Guide to Turkey

Basic information

Why go to Turkey

There are really many reasons to visit Turkey, for example:

Turkey has the significant advantage of being a destination suitable for all types of passengers. Whether adventurers or lovers of organized rides, active young people or quiet retirees looking for peace, singles, or on their honeymoon. In Turkey, everyone will find something for themselves.

Go from one continent to another. In Istanbul, you have a unique opportunity in the world to jump from one continent to another. But be careful, if you don’t want to end up in the Bosphorus Strait, you’d better get on a ferry that goes from one side to the other.

The capital of Turkey

The capital of Turkey is Ankara and with a population of over 5 million it is the second largest city in Turkey.

Ankara is located in central Anatolia, right in the heart of Turkey.

The city of Ankara has an important historical value for the Turks, because it is not only the country’s capital, but a symbol of Turkish independence. It is the main financial center of Turkey and you will find many important museums and historical monuments where you can learn a lot about the history of this country.

Here is a list of a few museums in Ankara that are definitely worth a visit:

Ethnographic Museum - A museum dedicated to Turkish culture and civilization. It was built between 1925 and 1928.

State Museum of Art and Sculpture - The museum was built between 1927 and 1930 and is located near the Ethnographic Museum. In the museum you can admire the works of painters and sculptors, who played an important role in the development of painting and sculpture in today’s Turkey.

Museum of Anatolian Civilizations - The museum with its invaluable collections is one of the most important archaeological museums in the world. Here you will find works from the Paleolithic, Neolithic, Eneolithic, from the Early Bronze Age, as well as from the period of the Urart and Roman civilizations, exhibited in chronological order covering several millennia of history.

The museum is located at the door of the Citadel in two historic buildings from the 15th century.

Flag of Turkey

The flag of Turkey consists of a red background, which shows the motif of a white crescent and a five-pointed star placed to the mast part of the flag.

Originally, the flag of Turkey contained only a month on a green background, the color of which in 1793 Sultan Selim III changed to green. In 1844, a star was added to the moon.

The Turkish flag as we know it today was approved in 1936, in the years 1920 - 1923 the color of the flag returned to green.

Population of Turkey

According to TUIK (Turkish Statistical Office), the population of Turkey in 2020 exceeded 83 million.

Of this, 50.2% of the population is male and 49.8% female.

The country is administratively divided into 81 provinces, the urban population is 74% and has grown slightly in recent years due to strong migration to large cities.

Turks represent 76% of the population, with the most significant minority being Kurds (16%), who live mainly in the eastern part of the country; 96.5% of the population are Muslims.

Holidays in Turkey

Holidays in Turkey could primarily be divided into two groups.

Religious holidays governed by the Muslim calendar and holidays in the Turkish state governed by the European calendar.

Public Holidays:

• January 01 - New Year
• April 23 - Independence Day and Children’s Day
• May 1 - Labor Day
• May 19 - Remembrance of Atutürk (founder of the Turkish state) and Youth and Sports Day
• August 30 - Victory Day
• October 29 - Anniversary of the Republic
• November 10 - anniversary of Ataturk’s death

Religious (Muslim) holidays:

• Ramadan - a moving holiday, in 2020 it took place from April 24 to May 23.
• The end of Ramadan, also called Sugar Feast - this feast begins at sunset on the last day of Ramadan and lasts for 3 days.
• Feast of Sacrifice - a moving holiday

Coat of arms of Turkey

Turkey does not officially have its official emblem, but in offices and passports, it uses a crescent moon with a star, which is depicted in the national flag.

For example, the President uses the seal of the President of the Republic of Turkey, which consists of 16 small gold stars that surround a large glittering star in a circle with a red background.

Currency in Turkey

The official Turkish currency is the Turkish lira, which is denoted by the symbol TL in Turkey, the same currency is also used by northern Cyprus. Its international designation is TRY.

1 TL is divided into 100 kurushi (kurush).

The banknotes are printed at a face value of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 lire.

As for the coin, it is minted in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 kurus and 1 lira.

Time shift

Until recently, there was summer and winter time in Turkey, but in 2016, this transition was canceled and only one time is introduced throughout the year, in the UTC +0300 zone.

Despite its size, Turkey is fortunately only in one time zone, so you will have no problem orienting yourself, as is the case with other large countries.

If we have winter time in the Czech Republic, then in Turkey it is +2 hours.

In the case of summer time in the Czech Republic, in Turkey it is +1 hour.

