From the category archives:

Visa, Money & Safety

By far the most convenient (but not always the quickest) way to get around in Istanbul is by taxi. They are plentiful, operate day and night, take up to four persons, are compared to the US or Europe fairly cheap, and they can be easily hailed on the street or found at taxi ranks. Unfortunately, […]

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The best way to absorb a city is of course by exploring it on foot. In addition, some of Istanbul’s ancient streets are so small a car barely fits in it. And with Istanbul’s huge traffic jams in the city center, it is often even a time-saver. But before you rush out of your hotel […]

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In this post – the second article of the Diplomatic Missions in Istanbul and Turkey series – we’ll cover all the countries that have a Consulate or Consulate-General in Istanbul. The consulates are listed in a chronological order. If you’re not in Istanbul and need consular assistance, check out whether your country is in the […]

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In this post – the first article of the Diplomatic Missions in Istanbul and Turkey series – we’ll cover all the countries that have an embassy in Turkey. The embassies are listed in a chronological order. If you need consular assistance while residing in Istanbul, you want to check out the list of countries that […]

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While travelling to a foreign country, it’s recommended to check whether your country of origin has an embassy, a consulate or maybe both in the country of your destination. And if so, to find out where they are located and/or what their telephone numbers are should an emergency arise. Luckily for you, most nations have […]

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The New Turkish Lira (Yeni Türk Lirası, YTL) – which was introduced on January 1, 2005 – will be replaced by the Turkish Lira (Türk Lirası, TL) as of January 1, 2009. At the same time, the 200 Turkish Lira banknote has been introduced. Turkey Drops the ’Y’ in Its National Currency After a 4-year […]

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It is custom to tip in Turkey. In the majority of Istanbul’s bars and restaurants, service is not included. But tipping is not only expected for table services. So, for what services are tips expected, and how much? On the other hand, the value-added tax (VAT) is always included in the prices displayed. But as […]

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This may seem like a strange article, not in the least because of its length. But people who have ever queued the line at the Atatürk Airport passport control for half an hour or more, only to find out that they had to buy their visa somewhere else first and were therefore sent back to […]

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The Turkish lira (Türk Lirası – TL) was introduced in 1844 and was the currency of Turkey until 2005. That year Turkey switched to the New Turkish Lira (Yeni Türk Lirası – YTL, or more officially TRY). They dropped six zeros of the old banknotes and introduced new banknotes and coins. As you can see […]

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With some 25 million visitors finding their way to Turkey every year, tourism is a key player in the country’s economy. Since tourists shouldn’t encounter any difficulties spending their money, all options are open: cash, credit cards and maybe even still traveler’s cheques. But what is the most sensible way to bring your money along? […]

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