General Information

Capital: Ankara
Time: : GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).
Tel. Code: 00 90 .
Official Language: Turkish. Kurdish is also spoken by a minority in the southeast. French, German and English are widely spoken in cities and tourist areas.
Currency: : The New Turkish Lira (YTL) was introduced on January 1st 2005 and both this and the old Turkish Lira (TL) will be in circulation throughout 2005. The old Turkish Lira will be withdrawn from circulation from January 1st 2006. After this it will only be possible to exchange old Turkish Lira for New Turkish Lira at the Central Bank for a period of 10 years.
1YTL = 1,000,000TL (ie the new currency has six less zeros than the old currency).
New Turkish Lira (YTL). Notes are in denominations of YTL100, 50, 20, 10, 5 and 1. Coins are in denominations of YTL1 and 50, 25, 10, 5 and 1 New Kuruº (Ykr).
Old Turkish Lira (TL). Notes are in denominations of TL20,000,000, 10,000,000, 5,000,000, 1,000,000, 500,000, 250,000 and 100,000. Coins are in denominations of TL250,000, 100,000, 50,000, 25,000, 10,000 and 5000.
Electricity: : 220 volts AC, 50Hz.
Religion: : Muslim with a small Christian minority. Turkey is a secular state which guarantees complete freedom of worship to non-Muslims.

Climate: : Temperatures in Ankara vary between -4°C (25ºF) and 30°C (86ºF). Marmara and the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts have a typical Mediterranean climate with hot summers and mild winters.
Required clothing: : Light- to medium-weights and rainwear.

Airports

Ankara (ESB) (Esenboga) is 35km (22 miles) northeast of the city.
Istanbul (IST) (Atatürk, formerly Yesilkoy) is 24km (15 miles) west of the city (travel time - 30-50 minutes).
Izmir (IZM) (Adnan Menderes). A THY bus leaves from the city 1 hour 15 minutes before departure.
Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) is 40km (25 miles) from the Istabul, on the Asian side.
There are other international airports at Adana, Antalya, Dalaman and Trabzon. .

Departure tax: US$50 is levied only on Turkish nationals not resident overseas departing from Turkey.

Internal Travel

Air, Sea, Rail and Road are the modes of transportation used within Turkey.

Travel Times

The following chart gives approximate travel times (in hours and minutes) from Ankara to other major cities in Turkey.

• City

• Air

• Rail

• Road

• Istanbul

• 0.45

• 7.00

• 6.00

• Izmir

• 0.50

• 10.00

• 7.00

• Antalya

• 1.00

• -

• 8.00

• Adana

• 0.55

• 13.00

• 6.00

• Erzurum

• 1.15

• 18.00

• 11.00

• Van

• 1.15

• 23.00

• 15.00

• Trabzon

• 1.40

• -

• 3.00

• Mugla

• 1.25

• -

• 10.00

Passport/Visa

Passport
Passport valid for at least six months from date of arrival in Turkey required by all, except the following nationals:

Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland, who can enter with a national ID card

Visas :
Required by all except the following:

• Nationals of EU countries for stays of up to three months (except those listed under notes 4 and 5 below in Sticker-type entry visas, and nationals of Czech Republic and Slovenia who must apply to the Consulate General to obtain a tourist visa a minimum of six weeks prior to departure.

• Nationals of Argentina, Bolivia, Bulgaria* (see Note below), Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Hong Kong (SAR), Iceland, Iran, Israel, Japan, Korea (Rep), Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Monaco, Morocco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, San Marino, Singapore, Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Uruguay and Vatican City for stays of up to three months;

• Nationals of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia and Macedonia (Former Yugoslav Republic of) for stays of up to two months;

• Nationals of Costa Rica, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Macau (SAR) for stays of up to one month;

• Transit passengers continuing their journey by the same of first connecting aircraft within 24 hours, provided not leaving the airport and in possession of confirmed onward tickets. Note: Visa exemption for Bulgarians does not apply to those who enter Turkey through certain custom points (contact Consulate for details). Bulgarians must always obtain a visa for transit passages.

Sticker-type entry visas: Tourists and business visitors from the following countries do require visas and can obtain a sticker-type entry visa at the point of entry for a fee. Prices are dependent on nationality (for British nationals, the cost is £10, and for US nationals, the cost is US$45):

• Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Malta, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, the UK and USA for stays not exceeding three months;

• Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Greek Cypriot Administrative Region, Hungary, Jordan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia & Montenegro, Slovak Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the Ukraine for stays not exceeding one month;

• Georgia and Guatemala for stays not exceeding 15 days.