Traveling to Turkey probably is going to be a wonderful experience, however there as always are some things to know, before choosing Turkey as your next vacation spot. RentMama Cheap Car Rental has prepared some awesome advice and tips which you shouldn’t forget neither before your journey, nor during it.
Turkey is especially popular during the summer, but that for sure isn’t good enough reason to travel to Turkey just next summer! Water temperature in Turkey’s best swimming spots stay quite warm during the autumn, as well, it might even reach +25°C! RentMama even thinks that autumn might be better for traveling to Turkey! Why? Well, during the autumn you will enjoy Turkey without disappearing in tourist crowds like in the summer! Turkey truly is a wonderful vacation destination – it’s not only stunning and warm, but it is quite cheap vacation spot and friendly for tourists! We are sure, – your trip to Turkey will be unforgettable!
Transportation
When traveling in Turkey’s major cities, you will be able to find tramcars, buses and, of course, taxi, as well. One ride in tramcar will cost you about 1.50 Turkish liras which is equivalent to little less than 50 euro cents. This, for sure, is one of the best things about Turkey – public transportation there is crazy cheap! If you are planning to travel between largest cities best thing to choose probably is train, – there are very good rail connections between Turkey’s largest cities! Best rail connections are between Istanbul, Ankara and Erzurum.
If you would like to get out of the city and go wherever and whenever you like, best option would be a rental car, of course. But we strongly recommend this, – don’t you forget about that conditioning! If it’s hot outside, without good conditioning, it would be a hell! Driving around your or rental car sure will be a challenge, – driving culture in Turkey is quite crazy, not to say more! Some of Turkish people have purchased their driving license in illegal ways, and to some of them street signs and traffic lights doesn’t even exist! If you are planning to take pedestrian’s role, be really, really careful!
Communication
Most of the Turkish people are very open and hospitable, they are greeting travelers for centuries now. Most of the travelers are traveling to Turkey from Russia, most of Europe, China and even Japan! If you are a woman, there shouldn’t be any problem, as well, as long as you dress modestly and don’t try to challenge their beliefs about women.
If you are fluent in English or Russian, communication will be quite easy. In restaurants and popular tourist attractions usually there are some info in at least one of these languages. But, of course, it will be appreciated if you’ll try to say at least some words or phrases in Turkish!
Accommodation
Choosing the best accommodation for you won’t be very hard, – there is a large variety of luxury hotels and very cheap hostels. If you are traveling to Turkey for the first time, it might be a good idea to choose your hotel in the center of the city, because this way you won’t need to go far to see some of the best tourist attractions or to find a public transportation, or nearest car rental service!
Food and drinks
Turkish kebab stands will be on every corner, especially in the major cities! But if you don’t want to buy food on the street for some reasons, try and visit local eateries, pubs and restaurants, – Turkish food will be a great gastronomic adventure! Food is quite cheap in Turkey, – with one and a half euros you’ll be able to buy delicious soup with fresh bread or kebab, but if you want to have larger portion, 5 euros usually will do it! Don’t forget to try Turkey’s amazing fruits!
Also, drinks, of course! Try rakki and world famous Turkish coffee! If you wish to drink something you drink everyday, – whether that is your favorite lemonade, or beer, – it will cost you about one euro!
What else to know before traveling to Turkey?
- Local currency is Turkish lira (TL), 1.00 Turkish lira is equivalent to 0.29 euro.
- Before going to magnificent mosques, don’t forget about a shawl or scarf!
- When leaving you hotel, don’t forget to take some coins with you, and some wipes would be good, too, – public toilets in Turkey aren’t usually for free, and many of times there isn’t any toilet paper!
- Be sure to visit world famous Turkish Hammam bath houses, – it is an amazing way to relax, while enjoying fascinating culture of Turkey!
- Visit amazing and pleasantly noisy Turkish markets!
- It is most likely that a tip will be expected from you – it will be polite to tip waiters, errand boys, and even a tour bus driver!
Turkey isn’t the destination for you! Try Poland then, – read our article: Poland travel tips!