Postal System and Phone Calls

Postal System and Phone Calls

Telephone, telegram and fax services both domestic and international have been integrated into direct dialing system. Regular mail services, parcel post services (Surface/Air), express mail services are available.

Major post offices are open 8.00-24.00 hrs. Public telephones mainly operate on a system of magnetic telephone cards. 

Useful Numbers

Telephone Area Codes 

Turkey        90

Business Hours

Banks & government offices are closed on Saturday & Sunday

Public Holidays

New Year’s Day / January 1

National Sovereignty & Children’s Day/April 23

Atatürk Commemoration and Youth & Sports Day /May 19

Victory Day/August 30

Republic Day (Anniversary of the Declaration of the Turkish Republic) /October 29

Three days for Ramadan and four days for Kurban holidays depending on the Muslim calendar.

Weights and Measures

The metric system is in force.

Local Time

GMT + 3 hours (April-September)

GMT + 2 hours (October-March)

Currency and Money Matters

The Turkish Lira (TL) is official currency of Turkey. Exchange rates for the Lira are quoted by the Central Bank and adjusted on a daily basis. Turkish Lira is included among the convertible currencies of IMF, from the beginning of April 1990.

Electricity

Domestic                      220 volts, 50 cycles

Industrial                      380 volts

Plugs                            European round 2-prong plugs

Lamp Sockets              Screw type

Tipping

Service charge normally is not included in restaurant bills. Tipping at a rate of 10% to 15% of the total is common. However, tipping is not expected by taxi drivers, it is enough to pay the amount recorded by the counter.

Shopping

Shopping is one of the great pleasures of a trip to Turkey and the rich variety of Turkish crafts makes it impossible to resist buying something. The most popular objects for the holiday maker or business visitor are; carpets, leather and suede goods, copper and bronze wares, silver and gold jewellery, ceramics, handicrafts, embroidery and the famous Turkish meerschaum and onyx.

Health Care

Hospitals render service for 24 hours. There are private clinics almost in every section of the major cities. Turkish law requires that at least one pharmacy be open in a given neighbourhood at nights and weekends.