a. Expenses
One
needs money for accommodation, food, transportation, communications,
school fees, entertainment etc. to live in Turkey.
Because regulations
do not permit international students to work within Turkey, you
must bring your money. See section “Money” under heading “Life
in Turkey” and “Fees and Cost of Living” under
heading “University Life” for more information.
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b. Shopping
Handicrafts
peculiar to each region extend the attractiveness of shopping.
Galleries in which the production
of the samples of
traditional Turkish arts is carried out to be put up for sale,
carpet and kilim workshops, places of copper made handwork, are
among the colorful shopping centers. Apart from shopping for cultural
and historic items, there are malls and shops in each city for
daily shopping. Modern malls as "Galleria Atakoy", "Akmerkez", "Atrium", "Atlas
Pasaji" in Istanbul and "Atakule", "Karum", "Galleria" in
Ankara offer various shopping opportunities.
For more information about shopping opportunities, visit:
http://www.turizm.gov.tr/turizm.tb?app=alisveris&lng=eng
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c. Food
Regarded as one of the three most favorable cuisine of the world,
Turkish cuisine has superiority when compared to the cuisine of
France and China. Exceptional richness of the various meals, methods
of cooking, arrangement of the table, service and equipment used
bring the richness in a way that never fail to delight. Apart from
Turkish cuisine, fast food restaurants and international chains
of certain restaurants are found in all cities.
Tap water is usually chlorinated in larger towns and cities, but
should not be assumed to have been so treated: if used for drinking
or making ice it should have first been boiled or otherwise sterilized.
If a water source bears the word icilmez, it means that it is not
for drinking; sources labeled icilir, icme suyu or icilebilir are
safe to drink. Bottled spring water is widely available. Milk is
pasteurized. Eat only well-cooked meat and fish, preferably served
hot.
For more information on where to eat, visit:
http://www.turizm.gov.tr/turizm.tb?app=yeicgiris&lng=eng
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d. Travel within Turkey
AIR:
Turkish Airlines provides an important network of internal flights
from Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Trabzan, Dalaman, and Antalya
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 ten 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, Kadikoy, Kartal,
Yalova and Buyukada Island to Auca, Bakirkoy, Karakoy 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 (ten per
cent off), groups (30 per cent off for groups of 24 or more),
roundtrips (20 per cent off) and sports teams (50 per cent off
for groups of five or more).
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 trolley-bus: Extensive conventional bus (and some trolley-bus)
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 with meters.
For longer journeys, the fare should be agreed beforehand. A
dolmus is a collective taxi which follows specific routes. 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: Large cities have metro systems functional, and new lines are
being added to the systems.
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e.
Money
Currency: Turkish Lira (TL)
Currency
exchange: All exchange certificates and purchase receipts
must be retained to prove that legally exchanged currency was used.
Money and travelers cheques can be exchanged at all PTT branches.
Credit & debit
cards: American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are
accepted. Check with your credit
or debit
card company
for details of merchant acceptability and other services, which
may be available.
Travelers’ cheques: Can be cashed immediately upon proof of identity. However, it
may take several days to
cash
cheques
from private accounts. To avoid additional exchange rate charges,
travelers are advised to take travelers cheques in Pounds Sterling,
US Dollars or Euros.
Currency
restrictions: There are no restrictions on the import
of local or foreign currency, though visitors bringing in a large
amount of foreign currency should obtain a written declaration
from the Turkish authorities. No more than the equivalent of US$5000
in local currency may be exported. Foreign currency may be exported
up to US$5000, but no more than the amount imported and declared.
Banking
hours: Mon-Fri 0830-1230 and 1330-1700.
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f. Communications
Telephone: IDD is available. Country code: 90. Outgoing international
code: 00. There is an extensive internal telephone network, but
often an interpreter will be needed for more remote areas. To phone
from PTT telephone booths, which are found in all areas, telephone
cards and tokens are used. Local, inter-city and international
calls can be made from all PTT offices.
Mobile
telephone: Four GSM 900 and 1800 band networks exist. Coverage
is available in most urban areas.
Fax: All hotels, universities and PTT offices have facilities.
Internet: Internet cafes exist in main urban areas. Universities
have their own computer labs, many of which have Internet connections.
Telegram: These may be sent from all post offices.
Post: Airmail to Europe takes three days. Turkish post offices are
recognizable by their yellow PTT signs. Major
post
offices
open Mon-Sat 0800-2000 and Sun 0900-1900. Small post offices have
the same opening hours as government offices. It is also possible
to use the ‘Valuables Dispatch Service’ for valuable
belongings or important documents. International and domestic private
parcel services are also available like Yurtici Kargo, Aras Kargo,
UPS, FedEx, etc.
Press: Apart from many Turkish newspapers, English-language daily
newspapers exist, including The Turkish Daily News.
See “Entertainment” under “Tourism
and Recreation” in
this section for information on TV and radio.
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g. Health
Turkey has a large health sector. A great number of Turkish doctors
and dentists speak a foreign language, particularly at major hospitals.
Private health insurance is recommended; ensure that it covers
Asiatic as well as European Turkey.
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h. Religious life
98% of the Turkish population is Moslem. The remaining two percent
is composed of Orthodox Christians, Jews, Catholics, Protestants
and other Christian sects. However, everyone in Turkey has freedom
of religion and belief. No one can be forced to participate in
religious ceremonies or rites against their will and no blame can
be attached to anyone because of their beliefs. The Republic of
Turkey has a secular state structure. Turkey is the only country
among the Islamic countries, which has included secularism in her
Constitution and practices it.
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