Turkey
The information below is provided by Lonely Planet readers and is not verified by Lonely Planet. For the official lowdown, contact your nearest embassy or check out our Travel Links.
Visas, Embassies & Border Crossings
As UK citizens we needed a visa - £10 at the airport but a very long queue with one person serving - no concession to the fact that we'd just arrived on a full BA flight and that most of the people on it needed visas. Passport control was equally time-consuming. These points are worth remembering if you are on a late flight - you could easily still be in the
airport 2 hours after landing. Equally when departing from Turkey via Ataturk airport it is also worth giving yourself plenty of time. There is a security queue to get into the airport, a slow queue for passports and further hand luggage security prior to boarding.
Tim Williams, UK (Sept 05)
Although in your guide it states that visas for Americans are a whopping US$100,
a visa can actually be obtained more cheaply, with a bit of advance planning. One can purchase a single entry visa from any US local consulate or embassy for US$20
and a multiple entry visa for US$65. If you have no consulate in your area, you can get
your visa by mail as well. All of the necessary forms are on the Turkish embassy website: http://www.turkishembassy.org/consularservices/forms/fillin/visa_US.pdf
Tracey Seslen, USA (Aug 05)
The Australian Consulate General in Istanbul now has offices located in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel,
Elmadag Askerocagi Caddessi, No.15, Sisli, 34367, Istanbul (about 10 minutes walk from Taksim Square)
Telephone: 212 243 1333.
Anon (June 05)
Since May 2005 any travellers from EU can visit both parts of Cyprus (Turkish & Greek), passing 'the green line' as many time they want. At the moment there are three passes on the green line: Nicosia, Famagusta and Astromeris-Morphou (Guzelyurt). In the Turkish Cyprus EU citizens can stay up to three months. I went from Turkey by boat to Famagusta and then I pass the green line to go to the Greek cyprus without any problem. I went back to Turkish part in Nicosia and going back to Turkey again. Don't forget your passport.
Andoni Rodelgo, Belgium (Mar 05)
Travel Tips
Do not get into any taxi in which the driver refuses to use the meter.
The fare they quote will always be higher than the metered rate.
Tracey Seslen and Mark Westerfield, USA (Aug 05)
If you go to Golbasi you'll find that the Tourist Police operate a splendid system involving vetted and trained tour guides, all young high school students, who can be assigned to you to show you around free of charge. Urfa can at times be a busy and confusing place, one in which, especially for women travelling alone, unwanted attention is an inevitability. With the guide in tow you're protected from any harassments. You're also taken to places you wouldn't normally see (eg. the insides of private homes, old churches, gecekondu housing, hans barely visible in the crush of the magnificent pazar).
Phil and Hilary André, UK (Aug 05)
If you need to buy any kind of film or camera accessories the area to look for them is definitely in Sirkeci (Istanbul).
Professional and amateur equipment is available in more than 30 shops in the neighborhood.
There are even two shops that specialise in second hand stuff, which is really cheap compared to
European prices.
Pablo Strubell, Turkey (May 05)
Moving About
There is now a light railway that goes all the way to Ataturk airport and, with a change onto the tram at Zeytinburnu, it's possible to get all the way into the centre of Istanbul fairly quickly and without using a taxi. The change at Zeytinburnu could be a bit dodgy at night though.
Tim Williams, UK (Sept 05)
Do not get into any taxi in which the driver refuses to use the meter. The fare they quote will always be higher than the metered rate. The worst place we observed this was in the Grand Bazaar (Istanbul) area.
Tracey Seslen and Mark Westerfield, USA (Sept 05)
Never try to understand the morals of a taxi driver in Istanbul. As a rule of thumb, those that become your new best friend for the journey will rip you off without remorse, usually around ten times the standard fare. The quiet ones tend to be the most honest. While even the most exorbitant taxi fare is on a par with usual UK taxis, a trip from Ortakoy to Sultanahmet should be around 7 or 8 million. The meter should start at around just over 1 million - keep your eye on it at all times and if it starts to escalate, get them to drop you off at a big-name hotel and have the doorman argue on your behalf. Or just say no. Other than that, taxis are a great way to get around Istanbul - not for the faint-hearted, however, and not recommended if you fancy wearing your seat-belt.
Carolyn Jess, UK (Dec 04)
Scams & Warnings
Dealing with touts: When they call out to you answer politely but don't stop unless you are interested. Ignoring them doesn't seem to be a good idea. My mate would do that and they would always follow him and badger him. I would smile and say: "Hello, I'm from New Zealand, but no sorry, I'm not really interested" and be able to get off scott free.