To make it easier:

• Summer: Czech Republic (14:00) - Turkey (15:00)
• Winter: Czech Republic (14:00) - Turkey (16:00)

Prices in Turkey

Transport:

• One-way ticket (local transport) 3.30-3.80 TL
• Monthly season ticket 210 TL
• Start taxi (normal tariff) 3.20-3.60 TL
• Taxi 1 km 8 TL
• Petrol (1 liter) 6.50-7 TL

Boarding:

• Main course in a cheap restaurant 20-30 TL
• Meals for 2 people, middle class restaurant, three-course menu 80-150 TL
• McMeal v McDonald’s 22-28 TL
• Homemade beer (0.5 liters) 13-16 TL
• Imported beer (0.33 liters) 18-22 TL
• Cappuccino (normal) 11-14 TL
• Coca-Cola / Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle) 4-4.50 TL
• Water (0.33 liter bottle) 1.30-1.60 TL

Foodstuffs:

• Milk (1 liter) 5-5.40TL
• Plain bread (500 g) 2.50-2.70 TL
• Classic rice (1 kg) 9-10 TL
• 12 eggs 11-12 TL
• Local cheese (1 kg) 38-42 TL
• Butter (250g) 1.70-2.50 TL
• Chicken fillet (1 kg) 19-22 TL
• Beef (1 kg) (or equivalent hind leg red meat) 62-68 TL
• Apples (1 kg) 5.50-6.50 TL
• Bananas (1 kg) 12.50-13 TL
• Oranges (1 kg) 5.50-6.50 TL
• Tomatoes (1 kg) 5.30-5.60 TL
• Potatoes (1 kg) 3.40-3.80 TL
• Onions (1 kg) 3.20-3.40 TL
• Salad (1 head) 3.50-4 TL
• Water (1.5 l) 2-2.50 TL
• Bottle of wine (middle category) 40-60 TL
• Homemade beer (0.5 liter bottle) 13-14 TL
• Imported beer (0.33 liters) 17-18 TL
• Cigarettes 20 packs (Marlboro) 18-20 TL

Vaccination in Turkey

You do not need to get any vaccinations before your holiday in Turkey.

There are currently no dangerous diseases in this destination.

If you plan to travel and stay outside the tourist area, vaccination against hepatitis A and B, or typhoid fever is recommended.

The more common health complications of tourists are rather bites by a snake, scorpion or insect.

Visa to Turkey

If you go to Turkey for tourism, you do not need to obtain a visa.

However, when traveling to Turkey, citizens of the Czech Republic, including children, must have a valid travel document - a passport.

Entry on an identity card is not possible.

The passport must be valid for at least 150 days from entry into Turkey. Otherwise you will not be allowed to enter the territory of the Republic of Turkey.

In case of study, work or stay that will last more than 90 days, it is necessary to apply for a visa at the Turkish Embassy in Prague.

Security in Turkey

Turkey is generally one of the relatively safe countries.

The riskier parts are the east and southeast of the country in the border areas with Syria and Iraq. Before traveling to these areas, we recommend that you carefully consider the specifics and increased risks of this area. Some roads may be closed by the military. Furthermore, it is not recommended to comply with the requests of local residents to export various packages, films, sheets, etc. If they find a similar shipment from a tourist and have any connection with a terrorist organization, he faces a relatively high penalty.

There are no personal safety issues in other parts of Turkey. Outside of tourist resorts and large cities, it is necessary to take into account the possibility that the woman herself attracts attention. If she walks outside these areas, especially in the countryside, alone (or accompanied by another woman) down the street, she is not surprised by any problems.

The security situation is comparable to Europe. Assaults are less common in Turkey than in Western countries. Petty crime (theft of personal belongings from hotel rooms, car theft, fraud) is relatively common in the main tourist areas, there are also cases of rape. Therefore, it is definitely not recommended to spend the night in the open air or leave personal belongings in an unguarded place.

Interesting facts about Turkey

Few people know that Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport is the largest anti-seismic structure in the world, able to withstand high-intensity earthquakes while maintaining full operation.

Its structure is able to withstand an earthquake measuring 8 on the Richter scale, thanks to a design system that allows it to withstand strong vibrations without consequences. In addition, the entire complex of Sabiha Gokcen Airport is designed to remain functional even in the event of natural disasters or war, in order to guarantee the operability of Istanbul, even in serious cases.

Important contacts

Where to call in case of emergency in Turkey?

• Rescue Service 112
• fire brigade 110
• police 155

Turkey phone code is +90.

Contacts at the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Ankara:

Address:

Embassy of the Czech Republic
Kaptanpasa Street No. 15, Gaziosmanpaṣa, 06700 Ankara

Telephone: +90 312 405 61 39

Email: ankara@embassy.mzv.cz

Further contacts can be found at www.mzv.cz/ankara