Turkey Travel Tips

Social Conventions

Shaking hands is the normal form of greeting. Hospitality is very important and visitors should respect Islamic customs. Informal wear is acceptable, but beachwear should be confined to the beach or poolside. Smoking is widely acceptable but prohibited in cinemas, theaters, city buses and dolmuses (collective taxis).

Tipping

A service charge is included in hotel and restaurant bills.

International Travel:

Note

There is a high threat from terrorism in Turkey. There have been a number of small-scale terrorist incidents since the bomb attacks in Istanbul on 15 and 20 November 2003, which caused a large number of deaths and casualties. Extra vigilance is required on the part of visitors, especially in the vicinity of potential terrorist targets. Past examples have included sites that symbolise Western (including UK) interests and symbols of the Turkish State.

Air

Turkey's national airline is Turkish Airlines (TK) (website: www.turkishairlines.com). Other airlines serving Turkey include Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa and Swiss.

Approximate flight times

From Istanbul to Frankfurt/M is two hours 45 minutes, to London is three hours 30 minutes and to New York is 11 hours.

International airports

Ankara (ESB) (Esenboga) is 35km (22 miles) northeast of the city. THY buses go from the city one hour 30 minutes before domestic flights and two hours 15 minutes before international flights. There is a taxi service available into the city. Airport facilities include incoming and outgoing duty free shops, bank/bureau de change, and restaurants and bars.

Istanbul (IST) (Atatürk, formerly Yesilkoy) is 24km (15 miles) west of the city (travel time - 30 to 50 minutes). A coach (THY bus) goes every 15 minutes to the THY terminal. There are taxi services to the city. Airport facilities include incoming and outgoing duty free shop, bank/bureau de change, bar, restaurant, and car hire (Avis, Budget, Hertz and Europcar).

Izmir (IZM) (Adnan Menderes). A THY bus leaves from the city one hour 15 minutes before departure. Airport facilities include bank/bureau de change, bar and restaurant.

Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) is 40km (25 miles) from Istanbul, on the Asian side. There are shuttle bus services to the city (travel time - 30 to 45 minutes) and to Atatürk International Airport (travel time - 60 to 70 minutes). Taxis are available 24 hours a day. Facilities include duty free shops, bank, ATMs, business center and restaurants/cafes.

There are other international airports at Adana, Antalya, Dalaman and Trabzon.

Departure tax

US$50 is levied only on Turkish nationals, not resident overseas departing from Turkey.

Sea

Major ports are Antalya, Bandirma, Istanbul, Izmir, Marmaris and Mersin. Turkish Maritime Lines (TML), the national shipping organization, and a number of cruise lines run services to Turkey, including: Costa, CTC, Epirotiki, Golden Sun Cruises, 'K' Lines, Linblad Expeditions, Norwegian and Royal Olympic. Several ferry routes are available:

To/from Italy: Ferries operate between Venice- Izmir, Venice-Antalya/Marmaris, Venice-Istanbul via Pireaus, and Brindisi-Cesme. To/from Cyprus: Three routes exist on which sea buses, together with car and passenger ferries, operate: Alanya-Girne, Tasucu-Girne and Gazimagosa- Mersin. To/from Greece: There are privately operated ferry lines between Turkey and the Greek islands: Lesbos-Ayvalik, Chios-Cesme, Samos-Kusadasi, Cos-Bodrum, Rhodes- Marmaris, and Sömbeki-Datça.

Note

All ships, including private yachts, arriving in Turkish waters must go to one of the following ports of entry: Akcay, Alanya, Anamur, Antalya, Ayvalik, Bandirma, Bodrum, Botas (Adana), Canakkale, Cesme, Datca, Derince, Didim, Dikili, Fethiye, Finike, Giresun, Güllük, Hopa (Artvin), Iskenderun, Istanbul, Izmir, Kas, Kemer, Kusadasi, Marmaris, Mersin, Ordu, Rize, Samsun, Sinop, Söke, Tasucu (Silifke), Tekirdag, Trabzon and Zonguldak.

Rail

Train journeys can be made to Istanbul via some of the major European cities. The journey from London takes three days: Eurostar to Paris, Orient Express or EuroCity to Vienna (overnight), EuroCity to Budapest and finally the TransBalkan to Istanbul. There is a weekly sleeper from Moscow. InterRail tickets are available in the European part of Turkey as far as Istanbul. Other international rail routes go to Bulgaria, Greece, Georgia, Germany and Serbia and Montenegro. For more information contact Turkish Railways (TCDD) in Istanbul (tel: (212) 527 0050/1 or 520 6575 (reservations); website: www.tcdd.gov.tr).

Road

There are roads from Bulgaria, the CIS, Greece and Iran. From London, drivers may either choose the northern route of Belgium-Germany-Austria-Hungary-Romania-Bulgaria, or the southern route through Belgium-Austria-Italy with a car-ferry connection to Turkey. Coach: There are regular services between Turkey and Austria, France, Germany, Greece and Switzerland, as well as Jordan, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the Syrian Arab Republic. Eurolines, departing from Victoria Coach Station in London, serves destinations in Turkey. For further information, contact Eurolines (tel: (08705) 143 219; e-mail: welcome@eurolines.co.uk; website: www.eurolines.co.uk).

