In Turkey, you need to take bathing suits with you on almost every excursion – many sightseeing ends with a dip in the sea. Do not forget about sunglasses and creams. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes. Excursions on average cost $30-40 per person. It will be cheaper to take excursions on the street, and not from tour operators or hotels.
Tours to Israel often depart from Turkey.
Shopping
According to A Country Blog, Turkey has all the conditions for shopping. Here you definitely need to bargain, especially in the markets, since the price can easily be knocked down several times. It is worth bringing from here, in addition to souvenirs, jewelry, cotton and leather clothes and ceramics. You can bring one of the famous Turkish carpets, but it will be very inconvenient. They also sell good tea and coffee. You can buy oriental sweets.
Shopping is best in Istanbul, where most of the markets and shops are located. In Antalya, there is a zone free from duties and markups of trade, where you must take a passport – only foreigners are served there. The largest market in the country is the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.
The best time to shop in Turkey is in autumn – street vendors are getting ready to end the season and sell out all their wares. The official sales season in large Turkish stores is in late summer and mid-winter – early spring.
What to do in Turkey
To visit a Turkish bath (hamam) – the impressions of this procedure are simply unforgettable, which is facilitated by the chic service;
Try a real Turkish hookah – in other countries it is not so good;
Visit the underground city of Cappadocia;
Try oriental sweets – even halva here is different from what we sell here;
Swim at night – the sea at this time is very warm, and the view is very romantic;
Watching the dervishes whirling in a state of trance is a truly amazing sight;
Attend an incendiary foam party.
Security
Turkey is a fairly safe country, but, nevertheless, there are offenses here. Most often, these are simple pickpocketing, theft or currency fraud. Valuables, money and documents should be left in the hotel safe. When stopping, you should not put things on the front seat of the car, the doors must also be locked when leaving it.
Old areas of cities can be visited at almost any time of the day, in other parts you need to be more careful. In almost every major city there are places that are not recommended for tourists to visit – information about them can be obtained from guides. In the evening, it is better not to ride public transport alone. Showing friendliness can serve as a signal that they want to deceive or rob you – it is better to refuse food or drinks offered by strangers, as they often began to add sleeping pills to steal valuables.
You should always have a copy of your passport with you – the police on the street often stop suspicious individuals. If you are detained – immediately demand to contact the consulate or embassy, you have the right to one call.
It is better for women not to travel alone – they should join a group of Turkish women, or other tourists. You need to behave confidently, in case of too active male attention, you can scream loudly so that people around notice it.
Actions in case of emergency
In case of any emergency, you should immediately contact the nearest police station. In general, two types of law enforcement agencies operate here at once: civil and military (gendarmerie), but they often perform the same functions, so you should not try to distinguish between them. Patience and courtesy should be exercised when addressing a police representative – emotions can be mistaken for hiding the truth or guilt.
In case of an accident, you can always call the consulate. Also, advice on what to do in a given situation can be given to you at the hotel.
How to call
To call from Russia to Turkey to a landline phone, you need to dial 8-10-90 (Turkish code) – area code – subscriber number. If you are calling from a cell phone, then instead of “8-10” you need to dial “+”. To call a cell phone in Turkey (of course, if the number is Turkish), you need to dial 8-10-90 – operator code (three digits, starting with 5) – subscriber number (7 digits).
On the contrary, to call from Turkey from a landline phone to a landline phone in Russia, you need to dial 00-7 – area code – phone number. To call a mobile phone, you need to dial the operator code instead of the area code. For a call from a cell phone, two zeros must be replaced with a “+” sign.
Some city codes:
Antalya, Side, Berek, Kemer, Alanya – 242;
Ankara – 312;
Bursa – 224;
European side of Istanbul – 212;
Asian side of Istanbul – 216.
Official contacts
Russian Embassy in Ankara – +90-312-439-21-22;
Russian Embassy in Istanbul – +90-212-292-51-01,
Ambulance – 112;
Police – 155;
Tourist Information Bureau – 242-241-17-47.