Leroy Potter, New Zealand (Oct 05)
We flew into Istanbul from Cairo and were immediately approached by a person wearing a nametag that implied he was from the Information Center of the airport. He asked us how we were getting to our hostel - to which we responded "in a taxi" - then asked us how much we were planning on paying, and told us he could get us there for a better price. Thanks to Lonely Planet, we knew he was lying. Though we were hesitant to believe him, we figured we had nothing to lose so we followed him to the "Information Office," which was actually a car rental place inside the airport. There a man talked to us, asked us the name of our hostel and proceeded to call our hostel after saying he knew the owner claiming to see if they would cover our fare to get there on his bus. He then told us they wouldn't cover it and we'd have to pay. We left his office and got a taxi for much cheaper than the airport con-men told us we would be able to. Just to confirm that he had been lying, upon arrival at our hostel we asked the owner if he had received a phone call from the guy at the airport regarding our reservation. Needless to say, the answer was no.
Kimberly Lang, USA (Sept 05)
In Turkey, Cappadocia, underground city in Derinkuyu, a guide at the entrance will scare you telling you will get lost in the cave without a guide. That is a lie, you can easily do it by yourself by following the arrows in the cave. Never trust the guide!
Salvador Valencia, Turkey (June 05)
I want to send a quick reminder to readers to be very careful at Turkey's beaches. I witnessed the drowning of a Turkish man two days ago at the Oludeniz beach. Even though the beach was very crowded, there was not a single lifeguard on the entire beach! I was really quite disturbed because this man could have been saved since he was not far from shore. A Turkish fisherman rescued him, but by the time the Turkish ambulance arrived, the man was dead. Please make note of this as I had totally assumed there were lifeguards here.
Luis Rene Velasco, USA (Oct 03)
Gems, Highlights & Attractions
If you've lost all patience for the touts in the Grand Bazaar, head over to Ortakoy for a more laid-back shopping experience. Bargaining is still encouraged, but there's no high-pressure selling or touts chasing you down after the slightest glance at their wares. The specialties there tend to be jewelry, clothing, purses, scarves and other fabric items.
Tracey Seslen and Mark Westerfield, USA (Sept 05)
The II. Beyazit Kulliyesi complex in Edirne has recently been restored again and is a very attractive, impressive museum. All the rooms of the insane asylum now have authentically-dressed mannequins and other items that show the asylum as it was during use in Ottoman times. The central fountain is working and the healing music that was played for patients can be heard throughout the complex. They have had chamber music concerts and other presentations in the complex. The rooms to the right as you enter the complex have also been turned into museum rooms showcasing the history of Ottoman and world medicine, including photographs and prints, historical medical instruments and herbs and plants used for medicinal purposes. Other rooms have photographs and postcards of Edirne through its history and examples of Ottoman calligraphy and design. A complete museum of modern Turkish art (much of it local) has also been opened on the site. In the centre of the complex there is also a café with pleasant outdoor seating.
Kevin Kempe (Mar 03)
The entire town of Safranbolu is just one big open-air museum, as virtually every building is an antique Ottoman house or historic Islamic religious structure. Quaint, narrow, steep and/or stepped passageways criss-cross the precipitous town. The best activity is to just roam its every nook and cranny; don't hesitate to walk the back lanes either. They are very tourist friendly and small enough to walk thoroughly.
Randall Bratu, USA (Feb 03)
Yarns, Fables & Anecdotes
I was intrigued by one dish I saw in a Turkish restaurant. Just by chance it was on a bilingual menu: "sigara borek" = "cigarette pie". WHAT IS THAT?!?!
Randall Bratu, USA (Feb 03)
We were doing a long stretch across a high plateau, with the odd hill here and there to add some interest - and hey we got up to a heady 110kph (about 65mph). At a police checkpoint we were read a script - "you were going very fast - radar 104kph". We were pretty sure that we'd been doing about that speed, but 4kph over the national limit (100kph) is a bit slender, and where's your radar mate? Then the big shock - the speed limit for bikes in Turkey is 70kph - 42mph. You cannot be serious!! All of a sudden I can break the speed limit in first gear!
We paid the fine (about 30 dollars) and demanded to be told where the police station is so that we could check the law books. Ten minutes later we're being shown into the police station by a nice young man (who knows we're coming). Into his office - I see his automatic pistol - I see his television showing a day-time cookery program. Wow, in Turkey the traffic cops don't just eat doughnuts, they learn how to cook them too. Then we're ushered into the boss's office. Lots of commendations on the wall, same cookery program on his television. He urges us to sit down. Would we like some Coca Cola? Yes, the young policeman turns waiter. Cologne for our hands? Cigarette - we can choose from a plate with four brands, and then he looks afronted when we profess not to smoke. Chocolate? Out comes a big selection box of chocs. Bizarre, but we decide that this is the way he wants to play it. I notice that he has a revolver with an ornate carved handle and I ask him to turn to show Georgie. Out comes the gun, out come the bullets and he presents it to Georgie. "Turkish?" she enquires? "NO - American 45" he replies. Eventually we get to points of law and he shows us the books that say that the speed limit is 70kph, and explains to me the concept of a 10% tolerance. Then he sees us on our way.
Simon and Georgie, UK (Sep 02)
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