.
In Istanbul, traveler’s checks are rarely accepted. ATMs can be found in even the smallest Turkish towns. Most accept international credit cards or bank cards (a strip of logos is usually displayed above the ATM). Almost all ATMs have a language key  to enable you to read the instructions in English.

VAT

The value-added tax, here called KDV, is 15%. Hotels typically combine it with a service charge of 10% to 15%, and restaurants usually add a 15% service charge.
Value-added tax is nearly always included in quoted prices. Certain shops are authorized to refund the tax (ask).

ELECTRICITY

The electrical current in Turkey is 220 volts, 50 cycles alternating current (AC); wall outlets take Continental-type plugs, with two or three round prongs.

SAFETY & SECURITY

The streets of Istanbul are considerably safer than their counterparts in the United States or Western Europe. Travelers should nevertheless take care of their valuables, as pickpockets, although not as common as in the U.S. or Europe, do operate in the major cities and tourist areas.

POLICE

Tourism police Tel. (0212) 527 45 03

TRANSPORTATION

You can consider visiting other tourist attractions in Turkey once you come to Istanbul. Turkish Airlines (THY) and several private airlines have frequent scheduled flights to most of the other cities.
If you think about other possibilities than flying, you can go by bus, train, ship or even rent an airplane or a helicopter.

AIRLINES

HELICOPTER AND PLANE RENTAL

Mach Air Tel: (0212) 541 14 23
Sancak Air Tel: (0212) 541 41 41
Mas Air Tel: (0212) 663 04 03
Istanbul Havayollari Tel: (0212) 543 62 58
Top Air Tel: (0212) 541 60 40

TRAIN (STATE RAILROADS)

The railroad is slower but can be fun, especially if you reserve a first class compartment. Trains run between Ankara and Istanbul, Istanbul and Izmir, and reservations are required.
Sirkeci train station (European side) Tel: (0212) 520 65 75
Haydarpasa train station (Asian side) Tel: (0216) 348 80 20

MARITIME LINES

There are scheduled trips among the Black Sea, Aegean and Mediterranean ports.
Turkish Maritime Lines Tel: (0212) 244 02 07 / 249 92 22
City Ferry Administration Tel: (0212) 244 42 33
Car FerriesTel: (0216) 353 40 85
Sea Buses Tel: (0212) 560 72 91 / 249 15 58 / 251 61 44
Tel: (0216) 362 04 46 / 336 88 19 / 306 20 00

BUS

It is by far cheaper, of course, to take an intercity bus. The best of the companies offer comfortable, quality transportation, an excellent and cheap alternative to flying. Many buses are double deckered and have toilets and all are non-smoking and offer tea and snack service.

HEALTH

There are no serious health risks associated with travel to Turkey. No vaccinations are required for entry. Tap water is heavily chlorinated. Bottled water, bottled sparkling mineral water or carbonated mineral water are also abundant.In the hospitals mentioned below, you are offered an excellent service and consultation with English speaking doctors.

AMERICAN HOSPITAL  0212 231 40 50 (20 hat)

AUSTRIAN SAINT GEORGE HOSPITAL  0212 243 25 90

FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE HOSPITAL  0212 224 49 50 (15 hat)

GERMAN HOSPITAL  0212 293 21 50

INTERNATIONAL HOSPITAL  0212 663 00 00 (30 hat)
ITALIAN HOSPITAL  0212 249 97 51-52

MIDDLE EAST HOSPITAL  0216 37139 90-91

TAKSIM HOSPITAL  0212 252 43 00

VATAN HOSPITAL  0212 534 86 00 (10 hat)