Money

The currency in Türkiye is Turkish Lira (TL). Traveller’s cheques are not favoured in Türkiye . ATMs can be found in even the smallest Turkish towns. Most accept international credit cards or bank cards (a strip of logos is usually displayed above the ATM). Almost all ATMs have a language key to enable you to read the instructions in English. Most commercial establishments accept international credit cards, such as Visa, Master Card and American Express.

The value-added tax, here called KDV, is 18%. Hotels typically combine it with a service charge of 10% to 15%. Value-added tax is nearly always included in quoted prices. Certain shops are authorized to refund the tax so you must ask about this.

Postal Service
 
Major post offices are open from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Monday to Saturday, and 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Sunday. The open hours of small post-offices are the same as the government offices. Postal charges vary for different services depending on destination and weight of the letter. All PTT branches have the facilities to exchange money at the current international exchange rates, as well as international postal orders and travellers’ cheques. There is also an express postal service (APS) for letters, documents and small packages operating to 90 countries. A wide variety of special stamps are available in all PTT centres for philatelists.
 
Mobile Phones, Telephone & Internet
 
The major GSM operators in Türkiye are Turkcell, Vodafone and Avea. You can use your mobile phone in Türkiye if your provider has enabled international roaming. However, for exchange students we recommend that you buy a local prepaid SIM card here. Türkiye has very wide coverage networks so you shouldn’t have any problems with you calls.
 
Each Turkish mobile provider is assigned a range of area codes (or mobile prefixes). Turkcell uses numbers 530-539, Vodafone 541-549, and Avea 502-506.
 
For international calls from Türkiye you must dial 00 + country code + area code. For national calls within Türkiye you must dial 0 + area code + 7 digit local phone number. For local calls, dialling only the telephone number is sufficient.
 
Here are the area codes for Türkiye ´s major cities:
• Adana  322
• Ankara 312
• Antalya 242
• Bursa 224
• Istanbul (Asian side) 216
• Istanbul (European side) 212
• Izmir 232
 
Emergency Numbers
 
Emergency Phones (all over Türkiye)
110 - Fire
112 - Ambulance
115 - Third-party charges (International)
118 - Directory Assistance 
131 - Third-party charges (Inter-city) 
135 - Awakening service
153 - Municipal Police (Zabıta) 
154 - Traffic Police
155 - Police 
156 - Gendarmerie 
153 - Coastal Security 
170 – Tourism Info
177 - Forest Fire 
184 - Health Information
 
Things to Bring With You
 
All documents related to your exchange programme
Passport
Visa (if required)
Insurance documents
Identity Card  
Pocket money
For trips:
·      Bathing suit
·      Backpacks
·      Sleeping bags 
Driving License (if you have one) 
Camera 
And don’t forget to bring your prescribed medication paper if necessary
 
BANKS
 
There are 4 bank branches (Vakıfbank, Ziraat Bankası, Garanti Bankası and Akbank) and 10 ATMs on the University campus for the use of students, academic and administrative staff.
   
SHOPPING
 
Other than the many student canteens, restaurants, cafeterias and restrooms, there is a flower and souvenir shop, shoe repair service and three hairdressing salons on the campus. In Samsun, the main shopping areas for food, clothes, toys, presents, electric-electronic items etc. are Çiftlik (on İstiklal Caddesi), Mecidiye (on Gazi Caddesi) and Yabancılar Çarşısı at “Meydan” (City Square) . Other various sized shopping malls where you can find almost everything are: Piazza AVM (AVM means shopping mall), Bulvar AVM, Yeşilyurt AVM, Makro AVM, Lovelet, Migros, BIM, A101, Carrefour etc.
 
TRAVELLING

Türkiye is home to the world’s earliest settlements and numerous civilizations ranging from the tiniest of communities to the greatest of empires. It is the cradle of cultures and civilizations connecting Europe and Asia and also the capital of civilizations that have reined the lands of Anatolia for centuries.
Since the beginning of history, Anatolia, well known as one of the earliest settlements, has continued to flourish with the migration of various tribes, and accumulated a large cultural heritage through a line of succeeding empires and civilizations. Many empires ranging from the Sumerians to the Hittites, the Lydians to the Byzantines and the Seljuks to the Ottomans have once thrived and expired within the borders of Türkiye.

