Travel hints about Turkiye
Turkiye is a dreamland for travelers and explorers. You can see lots of historical periods settlements, long beaches near turquise sea, nice skiing mountains, rafting on the rivers, canyoning in sharp valleys and relax up the clouds in Black Sea (Northeast mountains) and gourmet experience with traditional cusine in Turkiye.
Turkiye’s ancient names are Hittites Land (Hittites, Assyrian, Phraoh Egypt period), Anatolia (old Greek, Hellenistic and Roman period). Anatolia or Turkiye (‘Turkey’ translate is unacceptable in Turkish), when you come to Turkiye you will need – use some usefull detail informations in this article.
This article upgrade in 2016 February 5. Information subjects about Turkiye: Visa, Money, Price, Language, Alphabet, Administration detail, Weather, Phone, People, Tradition, Transportation, Rentals, Regions, Our advises.
How many peoples living Turkey: So so 74 millions peoples living
How many peoples (tourist, business, workers) visit Turkey in a year: Approximate 24 millons peoples come to Turkey in 2014. So, you are not a first visitor 🙂
How can learn lots of knowledge: You can visit Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism offical webpage
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Visa: May be you must take visa (with e-visa) before come to the Turkiye. You can check this Foreign Ministry of Turkish Republic offical website www.evisa.gov.tr/en and you can apply – payment and take online in that webpage.
Money change / ex-change: No matter, you can ex-change your money (only banknotes) in Turkiye. All banks, authorized private ex-change offices, PTT (state ‘post telephone telegraph’ offices), lots of hotels and some of shops, restaurants, rental services, travel agencies can help you about changes.
Europe Union Euro, United State Dollar USD, Australia Dollar AUD, Great Britain Pound – Sterlin GBP, Russian Ruble RUB, China Yuan CNY, Saudi Arabian Riyal SAR, Nippon – Japanese Yen JPY, Swiss Frank CHF, Denmark Crone DKK and etc… exchange in Turkiye. Most acceptable moneys are Euro, USD, RUB, SAR and CHF in Turkiye. You can found Turkish Lira rates with hourly in this links.
TCMB / Central Bank of Turkey www.tcmb.gov.tr
Turkiye ex-change office / online – www.altinkaynak.com.tr
International / online X-rates – www.x-rates.com
International / online coin mill exchange – www.coinmill.com
Beverage Prices: Foods and beverages are usually cheap in Turkiye. Market (or supermarket and tobacco shops’ ) and restaurant cafeteria prices examples:
Naturale spring water in 0.5 lt bottle 75 krş (0,75 TL = 0,25 Euro cent), in restaurant 2 TL,
Turkish Beer (Lager – Pilsner type) in 0.5 lt bottle appr. 6 TL (= 2 Euro), in restaurant 12 TL,
Coke in 0.33 lt thin/can 2 TL (= 0,90 Euro cent), in restaurant 4 TL,
Bottle of wine with 0,75 lt is appr. 15 TL (= 3 Euro), in restaurant appr. 50 TL
Traditional Turkish alcohol Rakı 0,70 lt bottle appr. 70-90 TL (= 25 – 30 Euro), in restaurant 120 – 180 TL
This change rates not currency, everyday can be different, please check in offical change webpages.
Food Prices: Foods fee is change about place, period, type etc… You can found on the street global fast foods Mc Donalds, Burger King, Starbucks, Harley Cafe, etc and Turkish connection foods Simit Sarayı, Kahve Evi, Simit Dünyası, etc…
You must experience traditional Turkish cusine in a classical restaurant with soup, vegeterian menus, meat or fish or seafoods menu. All foods’ portion is big and 1 serving is enough for young peoples. Lots of foods do made with black pepper, red pepper or similar foodstuffs. Some fee examples about delicious’s taste min – max;
Soups price 5 – 10 TL ( = 2,50 – 3,50 Euro),
Turkish Kebaps with +30 varieties price 20 – 40 TL ( = 7 – 13 Euro).
Fishes’ price change for fish type but you can found fish in bread 6 – 10 TL ( = 2 – 3,20 Euro) in Istanbul, Ankara, Mugla, Izmir
This change rates not currency, everyday can be different, please check in offical change webpages.
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Language: In Turkiye’s youngs can speak English, German, French, Russian and other languages. Some times you can slog about language contact; but no matter, use easy body signs in Turkiye, everybody can help you or try for help 🙂 If you have simple Turkish dictionary or speaking cards you solve lots of needs.
Internet and Wi-Fi: Internet is very well signal for mobile and cable all around Turkey. You can found Internet cafe every towns and villages. Or, you can buy a Turkish mobile phone operators cell card with internet – dial packet (this is most cheap than your country cards).
