Travel

Travel Note

To and From the Airport

To and From the Airport Take a taxi! There are lots at the airport, and there are three different classes, with different cars and different fares: Black “E” taxis are most expensive and have nicest cars, blue “D” taxis are middle-priced, and orange “C” taxis are most economical. Black taxis cost 70% more than orange, for example. **Ask the rough price ahead of time and MAKE SURE THE DRIVER USES THE METER--there is no such thing as a fixed fare, and a common scam is to tell you there is a fixed fare.** **Bring cash for the taxi--they supposedly take cards, but American credit cards are increasingly hard to use. We recommend you change some cash at the airport for TL at a currency exchange--there are ATMs at the airport, too, but Jessie tried one with an American card yesterday and it didn't work.** According to the Mariott, the taxi should cost maximum 500TL, which is about $28--however, this could vary a bit based on the traffic and the class of taxi you take. We would budget $50 to be safe.  Expect it to take an hour or more from the airport to your hotel. You can arrange a private transfer through the hotel but at the JW Marriott, the price they gave was 170 Euros and I'm not sure I would trust them to show up anyway. More info on taxis here:  https://www.istairport.com/en/passenger/transport/airport-transfers/taxi?locale=en

Travel Note

COVID

We are going to try to be relatively careful on COVID because Jessie's parents have not had it yet and both have underlying health conditions--and they are traveling after Istanbul. Bulent's parents recently had COVID, so we are somewhat less worried about them. We will provide daily tests for everyone, we have a doctor we can call if needed, and Turkey has pretty good medical care overall. All events are either fully outdoors or indoors but with an open wall of windows/doors -- and please feel free to mask as much as makes you comfortable! 

Travel Note

Passport and Visa Information

PASSPORT Passports must be valid for six months beyond your entry date. You will be denied entry into Turkey if there is not enough space for entry and exit stamps in your passport. VISA If American, you need a visa. Purchase it for $50 here: www.evisa.gov.tr They recommend applying at least 48 hours before travel because it can take 24 hours to process. Usually you get it in 30min or so, though! If the site won't work, try another browser. If European you may not need a visa; If Pakistani, you do need a visa if traveling on an ordinary passport. Check the requirements for your passport nationality here: https://www.mfa.gov.tr/visa-information-for-foreigners.en.mfa

Travel Note

How to get to the main tourist area Sultanahmet

From the Novotel and JW Marriott, take the T1 tram from Karikoy, about a 5min walk, or from Tophane, about a 5min walk to Sultanahmet. You can get tickets at little machines and tickets cost under $1. Theoretically they take credit cards but in our experience that is theoretical. Just use cash. The tram takes 15min and runs every 5-15min. The tram is easier than a taxi because there is always traffic in and out of Sultanahmet.

Travel Note

Getting Around Istanbul

Taxis are available, and Uber in Istanbul will only call a normal taxi. Taxis often don't take American credit cards, so do carry some Turkish cash with you. At peak times, it can be hard to get a taxi; you can always get a taxi at a reputable hotel. Ferries cost under $1 and you can get a ticket at a machine--you may need cash to do so. The trams are similarly inexpensive and you can get tickets at machines for these, too.

Travel Note

How to Pay in Turkey

American credit cards sometimes don't work in Turkey, so we do recommend carrying some Turkish lira in cash. The good news is that Turkey is inexpensive, so you don't need much to get around and pay for coffees, etc. There are a decent number of cash machines in Istanbul as well. This is what we usually use. There are currency exchanges all over, including at the airport. We recommend getting some cash at the airport for the taxi at least.

Travel Note

Cats! And allergies!

There are cats absolutely everywhere in Turkey, so if you are allergic, you should definitely bring allergy medication and keep it with you. If you sit at an outdoor cafe, for example, there 100% for sure was a cat sitting on your seat in the previous 24 hours.

Hotel

Novotel, J W Marriott, and Mandarin

If you don't have a room, contact Bulent with dates and desired rooms. He will liase to book you the rooms you wanted try to get you a special group discount--it may be too late for the group discount depending on the hotel, though. All prices are quoted as double occupancy, single is ~15 EUR/night less bdemir76@gmail.com  text (347) 255-3551 ----> Novotel 5 stars (technically): ~180-350 EUR/night, includes breakfast. Without breakfast is about 15 EUR/night less. ----> J. W. Marriott 5 stars (sort of): ~275-450 EUR/night, does not include breakfast ----> Mandarin Oriental 5 stars (yes): 800 EUR+/night For the Mandarin only: Please contact Cindy at CRogin@mansourtravel.com. There is no fee, and booking through her will get slightly better rates and usually a $100 hotel credit. Tell her you are with us!