Your first stop for visitor information on Turkey should be the official tourist website of Turkey catering to your country (www.gototurkey.com.au in Australia, www.turkishembassy.com in Canada, www.gototurkey.co.uk in the U.K., and www.tourismturkey.org in the U.S.).
In addition to offices at Atatürk Airport (tel. 0212/465-3451 or 465-3151) and in Sirkeci train station (tel. 0212/511-5888), you may stumble upon an official tourist office (Turizm Ofisi) in one of the many tourist hubs around town. The location at the northeast corner of Sultanahmet Meydani near Divanyolu (tel. 0212/518-1802) is pretty handy, as are the ones in Taksim Meydani (tel. 0212/245-6876), in the Hilton Hotel Arcade (tel. 0212/233-0592), in Beyazit Meydani (near the tramway exit outside of the Grand Bazaar; tel. 0212/522-4902), and at the Karaköy Seaport (tel. 0212/249-5776). If you're out and about and encounter trouble (pickpockets, scams, muggings), stop in to the passably multilingual Tourism Police at Yerebatan Cad. 6 in Sultanahmet (tel. 0212/527-4503 or 528-5369).
The Turkish Ministry of Culture (www.kultur.gov.tr) has an excellent website that contains cultural information, events, regional resources, and current-events articles. The site also offers virtual tours of state museums, as well as notable historic Ottoman palaces, mosques, and Byzantine-era churches. The Istanbul Governorship (http://english.istanbul.gov.tr) also maintains a website with travel information specific to Istanbul. Another great site for events listings in Istanbul and Ankara as well as useful general information is www.mymerhaba.com, created by expats for expats living in Turkey.
In the U.S., the Turkish Government Tourist Office has a presence in: 821 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017 (tel. 212/687-2194); 2525 Massachusetts Ave., Ste. 306, Washington, DC 20008 (tel. 202/612-6800); and 5055 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 850, Los Angeles, CA 90036 (tel. 323/937-8066). At these offices, you can stock up on maps, brochures, ferry schedules to Greece, and access to practical information via an interactive computer database. Turkey also maintains consulates in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and New York as well as honorary consulates in Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, Flowood (MS), Liberty (KS), San Francisco, and Seattle. For contact information, visit the embassy website, www.washington.emb.mfa.gov.tr.
Canadian requests go through the Washington, D.C., office. The Embassy in Canada is at 197 Wurtemburg St., Ottawa, ON K1N 8L9 (tel. 613/789-4044; fax 613/789-3442; www.turkishembassy.com). You can also call the Consular Call Center at tel. 888/566-7656.
In the U.K., contact the Turkish Culture & Tourism Office at 4th Fl., 29-30 St. James's St., London SW1A 1HB (tel. 020/7839-7778). The embassy is at 43 Belgrave Sq., London SW1X 8PA (tel. 020/7393-0202; fax 020/7393-0066; www.gototurkey.co.uk).
There are no travel offices in Australia or New Zealand. The embassy is at Canberra, 6 Moona Place, Yarralumla, ACT 2600 (tel. 02/6234-0000; fax 02/6273-4402; www.kanberra.be.mfa.gov.tr).
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
