WHEN TO GO?
The climate is perfect on the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts of Turkey. In high summer the coastal resorts are stinking hot: your body may like to take a siesta during the heat of the day. From late October to early April, the beach scene more or less shuts down.
HOLIDAYS
New Year’s Day 1 January
National Sovereignty and Children’s Day 23 April
Commemoration of Atatürk and Youth & Sports Day 19 May
Victory Day 30 August
Republic Day 29
October Ramadan Holiday, Sacrifice Holiday (Changes every year)
CURRENCY
The Turkish Lira is the monetary unit of Turkey. Symbol of Turkish Lira is TL. 1 TL is 100 kuruş. Banknotes: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 TL, Coins: 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 kurus and 1 TL. All notes and coins show portraits of from different points of his life, and images of various historical and otherwise important buildings and places in Turkey.
CREDIT CARDS
All major credit cards VISA, American Express, Mastercard, Diners Club are accepted in most of the places. You can withdraw cash form banks’ ATMs. All bank ATMs have English instruction beside Turkish.
TIME
GMT/UTC +3 hours in summer (+2 hours in winter) Electricity: 220 V, 50 Hz. Weights & measures: Gram and Metric.
WORKING HOURS
Banks between 09:00 am and 17:00 pm from Monday to Friday. Offices; Government and business offices may open at 8 or 9 am, close for lunch at noon, and reopen around 1-1.30 pm, remaining open until 5 pm.
TIPPING
Taxi drivers do not accept tips. 5-15 % tip is expected by the staff at hotels, restaurants, Turkish baths and hairdressers.
EXCHANGE OFFICES
Currency Exchange offices are spreaded up all over the city.You can exchange all the major currencies via these offices. Current exchange rates can be monitored daily, in the newspapers, banks as well in the change officess.
TELEPHONE
The international telephone access code is 90. The city code for Antalya 242, for Ankara 312, for Istanbul Avrupa (European side) 212, and for Istanbul Asya (Asian side) 216. Dial 115 for an international operator, 131 for a domestic long-distance operator, and 118 for directory assistance. To make a long-distance call within Turkey, dial 0+ area code + local number. Rates are discounted between 8 PM and 8 AM. To make an international call, dial 00 + country code + area code + local number. Rates are discounted between 10 PM and 10 AM. Calls can also be made from a hotel or from a PTT office. Calling cards (telekarts) for public phones can be purchased at PTT offices and shops.
INTERNET ACCESS
There are many internet cafes in city centers such as . You may also find internet access or internet cafes in many hotels and holiday villages.
POST OFFICES
Post offices can be identified by the letters PTT in black on yellow background. The General Post Office in the center of Antalya is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, while the smaller offices are open Monday to Saturday until 5 pp.m. and close for lunch. You can send post, make telephone calls and sometimes send telegrams and change money or traveler’s cheques at the PTTs.
HYGIENE
Please avoid from the food and drinks sold on the street. Drinking tap water is not recommended. Prefer drinking water in pet bottles. You can find public toilets in city centers and in gas stations.
RESTORANS
It will take a lifetime to taste the finest foods of Turkey. Turkish cuisine ranks among the best three in the world. Based on the heritage of the vast Ottoman Empire, which extended from the gates of Vienna in the northwest to the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, Turkish cuisine is extremely rich. Turks favor the spicy kebabs, the tender lamb dishes of Central Asia, the steaks of Western Europe and the delightful appetizers, soups and vegetable dishes of the sweet pastries of the Ottoman court, topped with a small cup of strong Turkish coffee.
LEATHER
There is an enormous range offline leather, sheepskin and suede goods on offer, including clothing, handbags, belts, shoes, accessories, leather vases, and even unusual masks, all available at reasonable prices.
NIGHTLIFE IN SIDE
The nightlife in Side is very colorfull. There are number of locations where you can dine while listening to music or watching shows.
CARPETS & KILIMS
Turkish carpet are internationally renowned, and are stepped in the history and traditions of this fascinating country. They were brought to Mediterranean coast in the 12th century and since then, the craftmanship of weaving has been handed down from mother to douther. The best carpets come from the small villages of Turkey, for example silk carpet from Hereke or wool carpets wowen in Yahyali.
