Turkey

Polish citizens traveling to Turkey for tourist purposes for a period not exceeding 90 days within 180 days are not required to have a visa, but are required to have a passport valid for 3 months after the date of return to the country.

There are no vaccinations required before travelling to Turkey, but there is a risk of food poisoning caused by other bacterial flora. Before travelling, it is worth considering getting vaccinated against tetanus, diphtheria and polio (approx. PLN 150) and foodborne hepatitis (approx. PLN 250 for each dose of the vaccine). Vaccination prices are given in accordance with the current price list of the Vaccination Centre of the Krakow Specialist Hospital of John Paul II.

In Turkey, tipping is common! In restaurants and cafes, it is appropriate to leave a tip of 5-10% of the bill, and it is also worth remembering to tip guides, porters, and hotel staff. When traveling by taxi, simply round up the bill to the nearest whole amount.

Food prices in Turkey are comparable to Polish prices or slightly lower. The cheapest snack is a kebab, which you can buy for around 8 TRY. A meal in a cheap restaurant will cost 22-30 TRY, while a dinner for two in a better restaurant will cost around 70-130 TRY.

Sample prices in stores:

Mineral water 0,5 l – 0,5 TRY
Local beer 0,5 l – 6 TRY
Imported beer 0,5 l – 15 TRY
Raki (vodka) 0,5 l – 50 TRY
Coffee – 22 TRY
Coca-Cola 1 l – 2 TRY
Fruits – from 2,5 TRY
Meal at a local restaurant – 25 TRY
Meal in a restaurant – from 45 TRY
Kebab – 13 TRY
Halva 0,5 kg – 7 TRY
Olive oil 1 l – 13 TRY

Due to the fact that Turkey is located at the crossroads of two cultures – Eastern and Western, Asian and European, it offers the opportunity to gain various experiences, including culinary ones, and its cuisine is widely considered to be one of the best in the world. First of all, it is extremely aromatic, famous especially for juicy, perfectly seasoned meats. In addition, all kinds of stuffings are extremely popular in Turkey, although the cuisine itself is characterized by extraordinary simplicity. Turks combine meat with vegetables and spices selected for them, which gives amazing effects. Of course, tea is extremely popular as a beverage, which is served in small glasses with a shape resembling an hourglass. The broth must be hot, strong, and often abundantly sweetened. Coffee, in turn, is drunk in three ways: sweet, semi-sweet and completely bitter. Raki is a traditional drink in Turkey, the national alcohol – aniseed vodka with a delicate aftertaste of licorice. Another drink originating from Turkish tradition is ayran – yoghurt with water and salt, often with foam, which is often drunk with spicy kebab. Sweets are invariably associated with the Turkish land, which are sold in bunches at local markets, and their flavours, colours and shapes are characterised by an extraordinary diversity. One of the well-known sweets is of course baklava, a baked layered cake made of a special dough, the layers of which are filled with nuts with sugar or honey. Turks also like to reach for a delicacy from Iran, namely halva made of caramel. During a holiday in Turkey, you will often see characteristic fruit-flavoured jellies sprinkled with powdered sugar at the market. This delicacy, loved in the Eastern world, is called “rachatlukum”.

The most famous dishes include:

Borek – filo pastry dumplings (sometimes puff pastry) stuffed with meat, cheese or vegetables. The name comes from the Turkish verb "bur" meaning "to wrap". They look like a pancake or a dumpling.
Dolma – stuffed vegetables or rice with meat wrapped in grape leaves.
Pilaf – a dish from the Eastern world, which dates back several centuries. It consists of rice, lamb and fish, which are fried in olive oil or boiled in broth. The additions and type of meat often depend on the cook's own invention.
Imambayildi – stuffed eggplant in olive oil.
Kebab – this dish needs no introduction, and the number of its varieties can make even the greatest gourmet dizzy. The traditional Turkish version is made from lamb, but poultry or veal are also allowed. Kebab is served in a special bun or pita bread with various vegetables and sauces to choose from.

• Türkiye has the highest per capita tea consumption in the world, with approximately 96% of the population drinking at least a cup of tea a day.
• Turks are overwhelmingly very young – half of the country's population is under 30, 23,4% is under the age of 14, and only 8,5% of the population is over 65.
• Istanbul is the only city in the world built on two continents. This ancient city is located mainly on the Asian continent, but a small part of it is also located in Europe.
• The national sport is olive wrestling, in which competitors anoint their entire bodies to make it difficult for their opponents to grab them. They are clad only in leather trousers made of buffalo hide, which weigh about thirteen kilograms.
• It was from Turkey that coffee came to Europe!
• Saint Nicholas was not born at the North Pole, but in Patara, in the southwestern part of Turkey. He was the bishop of Myra in Lycia and became famous for miracles and helping the poor, and his life became the basis of many legends and stories.
• The most commonly purchased souvenir is a glass eye, called a nazar boncugu, which is supposed to protect against spells and evil spirits.
• The Istanbul metro tunnel is the world's second oldest underground railway after London, opened in 1875 and still in operation.
• The Ottoman Empire was one of the few countries that did not recognize the partitions of Poland.
• Most Turks did not have surnames until a law was passed in 1934 requiring their creation.
• Several hundred years ago, Turkish women could legally divorce if their husbands did not provide them with enough... coffee!
• The highest peak in Turkey is Mount Ararat (5137 m above sea level) – an extinct volcano named after the god of death and rebirth, Ara. It was under this mountain that the biblical Ark of Noah supposedly stopped after the flood.
• The Turkish flag is a red rectangle with a white moon and a star on it. According to legend, this form of the flag was created after the Battle of Kosovo, when at night, by the light of the Moon and Venus, Turkish soldiers searched for their comrades on the battlefield. Many of them were found in huge pools of blood.
• The country's largest city, Istanbul, mistakenly considered by many to be the capital, adopted its name only in 1930; before that it was called Constantinople.
• Children's Day in Turkey falls on April 23 – schools are closed, and people working in offices are also off.
• On the outskirts of Istanbul, there is a village called Polonezkoy, founded in the mid-19th century, where many people of Polish origin live. According to tradition, a Pole is always elected as the mayor.