– In airports you can use free public wi-fi
– Lots of hotels, restaurants, cafeteria, pubs, etc have a free quest wi-fi, you can use wi-fi with well signal.
– Some municipalities try to “public free wi-fi points”, you can use in Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya and Izmir cities.
Alphabet: Turkish alphabet is use Latin letters with few differents: Turkish alphabet “ç”, “ş”, “ğ”, “ü”, “ö”, “ı” letters you can see, these are similar non-accents letters. “q”, “w”, “x” letters non use in Turkish alphabet.
Administration detail: Turkiye is use unique administration system in Middle-East. Parliamentarian, republic, lots of religions in same area. Turkiye is non-federal, non-ethnic, non-provence and non-religion administration. 81 cities (Tr şehir), 919 country (Tr ilçe), 18.332 village (Tr köy) in Turkiye. Ankara city is the capital city in Turkiye. Details can found web search.
Weather: www.mgm.gov.tr You can check weather from Turkish offical Meteo agency. Weather is important for your travel concept.
If you go to Southeast Anatolia culture – religion route (about Prophet Abraham route) select March – June (flower) and September – December (autumn) season.
If you fly up to clouds in Eastern Black Sea come to May – November (rainly-sunny) season.
Turkiye’s west lands like İstanbul, İzmir, Çanakkale, Bursa, Aydın, Muğla, Antalya is a most famous sea side holiday region so can try all year.
Phone: You can use mobile phone with your gsm operator’s accredite Turkish operator 3G base in Turkcell, Turk Telekom or Vodafone Tr. In Turkey every line phone / faximile / gsm numbers 7 digits and prefix digits for city or operator code 3 digits. Example: You are in Istanbul and call to a hotel in Nevsehir (Cappadocia region): Intercity exit digit 0 + Nevsehir city phone code 284 + hotel number example 987 65 43 / result 0 284 987 65 43.
If use your country’s mobile sim card in Turkey and when you call to Turkish number 0090 + 284 + 987 65 43.
Small detail: 2xx, 3xx, 4xx are intercity lines prefix numbers; 5xx (501 – 556) are mobile phones prefix numbers.
More cheap method; you can buy disposable – rechargeable Turkish gsm mobile sim card in Turkiye. Every mobile phone shops can help you.
People: Lots of Turkish citizens are friendly but carefull; good and bad in same area near by near like all around the world. In metropolitan – cosmopolite cities u can found speaking contact and helpfull but there will be crowd. Small cities and county area difficult about language contact but you can found more friendly if you are a friend.
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Security: Central police departmant work in every cities and towns, name is Police (Tr= Polis). In small population county (villages and others) work area for Gendarme (Tr= Jandarma). Save and security is good and same in Turkiye similar any other country.
Tradition: Every friday’s noon time (12PM – 14PM) is a big time meet in every mosque for pray (Tr: namaz). Please this time don’t use alcohol, no loudly music and no pass prayers.
In Ramadan period (at this year 2015, begin 17 June to 17 July) 30 days is fasting time (swam) in day light no eat and no drink Muslims, like Jewish fasting days (Esther, Gedalia, Yom Kippur, etc.). Of course you can eat or smoke, but Turkish peoples will wait your friendly respect.
Transportation: Intercity transport in Turkiye are most easy with bus, train, plane.
Fast trains: Istanbul – Ankara – Eskisehir – Konya intercity work fast train, speed 200 km/hr, example Istanbul – Ankara 3 hours.
Conventional trains: So so every cities got railway but time and measures change. Some routes 4 hours, some routes 20 hours.
Intercity buses: All around Turkiye +20 intercity biggest bus transportation company and +80 regional bus transportation companies.
City to town or village: In every cities Turkiye you can found bus for go to towns and villages. We say this bus (small bus or big bus) “dolmush” (Tr= dolmuş) and “minibus” (Tr= minibüs). You can check this village – town buses station and distance from municipality web pages example www.???????.bel.tr
Flight intercity: +35 domestic airports active in Turkiye around. Summer or winter you can found flight. Most long flight time from Istanbul city to Van city, 2 hours.
TCDD Turkish trains official web page www.tcdd.gov.tr
Domestic or Foreign Airlines companies are:
THY Turkish Airlines www.turkishairlines.com/en-tr/
Pegasus Airlines www.flypgs.com
Atlas Global www.atlasglb.com
Anadolu Jet (only domestic, sister company THY) www.anadolujet.com
Sun Express www.sunexpress.com/en
Onur Airlines www.onurair.com/en
Bora Jet www.borajet.com.tr/en
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