SOUVENIR - CERAMICS
Glass and ceramic making among the Turks goes back a long way, and delightful modern, examples can be purchased at local craft shops. The hand painted plates are must and are decorated with imaginative patterns of calligraphy in shades of blue, turquoise, terra-cotta, white. The best turkish ceramics were produced in Iznik in the 17th and 18th centuries. Tiles from this period are now museum pieces, but modern copies are also available.
BEACHES
You can swim anywhere in Side exceptthe port area. A 30-km-long beach stretches west of Side as far as Çolaklı, and you can swim anywhere along this coast. The eastern beach runs as far as the spot where the Manavgat River empties into the sea. It also continues kms after the river.
JEWELLERY
Both gold and jewellery are well worth buying, and innumerable shops are to be found selling items made by skilled craftsmen for many regions of Turkey. The gold is 14, 18 or 22 carat and scrict controls are maintained to ensure that this is exactly what you buy. All jewellery is sold by weight and the shopkeeper will be calculate the price by the coast the gold/silver plus the price for the workmanship and any stones that are in the setting.
WATER SPORTS
Travel Agencies in Side organize jeep tours to the Taurus. Daily Tours usually begin early in the morning and last till the evening in the offroads.
JEEP SAFARI
Travel Agencies in Side organize jeep tours to the Taurus. Daily Tours usually begin early in the morning WATER and last till the evening in the offroads.
DAILY EXCURSIONS
See the Manavgat Grand waterfall. Tour the Manavgat Dam reservoir and the Oymap›nar Dam. By yourself or with an organized tour you can visit: Aspendos, Selge, Köprülü Canyon, Perge, Alara Han, Alanya, Termessos.
RAFTİNG
The Interest in nature oriented tourism activities rises, sports practiced without harming nature gain importance. Rafting is one of these sports which represents a most gentlemanly competition. Mankind for centuries has been attracted by the beauty of rivers and turned them into sources of life. Today, he is in need of challenging their exuberance and pitting body and mind against this natural force. The birth of rafting doubtlesslybegan when man first grasped a branch floating on a river. Today, rafting is a popular sport in the Western world. This sport which is practiced in rapid rivers with 8 to 12 people. The only protection the sportsmen have in this struggle against nature is life vests and helmets.
TAKSİ
All taxis are yellow with a taxi sign on the top and can be found at many stations, around hotels and at many street corners. All taxis have taxi-meters with a fixed starting price that increases every kilometer. There are higher rates between midnight and 6 a.m. One red dot on the taxi meter indicates daytime charges, while two red dots signal higher midnight rates.
DOLMUSH
Dolmush is a shared taxi in form of a minibus which operates on a regular basis along designated routes. Cheaper than a taxi, you pay one fixed rate for the route. Each Dolmush has a list of their destinations displayed in the front window. You can only pay in Turkish Liras.
CAR RENTAL
Rent a car to discover the Mediterranean Coast.
BUSES
The large public buses (in Antalya) are cheaper than a dolmush and are a bit more comfortable. The payment is to be done to the busdriver cash in Turkish Liras.
INTERCITY BUSES
A popular and less expensive way to get to different towns and resorts is by coach. These buses run according to set routes and timetables. Destinations and tickets can be purchased from each company’s stations around the city or directly from the intercity bus terminal.
AIRLINES
Enjoy the privilege of the flights with optimal alternatives from Antalya International Airport to the hundreds of destinations all around the world.
TURKISH VOCABULARY
no: hayır,
please: lütfen,
thanks: teşekkürler,
hello: merhaba,
Good days: iyi günler,
Good evening: iyi geceler,
my name is: adım,
ok: tamam,
food: yemek,
entertainment: zevk,
swimming: yüzmek,
Where is a WC?: tuvaletler nerede?,
Good bye: hoşçakal,
Soup: çorba,
Meatball: Köfte,
Chicken: Tavuk,
Crab: Yengeç,
Tea: Çay,
Coffee: Kahve,
Mineral Water: Soda,
Water: Su,
Raki: Rakı,
Beer: Bira,
Wine: Şarap.
Manavgat'tan...
Ankara 620 km., Antalya 75 km., Alanya 70 km.
İstanbul 800 km., Kemer 125 km., Kuşadası 540 km.
Mersin 480 km., Pamukkale 300 km.
Manavgat Hospitals
Manavgat State HospitalAkdeniz Hospital
Anadolu Hospital
Bilgi Hospital
Sevgi Hospital