The Country’s Peculiarities
Turkey is a country of rich cultural and historical values. The population of Turkey shows a very friendly and affable face towards foreigners and treats them as respected guests. In turn you need to respect the culture of the country where you will be living. This and a few other simple rules will help you to make the most of your stay in Turkey. The special pride of the country is Turkish cuisine with plenty of tasty and unusual dishes made of meat, fish and also pastry and sweets such as the world famous "Lokum" (Turkish Delight).

The average price of service and meals
The College of Tourism has already taken care of your accomodation and food for your period of study in Antalya. However, it will be useful for you to learn some of the local prices in Antalya in order that you are a bit better informed as to your spending.

Please see below the approximate prices in Turkish lira "YTL",
1 YTL is 19.39 Russian rubles or  USD 0,82 or UKP 0.42:

(correct as of 29th May 2008 international currency markets will fluctuate and the college makes no guarantees as to the accuracy  of the information provided)

Currency exchange
We recommend using local currency (YTL) when buying goods, or paying for services . If you pay in  US dollars or euros the price will be higher.
New Turkish Lira (the word Yeni – new, presents at face value) were introduced at the beginning of 2005 and replaced the old Turkish liras (1 YTL = 1 000 000 TL). The circulation is issued in 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 lira notes, coins come in values of 1 lira 50 Kurus, 25, 10, 5 and 1 kurus. The old notes are not accepted. In May 2008 1 USD will buy around 1,23 YTL.
It is not recommended to exchange large amounts of money into YTL at the airport before or after arrival. The rate at the airport is normally not the best available. You can also exchange dollars and euro in the numerous bureau de change in the city or in the banks. You can also obtain Turkish Lira from cash machines from your credit or debit cards such as Visa or Mastercard (N.B. your bank will probably make a charge for this service).

Transport
The public transport service is well developed in Antalya. From one place to another you can go either by bus or by dolmush (mini bus). At the time of writing The bus fare is 1 YTL. If you are not at a bus stop you just need to raise your hand and the dolmush will stop. In the city centre some places stopping is forbidden.
You can also use the abundant taxis. There are "always" taximeters. Make sure that they are started at the beggining of your trip. A trip around the city can cost around 30-60 YTL. You should remember that during the night the price of taxis goes up.

Post office and telephone
You can find Post Offices in Turkey by looking for the letters "PTT" on a yellow background most of them have telephones you can use. You can dial Russia by dialing the code: 007 + city code + phone number.
You can call home both from the hotel (expensive) and from phone booths. You can buy phone cards for these at the Post Office.
In Turkey there are three main mobile operators: Turkcell, Vodaphone and Avea. You can use your own phones roaming connection but it is better to buy a Turkish SIM-Card. N.B Mobile phones are taxable for import and "non tax paid phones" get cut off by the network after a period. it may be cheaper to buy one in Turkey when you arrive.

Local time
There is a -1 hour time difference with Moscow (eg. Moscow 12.00 Antalya 11.00). All the meetings, gatherings for excursions and other arrangements are organized in local time. The arrival times stated on plane tickets are also local time.

The price of tourist visas
(information for 2005)

Antalya Weather
Antalya weather is dry and warm during almost the whole year and favours to the amazing vacations. During summer the temperature in Antalya is 25-30 С. The sun shines almost all year long at the Antalya sea side. One can swim during the period of time from April till October. The water temperature during this period at the Antalya sea side is around 20-26С.

Air Temperature

The average definitions of air temperature and water temperature

According to the opinions of many widely travelled tourists, Turkey is a most hospitable and comfortable place to live. This can be seen in everything, starting with the ability to visit for a holiday without having to obtain a visa at your local consulate and finishing with invitations to drink tea at any store. In Turkey good hospitality is not considered to be unusual and is the norm rather than an exception, for almost every Turkish person. We hope you will come and see for yourself.

Antalya itself also represents a major centre of international tourism and recreation. Many foreigners from Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Russia and many other countries live here happily.

May you too discover for yourself this beautiful place.

Antalya is waiting for you!