Frequently Asked Questions About Turkey Climate : The climate varies depending on the area. The Aegean and Mediterranean coast have hot summers and mild winters. The Black Sea coast has warm summers, mild winters, and relatively high rainfall. Central and Eastern Turkey have hot dry summers and cold winters. Humidity is higher on the Black Sea coast and Istanbul compared to the moderate humidity of the rest of the country. Generally, August is considered the warmest month of the year. Average daytime temperature is between 70°F to 90°F from June to September. Nighttime temperatures drop to around 70°F. Central and Eastern regions generally are in the same range, however nights are cooler. Winter is between December and March. This means rain in the coastal regions and moderate snow inland. The Mediterranean Sea is warm during the summer, while the Aegean is cooler. Both seas are ideal for swimming. See Average Temperature chart for more detailed information. Passport And Visa Requirements : A valid passport is necessary throughout your travels. US and UK citizens traveling with ordinary passports can obtain their visas either at the entry point upon arrival or from the Turkish Consulate in advance. The visa fee is currently $20 / £10 per person. Health And Injection : At present, as we know it, there is no injection requirements or any health risks, nevertheless you are advised to seek advice from your doctor. Time Zone : Turkey is 2 hours ahead of GMT and 7 hours ahead of EST. Electricity : Electricity in Turkey is 220 volt, 50-60 cycle. If you intend to bring any electrical equipment, an adapter that converts electricity from 220V to 110V is suggested if you are travelling over from the States. Travelling from the UK, all you will need is an adapter to convert plug with 3 outs, to two outs, as 220V works with equipment arranged for 240V. Tap Water : Although Turkey has good drinking water - the water is chlorinated and safe to drink - bottled water is highly recommended and can be found in nearly all stores at a reasonable price. Money And Economy : Money exchange is very easily done at all banks and private exchange centers and some jewelery shops. Daily newspaper publishes the exchange rate daily. EURO and US dollars are accepted at some stores. Although GBP is not that widely used you can still get a good rate at the banks or exchange centers. The currency in Turkey is Lira, and the recent monetery change means that Turkey no longer has loads of zeros. The new currency is know as YTL (New Turkish Lira) and is 20 YTL = 20,000,000 TL. Telephone And Post : Public phones operate with tokens or calling cards. The average time for a letter to arrive the US is 7 to 10 days and Europe is 3 to 5 days. Geography : Turkey is about a 9 hour non-stop flight from New York City and 4 hour non-stop flight from London. Turkey is roughly the size of the State of Texas. 97% of the country is in Asia, while 3% is in Europe. There is about 5000 miles of coastline. Northern Turkey has the Black Sea Mountains and the Mediterranean has the Taurus mountains running parallel to the sea. Central and eastern Anatolia is a plateau. Clothing : In summer light summer-wear for all coastal regions will be sufficient. It is advisable to keep warmer clothing for evenings when it can be cooler in Central, Northern, and Eastern Anatolia. Comfortable walking shoes are highly recommended since itineraries include numerous trips to ancient sites. For wintertime travelers, we recommend regular winter clothing especially for central Turkey where heavy snow and cold weather can be encountered. If you are planning your trip in the summer, sun block and a hat is recommended. Season : Turkey can be visited year-round depending on your itinerary. Spring and fall are the most popular seasons to travel due to mild temperatures and little rain. In the summer temperatures are higher; however, this season is ideal for cruises since the sea breeze that starts blowing in mid-morning makes it very comfortable. Music : The roots of traditional music in Turkey spans across the centuries to a time when the Seljuk Turks colonized Anatolia and Persia in the 11th century and even before pre-Turkic influences, while much of its modern popular music can trace its roots to the emergence in the early 1930s drive for Westernization. Elements of indigenous music mixed in varying amounts to form a wide array of diverse styles. As the old Ottoman estate was a cultural mix of immigrants and minorities, Turkey has also seen documented folk music and recorded popular music produced in the ethnic styles of Armenian, Greek, Kurdish, Polish, Azeri and Jewish communities, among others. Many Turkish cities and towns have vibrant local music scenes which, in turn, support a number of regional musical styles. Food : For those who travel in culinary pursuits, Turkish Cuisine is a very curious one. The variety of dishes that make up the Cuisine, the ways they all come together in feast-like meals, and the evident intricacy of each craft offer enough materiai for life-long study and enjoyment. It is not easy to discern a basic element or a single dominant feature, like the Italian "pasta" or the French "sauce". Whether in a humble home, at a famous restaurant, or at a dinner in a Bey's mansion, familiar patterns of this rich and diverse Cuisine are always present. It is a rare art which satisfies your senses while reconfirming the higher order of society, community and culture. The modern mind, in a moment of contemplation, has similar thoughts upon entering a modest sweets shop in Turkey where "baklava" is the generic cousin of a dozen or so sophisticated sweet pastries with names like twisted turban, sultan, saray(palace), lady's navel, nightengale's nest. Language : Turkish (Türkçe) is a Turkic language spoken natively by the Turkish people in Turkey, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Greece, Republic of Macedonia and other countries of the former Ottoman Empire, as well as by several million emigrants in the European Union. The number of native speakers is uncertain, primarily due to a lack of minority language data from Turkey. There is a high degree of mutual intelligibility between Turkish and other Oghuz languages such as Azeri, Turkmen, and Qashqai. If these are counted together as "Turkish", the number of native speakers is 100 million, and the total number including second-language speakers is around 125 million. If there is anything we have missed that you might want to know, please contact us so we could add the information to our FAQ section.