Useful Tips in Turkey

Children

Family is one of the most important things in Turkey to Turkish people, and the visitors of Turkey can see many children are welcoming everywhere, which makes for a very relaxing and enjoyable holiday. If you have children, formula milk and nappies are easily available, although if you want a specific brand, then it is probably best to take it with you. It is very easy to find baby food in jars, but also restaurants and hotels are very accommodating and will usually be pleased to puree food for you. Again, if your child is used to a specific brand it may be better to take it with you. UHT milk is widely available in small cartons, with a straw, which is useful for toddlers and older children. Children's car seats are still seen as a luxury item in Turkey but most of tour companies in Ephesus and car hire companies will be able to provide them for you on request. Many of the larger hotels have children's clubs and are able to arrange babysitting services.

n general, Turks and Turkey have a welcoming, relaxed approach to children and will go out of their way to be accommodating and helpful. As long as you are flexible you should have no problems.

Currency

Turkish Lira is available in the following denominations:

Banknotes: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 & 200TL Coins: 5, 10, 25 & 50 Kurus and 1 TL

You can change currency before travelling to Turkey or on arrival at ports or airports. Exchange rates are usually much better in Turkey and all international airports have exchange facilities. Usually, cash can be exchanged without charging any commission in exchange offices, banks or hotels. If you have Travellers' cheques, you can exchangethem in banks only. Cash point machines (ATM) are available in most areas, which accept major credit cards and debit cards and give instructions in English. It may be a good idea to inform your bank in advance that you are travelling to Turkey as some will automatically put a stop on cards after the first usage in an attempt to combat fraud. Exchange rates are published daily in Turkish newspapers. If you are planning to exchange currency back from TL before leaving the country, or are making a major purchase, which may need to be declared to customs, you will need to keep your transaction receipts in order to show that the currency has been legally exchanged. ON the other hand, most of the places in Turkey accept EURO and USD. You can pay the fee of Ephesus Private Tour in USD or EURO in cash.

Driving

Driving is Turkey is little bit fast and some of the Turkish people do not follow the traffic rules. You can drive in Turkey with EU, US or International driving licence. You should have your driving licence, your passport and insurance documents of the vehicle with you in the car at all times, as you will need it if you are involved in an accident. All of the major international car rental companies, as well as a number of local ones, have offices at airports and all major centres.

Driving in Turkey is on the right, as in continental Europe. Turkey has a good network of well-maintained roads. There is a 50 km per hour speed limit within urban centres and 90 km outside urban centres (120 km on Motorways). Petrol stations are fairly easy to find and on main highways, they are often open 24hrs and have restaurants and other facilities attached.

If you are planning on driving to Turkey, as well as your passport, you will need to take your international driving licence, car registration documents and international green card (insurance card) with the TR sign clearly visible (NB: This can be purchased on arrival at the border). You can bring your own car into the country for up to six months. If you wish to keep you car in Turkey for more than six months, you are liable to pay import tax.

Language

The official language is Turkish. English, Spanish and German are widely spoken in major cities and tourist resorts, and you will find that most Turks welcome the opportunity to practise their language skills and will go out of their way to be helpful. Foreign visitors who attempt to speak even a few words of Turkish, however, will definitely be rewarded with even warmer smiles. It is not an easy language to learn, however, it does have one huge advantage in that it is completely phonetic. Unlike English, each letter of the alphabet has only one sound and is always pronounced in exactly the same way.

Living and/ or working In Turkey

Most of the foreign passports do not need visa in Turkey. But, if you wish to stay in Turkey longer than the three month period allowed to tourists or to set up a business with or without a Turkish partner, you will need a residence visa. You will need to apply to the Turkish Consulate in your country and it is advised that you submit all documents relevant to your application at least eight weeks before your intended date of departure. Your application will be referred to the relevant Turkish authorities for their approval.

Mobile Phones

The major GSM operators in Turkey are Turkcell, Vodafone and Turk Telekom. You can use your mobile phone in Turkey if your provider has enabled international roaming. However if you intend to stay for a long time in the country or make several calls, it may be preferable to buy a local prepaid SIM card. Take your mobile phone and passport to a Turkish mobile phone shop where your new SIM will be registered along with your handset's IMEI number and your personal information. Turkey has very wide mobile coverage networks so you shouldn’t have any problems in the main cities and tourist resorts. The guests who visit Ephesus can ask to their tour guide to use personel WIFI during Private Ephesus Tours.

Police

There are two types of police in Turkey - civil police –polis- and military police –jandarma-. Jandarma is responsible in the countryside and villages, but police is in the cities and downtowns. In many areas you will find that there is just one or the other, and that both fulfil the same function. In some places, there are also specialist tourist police. If you need to report a crime you should go to the nearest police station to where the crime occurred. In tourist areas there will usually be someone available who speaks English or you can request a translator. You will usually be asked to submit and sign a statement.

Public Holidays

There are two types of public holiday in Turkey: those which are decided by the government and which fall on the same day each year; and the religious festivals which change according to the lunar calendar and, therefore, fall on different dates each year.

On public holidays, banks and government offices are closed. In general, life in seaside resorts is not affected as these are the times when Turkish people also go on holiday. Shops and businesses away from tourist areas may close, however, so you should bear this in mind when travelling inland or to city areas.

Public Holidays

New Years Day, 1 January

National Sovereignty and Children's Day, 23 April

Ataturk Commemoration and Youth Sports Day, 19 May

Victory Day, 30 August Republic Day, 28 (half day) 29 October

Religious Festivals

Ramazan Bayramı (Eid)

This is the festival which falls at the end of Ramazan, a period of fasting. Traditionally, sweets are exchanged as gifts. In more rural and conservative areas, you may find it more difficult to eat or drink in public during Ramazan period.

Kurban Bayramı (Great Eid)

Traditionally, a sheep or cow is sacrificed at this time and the meat distributed to the needy and friends, family and neighbours.

Public Transport

The preferred means of transport in Turkey is by coach, and the air-conditioned intercity coach services are comfortable, fast and inexpensive. Each town has a bus station (otogar), where each bus company has its own office, where you can make reservations and buy tickets.

Within towns and between local villages, there are local bus services that are called as DOLMUS. These are shared taxis, usually a minibus, and sometimes a large car, which operate along set routes, picking up and setting down passengers as they go. There is a set fare depending on how far you are travelling and you pay this to the driver. They are an in expensive way of getting around. The name “dolmus” literally means 'stuffed' - from the fact that they do not have a set timetable but wait until they are full before setting off. Izmir Ephesus Tours prefer to use very luxury Mercedes vans during their tours in Ephesus.

Taxis

It is very easy to find a taxi in Turkey. They are yellow colour as always happen in all around world. There are many taxi stations in the town, you can get a call number of them and they come to the point to pick you up. There are two tariffs 'gunduz' for journeys which take place during the daytime and 'gece' for those which take place at night, which are charged at a higher rate. If you are travelling outside the city boundaries it is usual to agree a fixed rate in advance. Some of the people take a taxi to reach Ephesus and find a tour guide for having a Private Ephesus Tour.

Visiting a Mosque

Turkey is an Islamic country, but there is no strict rules in Turkey. According to Islam, muslims pray five times a day. The "müezzin" calls the faithful to prayer to mosque everytime. Before entering a mosque, Muslims wash themselves and remove their shoes at the gate of mosque. Foreign visitors should also remove their shoes and show the respect they would any other house of worship and avoid visiting the mosque durin prayer time. Women should cover their heads and arms. The people can visit a mosque during the tour of Izmir Ephesus Private Tour.