Before you go and get too excited and even distracted about your journey to Turkey, there are some important details you might want to research and inform yourself about. A vacation to Turkey is one that will require some thought, consideration and planning. There are a lot of things to see and do, but before you get started on your ‘To Do List’ for Turkey, there are preliminary items to check off.
Basic Travel Requirements
One of the first travel requirements that should be researched is whether or not you need a visa to enter the country. Currently citizens of the United States, Europe, Australia and the UK will need a visa to enter Turkey. Check with your own country’s regulations and terms of your visa and how to apply. Each country will have different terms for their visa and length of stay in Turkey. Just be sure to have all your details covered.
The official e-visa site for Turkey is https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/
- Be careful of unauthorized sites. Always use the above official government site to obtain the necessary visa to visit Turkey.
As for other preparations before your travel, it is recommended to have your doctor administer vaccines for Hepatitis A and Typhoid. Depending on where you are travelling in Turkey, Malaria prophylaxis is also recommended. It is best to check with your doctor about vaccines around two months before your travel date. None of the above vaccinations are necessary if you are visiting Dalyan so don’t worry.
FACTS ABOUT TURKEY
General information on facts about Turkey, population, national anthem, founder, system of goverment, head of goverment, language, currency, capital city, religion, area, coastal length, coastal borders, time zone and more.
ABOUT TURKEY
Official Name: Republic of Turkey
National Anthem: Istiklal Marsi (Independence March)
Founder: Mustafa Kemal Ataturk
System of Goverment: Republican parliamentary democracy
Prime Minister: Binali Yildirim
President: Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Area: 783.562 square kilometres
Coastal Length: 7.200 km
Coastal Borders: Mediterranean Sea at south, Aegean Sea at west, Black Sea at north
Population: 74.724.000 (31 December 2011)
Capital City: Ankara
Language: Turkish
Religion: Muslim 99%
Neighboring Countries: Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Greece, Georgia, Iraq, Armenia, Iran, Syria
Currency: Turkish Lira (TL) – 1TL = 100 kr (turkish pennies/cents)
Number of Cities: 81
Victory Day: 30 August
Rebuplic Day: 29 October
Largest Cities: Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Antalya, Konya, Bursa, Kayseri, Samsun, Trabzon, Erzurum, Eskisehir, Kocaeli, Diyarbakir, Sakarya, Mersin, Gaziantep
Lifestyle: Turkish lifestyle is a vivid mosaic; juxtaposing the Occident and the Orient, the ancient and the modern.
Hospitality: Hospitality is a cornerstone of Turkish culture, and Turks believe that visitors should be treated as Guests sent by God. There are many myths surrounding Turkish culture which are explored and explained in this fantastic blog post.
Cuisine: Turkish cuisine is renowned as one of the world’s best.
Weather: It is said that all of the four seasons exist in Turkey. Up to date Dalyan weather information can be found here.
Tourism: Turkey has so much to offer her visitors, therefore this country has recently become one of the world’s most popular tourism destinations.
Time Zone: GMT +3 hours (April-September) GMT +2 hours (October-March),
GETTING THERE:
If you are flying into Turkey from the United Kingdom, most flights are direct out of most major airports during the main season (April – November) but you will usually need to change via Istanbul Sabiha Gocken (SAW) during the winter time (for Dalaman). Flight duration to Dalaman from the UK is roughly 4 hours.
Here are a list of the major airports widely used for tourism and their location. These may come in handy when making reservation and travel plans from region to region.
