ARRIVAL TO THE CITY
Turkey demands an official entry visa from citizens of several countries. Before your departure to Turkey it is better to check with a Turkish consulate in your country to determine if you need a visa. In some cases, you can obtain a visa upon arrival at Ataturk airport for a small fee. After passing from the passport control, it is appropriate to declare your foreign currency and your valuable objects and have it recorded in your passport. As elsewhere too, there are limits on the amount of alcoholic drinks and cigarettes that can be brought in: two boxes of cigarettes, 50 cigars, 200 grams of tobacco and 2.5 liters of alcoholic drinks are allowed.
WORK HOURS AND HOLIDAYS
Banks are open weekdays from 8:30 AM until noon or 12:30 PM, depending on the bank, and from 1:30 PM until 5.00 PM. However, there are some banks which continue to serve during lunch breaks.
Museums are generally open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 AM until 5.00 PM or 5:30 PM and closed on Monday. Palaces are open the same hours but are closed on Thursday. For specific information on museums, please visit our museums section.
Shops and bazaars are normally open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 AM to 1.00 PM and from 2.00 PM to 7.00 PM, and closed all day on Sunday. But most stores in shopping malls and crowded streets are open seven days a week, including lunch breaks.
You can find restaurants or cafes open virtually at any time of the day or night.
HOLIDAYS
January 1 (New Year's Day), December 24-26, 2000 (Seker Bayram, marking the end of Ramadan), March 5-8, 2001(Kurban Bayram, another important religious holiday). Muslim religious holidays are based on the lunar calendar and will shift about 10 days backwards each year. The dates given here for the Seker and Kurban holidays are for 2000 and 2001.
April 23 (National Independence and Childrens Day), May 19 (Ataturk's Commemoration Day), August 30 (Zafer Bayram, or Victory Day), October 29 (Cumhuriyet Bayram, or Republic Day, celebrating AtatŸrk's proclamation of the Turkish republic in 1923).
VISITING THE MOSQUES
Most mosques in Istanbul are open to the public during the day. Prayer sessions, called namaz, last 30 to 40 minutes and are observed five times daily. Tourists should, however, avoid visiting mosques midday on Friday, when Muslims are required to worship.
For women, bare arms and legs are not acceptable inside a mosque. Men should avoid wearing shorts as well. Women should not enter a mosque without first covering their heads with a scarf.  Before entering a mosque, shoes must be removed.
MAIL
Post offices are painted bright yellow and have PTT (Post, Telegraph, and Telephone) signs on the front. The central Post office is open Monday through Saturday from 8 AM to 9 PM, Sunday from 9 AM to 7PM. Smaller ones are open Monday through Friday between 8:30 AM and 5.00 PM.
THE MONEY
The monetary unit is the Turkish lira (TL), which comes in bank notes of 250.000; 500,000; 1,000,000, 5.000,000 and 10.000.000. Smaller denominations come in coins of 25,000; 50,000 and 100.000.
In Istanbul, traveler's checks are rarely accepted. 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.
VAT
The value-added tax, here called KDV, is 17%. Hotels typically combine it with a service charge of 10% to 15%, and restaurants usually add a 15% service charge.
Value-added tax is nearly always included in quoted prices. Certain shops are authorized to refund the tax (ask).
ELECTRICITY
The electrical current in Turkey is 220 volts, 50 cycles alternating current (AC); wall outlets take Continental-type plugs, with two or three round prongs.
SAFETY & SECURITY
The streets of Istanbul are considerably safer than their counterparts in the United States or Western Europe. Travelers should nevertheless take care of their valuables, as pickpockets, although not as common as in the U.S. or Europe, do operate in the major cities and tourist areas.
POLICE
Tourism police Tel. (0212) 527 45 03