Useful Information About Istanbul
Banking Hours & Shopping: Banks are open weekdays from 09:00 to noon and from 13:30 to 16:30. USD and major credit cards are widely accepted. Shops are generally open from 09:00 to 19:00, Monday through Saturday. Shops are closed on Sundays. However, in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and resort areas, the shops and shopping malls are open daily from 10:00 to 21:00/22:00.
Tipping: Though service charges may be included in general, it is customary to show your appreciation to hotel staff, to the waiters, if you feel satisfied. We suggest the following tipping scale: Hotels staff 5 YTL; usually 10% of the bills at restaurants (you are not expected to tip more than 30-40 YTL in any case) and a round up at taxis.
Local Transportation: The possibilities are bus, boat, taxi and subway. The systems are relatively simple once you get to use it. The major destinations are Eminonu, Besiktas and Taksim. Yet, 2-3 days may be a bit short to decipher the system (unfortunately, it is not user friendly). We suggest you to take a taxi which are abundant and relatively cheap compared to Europe. The subway in Istanbul is very young and extends to a very limited area.
Buses: The ticket is for getting on the bus, and it is not linked to your destination so there is no need to explain to someone where you are going. The ticket ("otobus bileti" or simply "bilet") cannot be purchased on the bus. At sizeable bus stops, such as the ones in Bebek or Rumeli Hisarustu, there is a booth that sells bus tickets so. Often other booths which sell soft drinks and newspapers also sell bus tickets. It is convenient to buy a group of tickets so that, if you need a bus at a small bus stop, you avoid the problem of trying to find a ticket. The colors of buses are irrelevant. What is relevant is the destination sign on the front of the bus, and sign on the right side (next to the entrance door) which describes its route. These signs also have route numbers. The bus-stops usually have the location displayed on the sign. With a city map, you can follow where the bus is going by noting these signs.
From campus: Upper Road: From Rumeli Hisarustu virtually all buses go to Taksim, Besiktas or Eminonu. All of them go through Etiler and Levent. Lower, Coastal Road: This line is for either Taksim or Eminonu via Besiktas.
To campus: Upper Road: You want a bus that says Rumeli Hisarustu on the font. With a bit of experience, you will also be able to make use of buses that say Etiler or Levent. For the upper road, your destination is one stop before the end of the line. Lower, Coastal Road: Bebek is usually not the final destination of these buses. Instead, you look for Sariyer and then look to be sure that one of the stops listed on the side of the bus is Bebek. General Comments: Buses are frequently crowded. Younger males yield seats to older people as a kind of reflex. No smoking is allowed. People exit from the rear. The button to get the driver to stop at the next exit is over the door; an illuminated sign before the driver means that someone has already pushed the button.
Taxis: Taxis are plentiful in Istanbul and are inexpensive by US standards. In this regard, Istanbul is easy for newcomers. No matter where you happen to get lost or run out of steam, you are likely to find an empty taxi to take you back to familiar surroundings. All taxis use meters; be sure the driver turns the meter on. The cost is what the meter says. Drivers always recognize the major part of the city you want to go to (i.e. Taksim) and need that information in order to take you to some particular address. Returning to the campus is accomplished by asking for Etiler and then Bogazici Universty.
Boats: The boat dock is at Bebek. This is a very pleasant way to travel, less crowded during rush hour than one would expect, and also a rapid way to get downtown on a weekday morning. Weekdays there are two early morning boats which go to Eminonu. Along the way they stop at Ortakoy and Besiktas. The schedule is posted at the dock, inside the waiting room. You purchase a token from the ticket window at the dock. If the boat comes and ticket windows is closed, then a boat worker will sell you the token. Going south, the final destination is Eminonu. These boats dock at a particular landing. To return from there, study the schedule posted inside the waiting room and look for boats that return to Bebek.
It is advised to use Akbil (Smart Ticket) for buses and boats. You can buy credits for your Akbil from the Akbil office in front of the Bogazici University bus stop.
Istanbul's Climate: It is not possible to put into one type the climate of region where Istanbul is completely located. The city has different climate conditions from many areas of inhabitance because of its geographical location and physical geography.
Three types of climate is dominant in Istanbul throughout the year. These are north and south entering climates and mild climate. The climates dependent on west and east directional winds are trivial. The most frequent of the three is the climate observed when northern winds are dominant. There are four phases according to the seasons; cold, hot, and two transitional phases: One of which is long and the other is short.
The climate in Istanbul is predominately mild with temperatures, even in winter, never sinking below freezing. Lightweight clothes are definitely advisable in summer, as it can become quite hot. During the summer, people will not expect you to wear a jacket to formal meetings.
|