Airport & Airport Code > City
Dalaman – DAL > Dalaman
Sabiha Gocken – SAW > Istanbul
Etimesgut – ANK > Ankara
Ataturk – IST > Istanbul
Antalya – AYT > Antalya
Adnan Menderes – ADB > Izmir
Canakkale – CKZ > Canakkale
Adiyaman – ADF > Adiyaman
Gaziantep – GZT > Gaziantep
Yenisehir – YEI > Bursa
Trabzon – TZX > Trabzon
Cardak – DNZ > Denizli
Adana-Incirlik Airbase – UAB > Adana
Diyarbakir – DIY > Diyarbakir
Anadolu University Airport – AOE > Eskisehir
Erkilet International – ASR > Kayseri
Cengiz Topel – KCO > Kocaeli
Konya – KYA > Konya
Budrum – ERZ > Erzurum
Kars – KSY > Kars
Malatya – MLX > Malatya
Kasamonu – KFS > Kastamonu
Balikesir – BZI > Balikesir
Samsun – SSX > Samsun/Carsamba
Ferit Melen – VAN > Van
For Dalyan visitors, once you arrive at Dalaman airport, Dalyan is a 25 minute car ride away. Taxis are available in the car park at arrivals but during peak times these can be difficult to catch so we recommend booking your own private transfer for ease and peace of mind.
Internal Flights
If you are planning on using air travel to get from place to place during your stay in Turkey, the domestic flights are easy to book. The consensus is that booking through Turkish Airlines/Pegasus will get you the best rates and more so two or three weeks in advance. If you are going to be in Turkey during any major holidays, be sure to book your flights even earlier. If your vacation time is limited and you still want to enjoy a couple or more different destinations, this is the best way to get about. Plan your itinerary in advance as much as possible to take advantage of affordable air travel.
Flying domestic is not solely for those with a little extra money to spare while travelling here. If you are considering travelling via bus thinking this is how you will save money if you are on a budget, double check the airlines, some tickets are around the same price as any long-distance bus or cheaper. From Dalaman airport, Istanbul Sabiha Gocken airport is a 55 minute flight and ticket prices can be as low as 30 liras (roughly 6 gbp)
Check out www.bulucak.com. Here you can find rates for all the airlines and get the best deal.
GENERAL STATISTICS ABOUT TURKEY
Learn more about general statistics of Turkey and detailed statistics for Turkish tourism. Population, universities, mobile phone users, international tourists, airports, bed capacity, travel agencies, tourism centers, marinas and more.
GENERAL STATISTICS
- A population of 73.722.988 (Dalyan has a population of 5094 as at 2013)
- Average age of population : 28.5
- 190 universities, 114 of which are public and 76 of which are foundation universities
- Internet access per household : % 47.2
- 73 million mobile phone users
- 27 national, 16 regional and 229 local TV channels
- Non-permament member of the United Nations Security Council 2009-2010
- A candidate for the European Union since 2005
- A member of United Nations since 1945
- A member of Unesco since 1945
- A member of Council of Europe since 1949
- A member of Nato since 1952
- Turkey’s negotiation process with the EU began on October 3th 2005
- Number of 3G mobile phone subscribers : 64.300.000
- Number of mobile internet users : 39.100.000
- Number of internet subscribers : 48.600.000
TOURISM STATISTICS
- 35 millions of international tourist arrivals
- 25 billion $ of tourism receipts (without citizen visitors)
- 55 airports with annual 50-million- passenger capacity
- 21 airports open to international flights
- 1.000.000-bed capacity
- 16 airlines carrying passengers with scheduled ve nonscheduled navigations
- Turkish Airlines with 306 planes, one of the youngest fleet in Europe
- 39 Marinas with 50.000-yacht capacity (closest main marina to Dalyan is Göcek, which is a 25 minute car ride away)
- 9000 Licensed Tourist Guides
- 7198 travel agencies
- An amazing historical heritage of civilisations, 5522 recorded archaeological sites under protection
- 436 beaches and 22 marinas with blue flag since 2015
- 34 Thermal Tourism Centers in 17 Provinces
- 27 Winter Sports Tourism Centers
- 28 Highland Tourism Centers in 10 Provinces
- 40 official National Parks
- 31 official Natural Protection Areas
- More than 300 wetland areas
- 23 Clubs and hotels with golf fields
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