Turkey Travel Tips

Airport Transfers

If you have booked an Istanbul airport transfer as part of your service, please make sure that you have advised us of your flight times and updated us if your arrival or departure flight details change. When you arrive at Istanbul Airport, you will walk out fro the baggage collection area into the arrivals hall. You will see lots of transfer representatives holding sign boards with a code on them. We will have previously advised you of the code of your transfer representative. If you cannot find your Istanbul Airport Transfer Representative, please go to the information desk and ask them for assistance to call us.

Baggage Allowance

Please note that many domestic flights in Turkey have a 15kg baggage allowance, with an additional 8kg for cabin baggage. Please keep this in mind when you are packing for your trip as you may incur additional baggage charges if your baggage is overweight.

Tipping

At various establishments like hotels, restaurants, Turkish baths, barbers and hairdressers, tipping at a rate of 5%-15% of the total is common. Taxi and 'dolmus' drivers on the other hand, do not expect tips.

Visiting a Mosque
Five times a day, the mosque calls the Muslims to pray in the mosque. Before entering a mosque, Muslims wash themselves and remove their shoes. Foreign visitors should also remove their shoes and show the respect they would any other house of worship and avoid visiting the mosque during prayer time. Women should cover their heads, arms and not wear miniskirts. Men should not wear shorts. (In certain famous mosques, overalls are provided for those not suitably dressed).

Visas

Turkey visa requirements can vary according to nationality. For many nationalities, Turkey operates an e-visa system. For more information please visit the official government e-visa website. Please be careful to only use the government website as their are other website offering a Turkish visa that charge a higher price.

Emergency numbers

Emergency 112
International Operator 115
Directory Assistance 11880
Reversed Charge Calls 131
Police 155
Gendarme 156
Fire Department 110

On Exit
For valuable gifts and souvenirs, such as a carpet, proof of purchase is necessary, together with receipts showing that any currency used in its purchase has been legally exchanged. Please note that it is strictly forbidden to export antiques from Turkey. Minerals can only be exported with a special document. There is no limit to the amount of foreign and Turkish currency to be brought into Turkey. Up to US $5000 worth of Turkish or foreign currency can be taken out of the country, providing that it can be shown that the currency has been obtained from authorised banks. Larger amounts of foreign or Turkish currency must be transferred abroad through banks.