Money
The monetary unit is the Turkish Lira (TL). Traveler’s checks are not favored in Turkey. ATMs can be found in even the smallest Turkish towns. Most accept international credit cards or bank cards (a strip of logos is usually displayed above the ATM). Almost all ATMs have a language key to enable you to read the instructions in English. Most commercial establishments accept international credit cards such as Visa, Master Card and American Express.
VAT
The value-added tax, here called KDV, is 18%. Hotels typically combine it with a service charge of 10% to 15%. Value-added tax is nearly always included in quoted prices. Certain shops are authorized to refund the tax so you must ask about this.
Electricity
The electrical current in Turkey is 220 volts, 50 cycles alternating current (AC); wall outlets take Continental-type plugs, with two or three round prongs.
Major Holidays in Turkey
Jan 1: New Year’s Day National holidays Apr 23: National Sovereignty and Children’s Day (anniversary of the establishment of Turkish Grand National Assembly in 1920) May 1: Labour and Solidarity Day (since from 2009) May 19: Atatürk Commemoration and Youth & Sports Day (the arrival of Atatürk in Samsun in 1919, and the beginning of the War of Independence) Aug 30: Victory Day (victory over invading forces in 1922). Oct 29: Republic Day (anniversary of the declaration of the Turkish Republic in 1923) Religious holidays Ramazan Bayrami: Three-day festival when sweets are eaten to celebrate the end of the fast of Ramadan month. Also known as “Şeker (sweets) Bayramı” since it’s customary to offer candies to family members and friends that are visiting. Kurban Bayrami: Four-day festival when sheep or cows are sacrificed and their meat distributed to the poor. The dates of these religious festivals change according to the Islamic calendar and thus occur 10-11 days (exact difference between Gregorian and Lunar calendars is 10 days and 21 hrs) earlier each year. According to this; Ramazan Bayrami (or Seker Bayrami) in 2014 is on 28-29-30 July, in 2015 will be celebrated on 17-18-19 July. Kurban Bayrami (Sacrifice Holiday) in 2014 is on 4-5-6-7 October, in 2015 will be celebrated on 23-24-25-26 September.
Local Time
Standard time zone: UTC/GMT + 2 hours
Telephone & Internet
To make a long-distance call (any call outside of your area code), you have to dial the long-distance prefix (0) before the seven-digit local phone number. Here are the area codes for Turkey´s major cities: • Adana 322 • Ankara 312 • Antalya 242 • Bursa 224 • Istanbul (Asian side) 216 • Istanbul (European side) 212 • Izmir 232 Each Turkish mobile provider is also assigned a range of area codes (or mobile prefixes). Turkcell uses numbers 530-539, Vodafone 541-549, and Avea 502-506. Useful telephone service numbers 155 Police 112 Ambulance 110 Fire 170 Tourism Info
Tipping
For meals at restaurants, it is customary to leave a 5 % tip. Some high-end restaurant and hotels add a 10% service charge to the bill automatically. Please check the bill first or ask if service is included.