Hot answers tagged turkey
12
I asked my Turkish friends and here's what they had to say: although major cities do have water filtration plants and water is considered drinkable at the source, the quality of water pipes that supply it within a building or in specific localities might be suspect. You are, thus, better off not drinking tap water straight unless you're using it after ...
11
No problems at all. The two countries are friends especially due to the pipeline bringing oil from Azerbaijan to Turkey via Georgia. Nationals of either country can visit the other without visas.
Border crossings
There are two active border crossings and I believe one inactive one.
The main one is on the Black Sea coast and is very busy and has been ...
11
As a general rule, I would advise against renting a car for the entire trip. Renting a car in Turkey is expensive. The bus network in Turkey is very dense. Bus travel is comfortable and not expensive. Prefer the busses for long distance travel. You may consider to rent a car locally to access some sights. For very long distances, flying may be an option too. ...
10
There was an earthquake in Van last month and there has been many smaller ones since then. Many buildings have collapsed and there are problems in the electricity network. So I definitely don't advise you to visit Van any time soon. However, it is a nice city with history and nature.
I do not know where exactly you mean by Kurdistan, but I suggest Adıyaman ...
10
I've stayed in a lot of homestays around the world, and in my experience the best thing to give is something local (to you) and edible. Being a Brit, this usually results in local hand-made fudge. Usually people who provide homestays will receive a good many guests so trinkets are not so good - they just accumulate as clutter. Confectionary is a safe bet, ...
10
I'm in Istanbul right now, and when I got here I asked a friend who has been here before. According to her, no, it's not required, but is always welcome. I have not got any noticeable negative reactions over the past week from not tipping, and very gracious thanks when I have done so, but I'm still new to the country and may have trouble 'reading' people ...
9
Web site of Istanbul city buses is IETT (in turkish). To the left, there is a form labelled "Hat Arama". Typing 83O in this form, then clicking on "Saat" button below gives timetable for this line. Copy/paste the (long) URL to Google translation gives first departure from Taksim at 6:50 AM.
9
I live in Izmir and have travelled in Istanbul many times. Tap water all over Turkey including big cities is a hit-or-miss affair. It's not guaranteed to kill you, but it doesn't generally taste that good and drinking it is considered a bad idea just in case. Most cities try to treat it enough to make it non-dangerous, but that doesn't make it good water.
...
9
I have seen these toilets in Indonesia a lot (in hotels, Malls...etc). This type of toilet comes in different styles.
Some have a very forceful tap that can literally make a second hole in your butt or make the one you have wider! These types do not need any hands to help with the cleaning as the forceful stream will clean everything. Some will be as you ...
8
US Citizens DO require a visa to enter Turkey.
Presuming you are only visiting for tourism (which it sounds like you are), you can obtain the Visa (the "sticker" you refer to) at your point of entry. After you enter the airport but before immigration there is a window where you simply hand over the visa fee and they will put the Visa into your passport. ...
8
No, you don't need a transit visa - as long as you don't leave the transit lounge. But be sure about your change with airlines/planes, as there are two airports in Istanbul. You may read detailed information on the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.
7
You may consider going to Chios and then to Cesme.
Here is more information: There are many different options from Piraeus to Chios. Prices start from 22.50€. From Chios to Cesme, I have found one line for 25€. This site has the information related to pricing and time tables. You need to select your departure and arrival points from the menus.
7
There is a ferry between Piraeus and Samos at about 50€, then another ferry between Samos and Kuşadası at about 35€.
7
I found a newspaper article about Istanbul countryside. This is:
Ditching the guidebook to explore the green and pleasant lands around Istanbul.
Excerpts:
... Just two hours away from the former capital of the Roman Empire,
serene Lake Sapanca's welcoming 40km shoreline tempts picnicing
travellers and boutique spa hotels make for a beautiful ...
7
"keep the change" will work in many situations, or simply leaving the change on the table. There is no percentage expectation whatsoever. In Turkish culture, tipping is more of a nice gesture than social obligation.
