Tips About Istanbul And TURKEY

Istanbul is a giant city, home to one-fifth of Turkey's population. The general conviction of people who have visited Turkey and Istanbul is that the people are very hospitable and tolerant. Indeed, it is an important part of the national culture to be considerate and polite toward guests, especially foreign guests.

VISAS
Visas are required for entry into Turkey by nationals of most countries. However, many of the visas can be purchased for £ 10 or $20 at Turkey's airports or border gates. Since the information of visas changeable, please contact the visa offices.

LANGUAGE
Turkisn is an Ural Altaic language related to the Finno Ugric. Turkish is written in a Latin alphabet and is spoken by some 150-200 million people around the world.
English, German and French are widely spoken in cities and resorts.

CLIMATE
Istanbul has a climate combining those of the Mediterranean and Black Sea types, with a hot dry summer and pleasantly warm spring and fall. Winters are cold but snow is rare. The vegetation is predominantly of the Mediterranean type.
Min/Max temperatures: January and February 5-9, March and April 9-18 C, May 14-24 C, June 18-27 C, July and August 20-33 C, October 16-23 C, November and December 6-13 C.
TAXI
Licensed taxis in istanbul are yellow and have the registration numbers on the sides. They can be found on the ranks or hailed on the street. Also the hotel, restaurant and bar staffs provide taxi. From 6 am to midnight daytime (gündüz) fare is applied. Nighttime fare is 1/2 higher but taxi in istanbul is quite economical in relation to European metropolises. Crossing over the Bosphorus bridge is requires extra fare. "Dolmuş" is the name given to shared taxis that operate in major routes.

CUSTOMS
Visitors may bring an unlimited amount of Turkish or foreign currency with them into Turkey, but they may take out of the country only $5000 or other currencies in cash equal to this amount. There are no restrictions on the transfer of Turkish or foreign money to other countries through banks. Jewelry made of precious stones or metals that is not valued at more than $15000 and is not intended for commercial uses may be brought in and out of the country. The permission to take out of the country jewelry valued at more than $15000 is granted according to the conditions of declaration during the entry or through documenting its origin as Turkey.
In order to take antiques, such as a handmade antique rug, out of the country, there must be a receipt and a special label attached to the rug.

HEALTH
Some foreign health insurance coverage is valid in Turkey's health institutions. The best way to ascertain whether or not coverage is valid is to inquire with the insurance agency in advance. No vaccinations are required for entering Turkey.
Pharmacies are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. from April through September, and from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. from October through March. On Sundays and during nights selected oncall pharmacies are open. All pharmacy shop windows display a daily list of after hours pharmacies and their addresses. Pharmacists in Turkey are also available for assistance with minor health complaints. In many parts of cities there are small out patient clinics, either private or public, which can help with relatively minor health problems. Besides, there are public and private hospitals and university research hospitals in the cities that are fully staffed and high tech equipped. All important health procedures can be realized in these hospitals.

HOLIDAYS AND WORKING HOURS
Private business places are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and public business places between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. in Turkey. Generally lunch break is between 12 noon and 1 p.m. Banks are open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. The official holiday in the country is Sunday but shops are usually open. Shopping malls are generally open until 10:00 p.m. Public business places and offices are closed at the weekend.