Entry Regulations:
All Canadian citizens require a Canadian passport valid for at least six months beyond the date of your entry into the country. An entry visa is necessary to enter Turkey which can be obtained at the point of entry for a fee of US$60 for Canadian passport holders and US$20 for American passport holders.  A photo is not necessary.

Canadians should ensure that an entry stamp is placed in their passports by Turkish immigration officials upon arrival. Failure to do so could lead to fines, detention, deportation, or serious difficulties upon departure.

Please check with your country’s Foreign Affairs office to find out about entry requirements for non-Canadians and Americans.

Climate:
Turkey's climate is characterised by extremes, with temperatures varying greatly from season to season in the country's different regions. The Mediterranean and Aegean coasts of Turkey have very dry, hot summers, and the mild, though wet, winters occur between October and April, when the coastal towns tend to more or less shut down. Istanbul and Cappadocia can experience very cold winters, with light snow. High summer, usually between July and September, is the peak tourist season, though from June mosquitoes can be a problem. The best time to visit Turkey is usually between spring and autumn as the climate is still hot, but not unbearable. Eastern Turkey experiences bitterly cold winters, and so it is best that travellers wait until summer, because although hot, roads and mountain passes are less likely to be closed due to ice or snow

Currency:
The New Turkish Lira TRY is the basic unit of currency in Turkey.  At present, the exchange rate is TRY1.59 to CA$1 and TRY1.52 to US$1.

The exchange slips for the conversion of foreign currency into Turkish lira should be kept, since you may be required to show these when reconverting your Turkish lira back into foreign currency, and when taking souvenirs out of the country (to prove that they have been purchased with legally exchanged foreign currency).

As exchange rates fluctuate each day, please check the current exchange rate near your date of travel.

Electricity:
The current used in Turkey is 220AC 50Hz.

North American electrical appliances require a converter and adapter plug which can be purchased in almost any appliance shop, however it is recommended that they should be purchased at home and brought alone.

Language:
The official language in Turkey is Turkish though Ethnologue lists many minority languages some of which are spoken by large numbers of people.

Health Requirement:
Normally, vaccinations are not mandotory unless one travels from or via an infected area. Check with your local health authority or travel clinic for further requirements.

Airport Facilities and Tax:
Turkey has various ports of entry. The international airport in the capital city is the Istanbul Ataturk Airport.  There are also nine other airport many of which serve international and domestic flights.  Departure taxes are formulated into the price of the airline ticket.

Shopping:
Old, new, exotic, mundane, antique, kitsch— shopping in Istanbul is all these things and more.  Everyone knows about the Grand Bazaar with its 4000 shops, but in fact the entire area around it is shopping, shopping, shopping for blocks and blocks. 4000 shops is a mere fraction of the whole picture.  Things to buy are alabaster, brass, carpets, kilims (woven mats) and silk.

Cuisine:
Turkish cuisine is largely the heritage of Ottoman cuisine, which can be described as a fusion and refinement of Central Asian, Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisines.  Turkish cuisine varies across the country. The cooking of Istanbul, Bursa, Izmir, and rest of the Aegean region inherits many elements of Ottoman court cuisine, with a lighter use of spices, a preference for rice over burghul, and a wider use of seafoods. The cuisine of the Black Sea Region uses fish extensively, especially the Black Sea anchovy (hamsi), has been influenced by Balkan and Slavic cuisine, and includes maize dishes. The cuisine of the southeast—Urfa, Gaziantep and Adana—is famous for its kebabs, mezes and dough-based desserts such as baklava, kadayıf and künefe.

Turkish coffee or Turk kahvesi is the perfect way to finish off a good meal. When ordering you specify whether you want it sade (plain), orta (with some sugar) or sekerli (very sweet) and it is brewed with the specified amount of sugar mixed in with the coffee granules.

For more information please visit:

• http://ottava.be.mfa.gov.tr/