As mentioned in other answers, it will always create a nice reaction from the serving staff or owner (if it's a small place), and they may even ...
7
Nice! I have done a similar trip 5 years ago.
From Fethiye to Nevşehir is at least 13 hours by bus. If there are direct busses they are not very frequent. Anyway, it makes sense to split the trip!
We went from Nevşehir to Fethiye via Konya and Antalya. To give you an order of magnitude of the legs:
Fethiye - Antalya: 3 hours
Antalya - Konya: 6 hours
...
6
Very good info. Some points to add: I recently crossed at both Sarpi and Türkgözü customs. Sarpi customs are open 24 hours, Vale-Türkgözü just from 9 am to 8 pm. The road from Ardahan still takes some time as you need to cross a high mountain pass, so don't start too late. On both sides of Türkgözü crossing there are good asphalt roads. We didn't manage to ...
6
Here's the official announcement from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Avustralya vatandaşlarına sınırda vize ücreti. There's no reason given for the increase.
In the warnings for Turkish citizens travelling to foreign countries, I don't see anything about visa rates for Australia having gone up, whereas there are announcements about changes for ...
6
It's very simple to use.
When you are done, use some paper to wipe the remainings just like you usually do.
Then use the tap to wash it WITHOUT using your hand in there. (use some paper to operate tap)
Then wipe with paper again until it's clean and dry.
That way, it will be more hygienic. Paper + water is better than just paper or just water.
Don't ...
6
You probably don't want to use AT&T roaming. It does work but the Turkish providers are going to hit you up with some pretty beafy data fees. Getting a local SIM card is prefered.
Your AT&T iPhone should support GSM bands and a SIM card, but there are a couple bariers. First your phone is probalby locked -- meaning the software in the phone won't ...
6
There will be plenty of buses each day to Bodrum. You will find one, so long as they aren't sold out, although Sunday night is unlikely to be the busiest of travel times to Bodrum. Most will be direct, but there will be some which have another final destination.
When you arrive in Istanbul, look around for bus company offices in the district you are staying ...
6
Money exchange in Turkey has traditionally been so prevalent due to the instability of the lira that the cost of exchanging US dollars and Euros is almost negligible. However, most other currencies are bought and sold at a considerable margin, so even if someone will exchange lira and won, it will be to your disadvantage.
Your best course of action is to ...
6
Overland travel in Europe will not likely make your journey cheaper, even though you can occasionally get a cheap long distance bus trip through one of the Eurolines partners.
On the other hand, overland travel in Europe can significantly enrich your experience, so the additional cost might be worth it anyway.
Then again, Istanbul being on the edge of ...
6
I think this rule of >6 months depends on the visited country, your citizenship and the type of visa.
There is a TripAdivsor forum saying you need to have your passport valid for 90 days after your visa expiry date.
This means you most likely need to have your passport valid for >6 months in the case of Turkey (If you just travel). You can find ...
5
I crossed the border from Turkey to Georgia about midnight last night.
There were no obvious exchange booths like at many borders but I didn't go into the duty free store.
I'm now in Tbilisi and most exchange places I've seen (of which there are many) only display rates for USD, EUR, and RUB.
UPDATE
I've now been in Georgia almost seven months and can ...
5
Diplomatic protocol requires that nobody ever explain the reason for anything directly, but I can only presume it's tit for tat, as Turkish citizens wishing to visit Australia have to fork out A$110 for a tourist visa. Australia last year announced that much cheaper ETAs (A$20) are now available for Turkish diplomats and special passport holders, but ...
5
30 euros is possible, but you'll have to search for it. Air conditioning and big windows are a bit specific, which means you'll simply have to search longer.
Try http://www.hotelscombined.com/ for getting, often, the best rates on hotels.
Try http://www.airbnb.com/ if you're ok with staying in someone spare bedroom, or garden bungalow.
Typically, the ...
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