Travel information

Time:

Local time is GMT +2 (GMT +3 from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October).

Electricity:
220 volts AC, 50Hz. The European two-pin plug is standard.

Language:
Turkish is the official language, but English is widely understood in the main tourist areas.

Communications:
The international country dialling code for Turkey is +90. The outgoing code is 00, followed by the relevant country code (e.g. 0044 for the United Kingdom). City/area codes are in use, e.g. Istanbul Asya (Asia side) is (0)216 and Istanbul Avrupa (Europe side) is (0)212. GSM 900 and 1800 networks cover most of the country. Internet cafes are available in the main towns and resorts.

Money:
The official currency is the New Turkish Lira

Flights to Turkey from the UK:
There are flights from most UK airports to Turkey's ATM Dalaman Airport, Izmir Adnan Menderes International Airport, Antalya International Airport and Istanbul Ataturk International Airport. The flight duration from London to Turkey is between 3 or 5 hours.

Which airlines fly to Turkey?
Cheap flights to Dalaman are offered by Thomas Cook from Gatwick, Stansted, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, East Midlands, Doncaster Sheffield, Bristol, Newcastle, Leeds and Cardiff, while Aegean flies there from Liverpool. There are low-cost flights to Antalya from Glasgow, Gatwick, Birmingham, East Midlands, Stansted, Manchester, Newcastle and Bristol with Thomas Cook, Turkish Airlines fly there from Heathrow and Thomson flies from Luton. British Airways fly to Izmir from Gatwick, Turkish Airlines depart from Heathrow and Pegasus flies from Stansted, while Thomas Cook offers cheap flights to Izmir from Birmingham and Manchester. British Airways flies to Istanbul from Heathrow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow, and Turkish Airlines has flights leaving from Heathrow, Stansted, Manchester, Birmingham and Dublin. SWISS also offers cheap flights to Istanbul from Heathrow and Manchester.

Airports in Turkey
Istanbul Ataturk International Airport (IST):The airport is situated 15 miles (23km) west of Istanbul.
Antalya International Airport (AYT):The airport is situated six miles (10km) from Antalya.
Izmir Adnan Menderes International Airport (ADB):The airport is located 11 miles (18km) from Izmir.
ATM Dalaman Airport (DLM):The airport is situated about four miles (6km) from Dalaman.
Esenboga International Airport (ESB):The airport is located northeast of Ankara, 17 miles (28km) from the city centre.

Tips for Travellers in Turkey
Turkish Baths are great fun and a visit to one of the ultimate Ottoman pleasures is a must for any holiday. To take full advantage of the the experience, make sure you go at the beginning of your stay so your skin leave it to the end of the holiday, your tan will be scrubbed away!

If you're travelling around with hire car and intend to visit mosques, keep a 'mosque kit' in the carto avoid embarrasment. Before entering a mosque, the head, shoulders arms and legs of ladies should be fully covered; this can easily be accomplished with two large locally made shawls, which can also be used as beach wreaps, picnic table cloths or sofa throwes when you get home. One shawl tied sarong style over shorts will enable men to enter a mosque without giving offence (with a shirt, obviously!).

Mosquito bites won't give you malaria, but can make you itchy and miserable. Buy an electric mossie repellent, and the tablets or liquid to go with it, as soon as you arrive, and turn it on before you go out in the evening. Use lots of repellent on any exposed skin, especially around sunset. If you've forgotten to bring any with you, the local brand is called KOV and is available at any chemist.

Public Transport
The forms of local Transport are either by Dolmus or Taxi. Dolmus (which means 'stuffed'or 'filled up') is like a mini-bus and travels a certain route.Most major towns and cities have a Dolmus station,where you just take a seat in the Dolmus that travels to your destination.

Taxis are numerous and are recognised by their yellow colour.They are metered and there are two different rates,Daytime and after 24.00hrs until 06.00hrs when it will probably be about 50% more than the daytime rate.Tipping is not necessary,however leaving the change or rounding up the fare is the norm.
Dolmus fare is determined by the Municipality according to distance and is very cheap and reasonable.

Oludeniz Beach Guide
The Blue Lagoon of Olu deniz has calm, crytal clear waters which makes it ideal for a variety of water sports and a very safe place for children to swim. Part of the lagoon is now a protected area (and it`s a national park) is a beautiful inland bay that stretches behind the cape - there is a small entrance fee to enter.

Kidrak
Also known as the Paradise Beach -only 2 km away from Olu deniz - can be reached with half an hour walk - is much more secluded and quiter than Oludeniz.

Butterfly Beach
Can only be reached from Olu deniz by boat - there is basic accommodation on the beach - tents and tepees - and a small restautant. Butterfly Valley with it`s untouched nature, most amazing beach and basic facilities (no electricity, tv or any earthly possesions) - only a small restaurant and simple beach huts - is a total relaxation destination.

Gemiler Beach
Is just opposite of the St Nicholas Island which is worth visiting for it`s history. There are several simple fish restaurants serving fresh fish dishes. It`s a perfect day tour from Olu deniz; swim, snorkel, eat and snooze...