Almost every city in Türkiye has its own value of tourism, which reminds us of a paradise with its mountains, rivers, caves, ski resorts and beaches.
In Türkiye, there are 9 cultural and natural inheritances as the 'world heritage', a status given by UNESCO to internationally unique splendours, monuments and sites because they are worthy of protection and admiration.

Among many, here are some of the historical places you can enjoy visiting: Istanbul, city of Safranbolu (Karabük), Hattusas (Boğazköy)- Capital of Hittite (Çorum), Mount Nemrut (Adıyaman-Kahta), Xanthos-Letoon (Antalya-Muğla), Divriği Ulu Camii and Hospital (Sivas), the ancient city of Troy (Çanakkale), Pamukkale-Hierapolis (Denizli), Göreme National Park and Cappadocia (Nevşehir).

Samsun is a city in the Central Karadeniz (Black Sea) Region of Türkiye. It is the largest city and port on the Turkish Black Sea coast and has a special place in the republican history of Türkiye, as this is where the republic's founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, has set foot to start the War of Independence in 1919.

There are many places you can visit in Samsun as it is famous for its:

History that dates back to 7th Century B.C
Historical sites
Legend that the Amazons lived in Terme, Samsun
Thermal springs in Havza and Ladik
Hazelnut, tobacco and rice plantations
Bird wildlife
Kizilirmak Delta
Annual International Folk Dancing Festival
Samsun “Pide” and “Simit” and many more…

Visiting Türkiye and Samsun while you study will give you the opportunity to comprehend Türkiye's cultural and historical richness.

For more information: www.kulturvarliklari.gov.tr ; https://goturkey.com ; http://www.kultur.gov.tr ; http://samsun.gov.tr/index.php?islem=turizm-alternatifleri  

WEATHER

The Mediterranean and the Aegean climates are cool and characterized wet winters and hot, dry summers. The climate in the Aegean region of Türkiye is great throughout the year, even during the European winter.

The weather in the eastern region of Türkiye, bordering Georgia and Iraq, has hot summers and sometimes icy winters.

Türkiye’s climate and weather along the coast of the Black Sea is a continental climate, but during summer in northern Türkiye, humidity levels can be quite high. The weather in winter, particularly December and January, is cold and temperatures can drop below zero.

The weather in Türkiye’s capital, Ankara, as well as the central Anatolian region,  is cold in winter and hot and dry in summer. Central Türkiye’s climate is known as a mixture between a continental climate and a steppe climate.

For more information on weather in Türkiye http://www.mgm.gov.tr   

CULTURE, ART AND HISTORY

Recently, there is vividness in arts, such as cinema, theatre and music. International and national cinema, music and theatre festivals are organized throughout the year in most of the cities, especially in Ankara and İstanbul. To follow the events please visit: www.devtiyatro.gov.tr ; www.dobgm.gov.tr ; https://secure.dobgm.gov.tr/opera2013/devopera.aspx (Opera and Ballet in Samsun)

The main film festivals are: International Adana Golden Ball Film Festival, Ankara International Film Festival, İstanbul International Film Festival, International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, Bursa Silk Road Festival, Film çekimi, International Short Film Festival, Flying Broom International Women's Film Festival.

Some music festivals are: Ankara International Music Festival, Akbank Jazz Festival, Bursa Rock Festival, Rumeli Hisarı Concerts, Rock'n Coke, İzmir European Jazz Festival, İstanbul Jazz Festival, Freshtival, Rock İstanbul are important organizations where local and foreign artists take place in. Besides, spring festivals and music festivals are organized by the majority of the universities every year. For detailed information www.kultur.gov.tr  

If you are interested in history and culture, you can visit museums and the ruins which are over 300 in numbers, and also which are subject to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, for a year without paying anything by getting a 'museum card' (Müzekart) for a reasonable price and submitting your student id. The details could be found at: www.muze.gov.tr
 
MISCELLANEOUS FACTS
 
Local time:                            Standard time zone: UTC/GMT + 2 hours
Electricity :                            The electrical current in Türkiye is 220 volts, 50 cycles alternating current    
(AC); wall outlets take Continental-type plugs, with two or three round prongs.
Tap water :                             Safe to drink in all cities since it has been chlorinated.
Weights and measures :       Metric system.
Foreign newspapers :           Available in large cities and tourist areas.

TIME DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TÜRKİYE AND SOME OTHER COUNTRIES

OPENING HOURS OF….
 

A BIT OF TURKISH: VOCABULARY AND SOME EXPRESSIONS