Duty-Free

The following goods may be imported into Turkey without incurring customs duty:

200 cigarettes and 50 cigars or 200g of tobacco and 200 cigarette papers or 50g of chewing tobacco or 200g of pipe tobacco or 200g of snuff tobacco*; five bottles (1l) or seven bottles (700ml) of wine and/or spirits; reasonable amounts of coffee and tea; five bottles (up to 120ml each) of perfume; gifts up to a value of &Euro;255.65 (or equivalent); electronic articles up to a value of &Euro;255.65 (or equivalent).

Note

(a)* A further 400 cigarettes, 100 cigars and 500g of pipe tobacco may be imported if purchased on arrival at a duty free shop. (b) Very specific amounts and categories of personal belongings may be imported duty free, according to a list available from the Turkish Embassy, Financial and Customs Counsellor's Office.

Prohibited imports

Narcotics, sharp implements, weapons and more than one set of cards.

Restricted exports

(a) The export of souvenirs such as carpets is subject to customs regulations regarding age and value. (b) The export of antiques is forbidden, according to a list available from the Turkish Embassy, Financial and Customs Counsellor's Office. (c) Minerals may only be exported under license from the General Directorate of Mining Exploration & Research.

Internal Travel:

Note

Road conditions and driving standards in Turkey can be poor. Serious road accidents are common. All visitors should be extra careful when traveling around Turkey's road network.

Air

Turkish Airlines provides an important network of internal flights from Istanbul, Ankara, Adana, Antalya, Dalaman, Izmir and Trabzan to all of the major Turkish cities. The airline (tel (UK office): (020) 7766 9300; fax: (020) 7976 1738; website: www.turkishairlines.com) offers reductions of 60 per cent on international flights (with the exception of Middle Eastern destinations) and 10 per cent on domestic flights to holders of International Student Travel Conference (ISTC) cards.

Sea

Turkish Maritime Lines offers several coastal services with their Adriatic Line subsidiary, providing excellent opportunities for sightseeing; they also operate a car ferry between Mersin and Magosa. There are also services between Istanbul and Izmir, with overnight accommodation and ferry routes along Turkey's northern Black Sea coast. A frequent car ferry crosses the Dardenelles at Gallipoli, from Canakkale to Eceabat and Gelibolu to Lapseki. There are frequent seabus services from Bostanci, Kadiköy, Kartal, Yalova and Büyükada Island to Auça, Bakirköy, Karaköy and Yenikapi. Turkish Maritime Lines offers discounts of 15 per cent on single and 25 per cent on return passages for international routes and 50 per cent for domestic routes to holders of ISTC cards.

Rail

Fares are comparatively low. Many trains of the Turkish Railways (TCDD) have sleeping cars, couchettes and restaurant cars, but there is no air-conditioned accommodation. Fares are more expensive for express and mail trains, even though express trains are relatively slow, and some routes are indirect. Steam engines, such as the Anatolia Express, which traverses eastern Turkey, are retained for tourist trains on some routes. Tickets can be purchased at TCDD offices at railway stations and TCDD-appointed agents. TCDD offers discounts of 20 per cent to holders of ISTC cards. Children under seven travel free; children aged between seven and 11 pay half fare. Discount fares are available for students, groups, roundtrips and sports teams.

Road

There is an extensive road maintenance and building program; 1400km (900 miles) of motorway is under construction. Traffic drives on the right. In case of an accident, contact the Turkish Touring and Automobile Club (Turkiye Turing ve Otomobil Kurumu), Head Office, Sanayi Sitesi Yani, Fort Levent, Istanbul (tel: (212) 282 8140; fax: (212) 282 8042). Coach: Many private companies provide frequent day and night services between all Turkish cities. Services are often faster than trains and competition between operators has led to lower fares. Tickets are sold at the bus or coach companies' branch offices either at stations or in town centers. One should shop around for the best prices. Coaches depart from the bus stations (otogar) in large towns and from the town center in small towns. Car hire: Both chauffeur-driven and self-drive cars are available in all large towns. All international companies are represented. Documentation: An International Driving Permit is required for visits of over three months. Green Card International Insurance, endorsed for Turkish territory in both Europe and Asia, and Turkish third-party insurance (obtainable from insurance agencies at frontier posts) are also required. Cars can be brought into Turkey for a maximum of six months in one year. On entering, an entry-exit form is filled out. For longer stays, it is necessary to apply to either the Ministry of Finance and Customs or the Turkish Touring and Automobile Club.

Urban

Bus and trolleybus: Extensive conventional bus (and some trolleybus) services operate in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. There are buses in all other large towns. These are generally reliable, modern and easy to use, although publicity is non-existent. Tickets are bought in advance from kiosks and dropped into a box by the driver. Taxi: There are many types of taxi, share-taxi and minibus in operation. Taxis are numerous in all Turkish cities and towns and are recognizable by their chequered black and yellow bands. Metered taxis are available. For longer journeys, the fare should be agreed beforehand. A dolmus is a collective taxi which follows specific routes and is recognizable by its yellow band. Each passenger pays according to the distance traveled to specific stops. The fares are fixed by the municipality. The dolmus provides services within large cities to suburbs, airports and often to neighboring towns. This is a very practical means of transport and much cheaper than a taxi. Taxis may turn into a dolmus and vice versa according to demand. Ferry: There are extensive cross-Bosphorus and short-hop ferries between the parts of Istanbul. Metro: There are plans to construct a metro system in Ankara.