There’s plenty of information on the web and in the guide books about visiting Turkey but here are a few practical things to plan and know about for your holiday to Turkey.

Guide Books

Go to the library and surf the web to find out interesting places to visit. The rough guide Turkey or the Lonely Planet Turkey are good no-nonsense guides.

There are many daily tour operators that organise trips to the popular attractions but you will need to hire a car if you want to visit places that are off the beaten track.

Organise A Transfer from The Airport

If you are not on an organised package holiday you may need to organise your own transport from the airport to your hotel or villa.  There are three main methods of transport; private transfer, taxi or car hire as no public buses run from the airport.

{mosimage}Taxis (spelt Taksi) are plentiful but expensive at around 100 YTL (£42) from the airport to Fethiye (55 kms), and 125 YTL to Marmaris (£52) ONE WAY but you could share the cost by teaming up with other Tourists who are travelling your way. You could try to bargain on the price but make sure you have the right change to pay when you reach your destination as the driver usually doesn't carry any - well that's what he will tell you! All taxis are yellow.

Private transfers are around half the price and range from around £50 return for up to three people but must be booked in advance.

Transfer times, contrary to what you may hear, are 1 and 15 minutes to Fethiye and 2 hours to Marmaris.

Don’t forget to take the directions to your accommodation with you, preferably as a map, just to save confusion with the language differences!

Passport

Make sure your passport has at least 6 months remaining on it by the time you leave from your holiday otherwise you may be refused entry.

Make a Note of the Local Consulate

There are consulates in Fethiye, Marmaris and Bodrum. Contact details are:

British Honorary Consulate
Bodrum
Phone: 0252 319 0093
Fax: 0252 319 0095
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British Honorary Consulate
Marmaris
Phone: 0252 412 6486/36
Fax: 0252 412 4565
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British Honorary Consulate
Fethiye
Phone: 0252 614 6302
Fax: 0252 614 8394
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Check Your Mobile Phone Can Roam

If you want to stay in touch whilst you are away checking that your phone can roam in Turkey is a good idea. Contact your service provider for confirmation. Do this well in advance of your departure date, as it can take up to 14 days, and you can’t do it from overseas

Watch out for the cost of calls whilst abroad as you will be charged for calls you receive as well as make. Check out your providers website for more information.

Get Insured

This is essential. Turkey is not in Europe so you will not be entitled to free or reduced healthcare should you fall ill or become injured. Many insurers include Turkey in their European cover policies. Check out the web for quotes.

First Aid Kit

{mosimage}Not a full blown kit but its worth packing a few essentials to save having to visit a chemists once you are in Turkey. Pack things like headache tablets for the inevitable hangover, mosquito repellent (essential) and diarrhoea tablets (just in case the change in food doesn’t agree with you).

Electrical Things

The Turkish power supply is similar to the UK but uses a 2 pin plug / socket. Bring a 2 pin European adaptor with you so you can use your mobile phone charger, hairdryer or radio. Adaptors are available in shops all over the UK.

Books and Things to Read

Pack a few novels, magazines and other things to read to help fill those lazy days on the beach. Once you have finished with them leave them at the hotel and they can be passed on to other holiday makers or to local charities that will sell them on to local ex-pats.

Duty Free

{mosimage}Its generally cheaper to buy premium branded duty free spirits in UK and take them with you - especially with some of the offers that are available. Imported spirits are expensive in Turkey. Local spirits are cheaper but that's reflected in the quality.

If you smoke and don’t mind foreign brands then its much cheaper to wait until you get to Turkey and buy them there.

So that’s the preparation sorted out now on to your arrival at the airport.

Arriving at the Airport

When you leave the plane your first port of call will be to buy a short stay visa. You will need a £10 note to buy your tourist visa – hand over the money and the clerk will put a sticker in your passport. By the way this should be an English Tenner, Scottish notes are not accepted. You should then make your way to the immigration lines. This can be a slow process but be patient; in any case your luggage won’t be off the plane yet so have a chat and pass the time.

Luggage trolleys are available but a charge of £1 is made by the attendant. If you have a 1 Lira coin try offering that instead!

Set Your Watch

Turkey is 2 hours AHEAD of UK time so adjust your watch.

Money

There is a very good network of cash machines in the tourist resorts. If you use a UK {mosimage}credit or debit card the machine will recognise this and all the instructions will be in English. Use any machine you like but watch out as they can run out of cash from time to time.

You can also change Sterling and travellers cheques at many jewellery shops and change shops (named ‘Dovis’ in Turkish). Keep an eye on rates and watch out for sneaky commission charges.

In approximate terms, as exchange rates can vary, the notes in circulation are worth the following in Sterling:n

5 YTL - £2
10 YTL -£4
20 YTL - £8
50 YTL - £21
100 YTL - £42

Identification

Turkey requires all citizens and visitors to carry photo ID on them at all times. There are frequent security checks set up on the main roads and you will be required to present your ID if asked.  Your passport or photo driving licence (or photocopies) should be sufficient.

Take Care

Roads and pavements are not up to UK standards and hazards that would be surrounded by cones in the UK are left without any warning in Turkey. So, keep your eyes open to avoid a sprained ankle or worse.

Shopping

We will cover this in a later article so please check back to the site regularly.

Going Back

Food and Drink for the Journey Back

A bit of preparation can save you money. Turkish airports are very expensive places to buy food and drink so pack some of your own before you leave for the airport.

Money - Coins

You cannot change coins back to Sterling once you arrive back in the UK so try to use them up instead of using notes.

And Finally........

Check out the rest of our website for more information about the area and have a great holiday!