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Sunday, September 30, 2007

Before going to Istanbul

VISA REQUIREMENTS
At the time of writing the citizens of the following countries need to obtation visas at the airport upun arrival hall. Visas are paid in foreign currency as follows.
Britain £10.
U.S.A. US$ 20.
Austria 150 Shillings.
Spain US$ 10.
Italy US$ 5.
Russia US$ 10.

TURKISH INFORMATION OFFICES ABROAD
AUSTRALIA Suite 101, 280 George Street Sydney NSW 2000 AUSTRALIA, (61-2) 223 30 55 (61-2) 223 32 04
AUSTRIA Singer Strasse 2/81010 Wien, AUSTRIA (43-1) 512 2128-29 (43-1) 513 83 26
BELGIUM Rue Montayer 4,1040 Bruxelles, Belgium (32-2) 513 82 30-502 26 Z 1 (32-2) 51179 51
CANADA 360 Albert Street, Suite 801 Ottawa, Ontario, K1R 7Xï CANADA (613) 230 86 54 .613) 230 36 83
DENMARK Vesterbrogade I1 A,1620 Copenhagen VENMARK (45-31) 22 31 DO-2.3 83 74 (45-31) 22 90 68
ENGLAND First Floor, 170-173 Piccadilly London WI V 9DD- ENGLAND(44-71) 355 42 07 (44-71) .19107 73
FINLAND Mikonkatu 6 C 18, 00100, Helsinki, Finland (35-80) 66 60 44 - 66 60 55 (35-80) 66 60 61
FRANCE 102, avenue des Champs-Ely,sees, 75008 Paris, FRANCE (33-1) 4562 2610-4562 2611 (33-1) 4563 8105
GERMANY Tauentzien Str. 7,10789 Berlin, GERMANY (49-30) 214 37 52 (49-30) 214 39 52 Baseler Strasse 37, 60329 Frankfurt-Main, GERMANY (49-69) 23 30 81-23 30 82 (49-69) 23 27 51 Karlsplatz 3/1, 80335 München, GERMANY (49-89) 59 49 02-59 4317 (49-89) 550 4138
ISRAIL Ben Yehuda, 63801, Tel-Aviv, ISRAEL (972 3) 517 6157-51717 31 ( 972-3) 517 63 03-605 4I 56
ITALY Piazza Della Repubblica 56, 00185 Roma-ITALY (39-6) 48713 93 ß9-6) 488 24 25
JAPAN 233-6 Jingumae Shibuya-Ku Tokyo, JAPAN (81-3) 3470 63 80 (81-3) 3470 60 37
KUWAIT PO. Box 15518 DE,EYAH, 35456 KUWAfT (965) 242 42 48 (965) 242 42 98
SINGAPORE 20-B Nassim Road, Singapore, 1025 SINGAPORE (65) 732 97 02-ï32 85 71 (65) 732 80 32
SPAIN Pza, de Espana, Torre de Madrid, l.3-3 Madrid,SPAIN (34-1) 559 70 14-559 71 14 (34-I) 547 62 87
SWEDEN Kungsgatan 3 S-111 43 Stockholm, S.'EDEN (46-81679 83 20-679 83 21 (46-8) 611 38 28
SWITZERLAND Talsırasse 74, 8001 Zürich, 5.'l'lTZERLAND (41-1) 221 08 10-221 08 1Z (41-1) 212 17 49
THE NEDERLANDS Herengrancht 451, 1017 BS Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS (31-20) 626 68 10-624 40 06 (31-20 ) 622 22 83
USA 821, United Nations Plaza, New Ynrk N.Y l U017, l.SA 1(21216R7 21 94-5-6 1(212) 599 75 68 1 î 17 Massachusetts A.,enue N.V.' Suite 306, \'..Washington D.C.20036, USA (1-?02) 429 98 44 (1-202) 429 56 49

HOW TO GET THERE
Turkish Airlines THY run competitive flights to Istanbul from all over the world, alongside the major national carriers, though in some cases from other continents it may prove worthwhile to take a cheaper flight into Europe and to take a connecting flight from there. From northern Europe, the distance, the steady rise in popularity of Turkey as a tourist destination, and the visa restrictions of Bulgaria and Romania combine to make travel by air often the cheapest, and by far the most convenient, direct route to Istanbul. Those with an eye on their budget should scan newspapers and travel agents for huge discounts and charter flights, especially, but not only, during the tourist seasons, and will probably find the effort very well rewarded. It should be noted that a cheap charter (flight to Greece is a false economy for anything more than a daily trip as the return flight becomes invalid after only a single night's stay in Turkey owing to Greek subsidy regulations). On arrival at lstanbul Ataturk Airport there is a rapidly improving bus service (HAVAS) to take you through Aksaray to Taksim. Also, you may always use your attentive taxi driver, which is not too expensive either.

BY LAND
By comparison, travel by land is strictly for those coming from closer, or with places to go en route. By bus, though, for longer distances it's only the sight rather than the feel of the places that's on offer as the journey can't usually be broken and rejoined, and interminable border crossings and transit visas only reinforce the feelings that your holiday would be best spent in Istanbul itself rather than on the way, there.

BY CAR
By car there are likely to be similar border concerns, and visas should be looked into well in advance of crossing the Balkans. The most attractive route is to park your car on a boat in Venice for a more relaxed Mediterranean voyage to Izmir, where you'll be able to compare the Italian style of driving with the Turkish as you head up the Aegean coast to Istanbul. For entry into Turkey, an international driving licence and insurance are necessary, and for tax purposes the same car must be with you when you leave.

BY RAIL
By rail, too, you can normally arrange to break your journey and explore the lands you are crossing, but with flying a cheaper alternative, then unless you have a specific destination en route, train travel should only be considered by those with a deep fear of both flying and buses. For the incurably romantic with plenty of money and little sense of direction there is always the Orient Express, but unfortunately it no longer goes as far as Istanbul and you'll have to make your own way from Venice.
The scope of this guide stops at saluting and wishing well the bold and energetic few who are already convinced to undertake the journey by bycycle...
The Orient Express
Inaugurated in 1883 by a French railway company the Orient Express soon became the stuff legends are made of. Originally travelling from Paris through Munich, Vienna and Sophia to the Slrkeci station of Istanbul, passengers could continue the journey, travelling by, boat across the bosphorus to the Haydarpasa Railway Station to join the Taurus Express to Anatolia. Although the route varied throughout the years it ran from Paris to Istanbul, a distance of 3186 kilometers. A monument to the hedonistic days of the late l9th and early 20th century it was the most luxurious long distance rail journey in the history of travel. Royalty; aristocracy; the rich and the famous travelled regularly on the orient express. Its passenger list read like a volume of "who's who". Gourmet chefs, chandeliers, fully equipped bathrooms, staterooms and dining rooms on par with the Ritz were all part of the train. It takes on a myth like quality in our current times of `functional' travel. Woven into the plot af many books, it is remembered today mainly through Agatha Christie's book (and later a film) "Murder on the Orient Express"
The Orient Express slowly declined in the 1930s with the Simplon Orient Express and the Arlberg Orient Express partially replacing it. ln the 1980s the Orient Express was re-introduced by enterpreuneurs running from Paris to Vienna (1390km) and from Stuttgart to Prague(1253km). The "Orient Express" surely being a misnomer for these routes.. Unfortunately in the 1990s we are more interested in the speed we can reach our destination rather than the journey itself. The days of opulent train travel are long gone but the mere mention of the name Orient Express still evoke visions of past glories.

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