Istanbul Guide

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Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth & Sports Day 19 May Democracy and Freedoms Day 15 July Victory Day 30 August Republic Day 29 October Religious festivals are cele- brated according to the Muslim lunar Hejira calen dar. Two of these festivals (Şeker Bayramı and Kurban Bayramı) are also public holidays. Şeker Bayramı is a three-day festival at the end of Ramazan, and Kurban Bayramı, the most important religious holiday of the year, is a four-day festival whose date changes each year. Dur ing these festivals, banks and offices are closed and hotels, buses, trains and planes are heavily booked. Though most restaurants and cafes open to serve non-Muslims during the holy month of Ramazan (called Ramadan in other countries), it’s polite to avoid smoking, eating and drinking in the street during this period. Smoking Officially forbidden in all hotels and enclosed restau rant and bar spaces. Telephone If you are in European İstanbul and wish to call a number in Asian İstanbul, you must dial % 0216 before the number. If you are in Asian İstanbul and wish to call a number in European İstanbul, use % 0212. Do not use a prefix (that is, don’t use the % 0212/6) if you are calling a number on the same shore.

one, five, 10, 25 and 50 kuruş and one lira; notes come in five, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 lira.

International access code

% 00

Directory inquiries % 118 International operator % 115 Mobile Phones ¨ ¨ Mobile phone reception is excellent in İstanbul. ¨ ¨ All mobile phone numbers start with a four-figure code beginning with % 05. ¨ ¨ There are three major net works: Turkcell (www.turkcell. com.tr), Vodafone (www. vodafone.com.tr) and Avea (www.avea.com.tr). Each has shops throughout the city sell ing prepaid SIM cards (kontürlü SIM karts) that can be used in foreign phones. The cards operate for up to 120 days and cost around ₺85 (including ₺30 in local call credit). An internet data pack with the SIM will cost around ₺25/30/40/60 for 1/2/4/8 GB and a pack for international calls will cost an extra ₺30/60 or so for one/ two hours credit. Ask the staff in the shop to suggest the most cost-effective solution for your needs. Once you have the SIM, it can be recharged with kontürs in amounts of ₺20 upwards. ¨ ¨ When you purchase the SIM, ask the staff to organise the activation for you (you’ll need to show your passport). The account should activate almost immediately. ¨ ¨ Note that Turkey uses the standard GSM network operat ing on 900MHz or 1800MHz, so not all US and Canadian phones work here. Time İstanbul time is Eastern Euro pean Time (EET), three hours ahead of Coordinated Univer sal Time (UTC, alias GMT). The Turkish government decided in September 2016

Opening Hours Opening hours vary wildly across businesses and ser vices in İstanbul. The follow ing is a very general guide. Bars Afternoon to early morning 8.30am–5pm Monday to Friday Restaurants & Cafes Breakfast 7.30am–10.30am, lunch noon– 2.30pm, dinner 6.30pm–10pm Shops 10am–7pm Monday to Saturday Post ¨ ¨ Post offices are known as PTTs (peh-teh-teh; Posta, Telefon, Teleğraf) and have black-and-yellow signs. ¨ ¨ İstanbul’s Central Post Office (Merkez Postane; Map p238; % 444 1788; www.ptt. gov.tr; Büyük Postane Caddesi; h 8.30am-5pm; j Sirkeci) is several blocks southwest of Sirkeci train station. ¨ ¨ The yurtdışı slot is for mail to foreign countries, yurtiçi is for mail to other Turkish cities, and şehiriçi is for mail within İstanbul. ¨ ¨ Mail delivery is fairly reliable. For more information on PTT services, go to www.ptt.gov.tr. Public Holidays Banks, offices and govern ment services close for the day on the following secular public holidays. New Year’s Day 1 January National Sovereignty & Chil dren’s Day 23 April Labor & Solidarity Day 1 May Directory A–Z  OPENING HOURS Nightclubs 11pm till late Post Offices & Banks

Country code

% 90

% 0212 % 0216

European İstanbul Asian İstanbul Code to make an intercity call

% 0 + local code