Side

On the border / visa
On arrival to Antalya airport you need to buy a tourist visa. It costs €15/$20. Your passport should be valid for the next 3 months and the visa is valid for 30 days. Side is about 70km from Antaly Airport.

Vaccinations
No vaccinations are needed.

Currency
The currency is Turkish Lira (1TL = €0,46 or $0.62 date: Feb. 2011).

Language
Turkish is the Official Language.

Current / Cell phone network coverage
Voltage is the same as in Eurpe and connectors for plug-ins will not be needed. Mobile networks are normally available. Just remember to run a roaming option prior to departure with your roaming operator. The cost of calls depends on your operator handles your phone. Better yet, buy a card from your local Turkish service and insert it into your cell, then all calls are cheaper.

History / Customs
Side is a small town located in southern Turkey. Side is a charming town with a small port. It is a town that enjoys a great interest of tourists during the holiday season. Already in ancient times, it enjoyed great popularity. Cleopatra and Mark Antony spent holidays here among other things. The old town is situated on a promontory on the south-west side of the ancient theater. Side town is surrounded on three sides by the Mediterranean Sea. In the north-east and south of the city extend modern resorts serving tourists. Side is beautiful and full of interesting sights.
One of Turkeys most common uses is overpricing their stock or service, mostly because of tourism. In any case, be sure to barter a price for anything, you will almost always get a cheaper price.

Religion
99% of the Turkish population profess Islam. The Turks reside mostly religious Shiite areas in south-eastern Turkey. Modern Turkey is a secular republic, but the majority of Turks still are considered Muslims and recognize the five basic principles of Islam, though they do not always strictly comply with these.

Airports / Car Rental
A very popular transportation method not necessarily safe for tourists, as the turkish believe that Allah will guide them and what happens is the will of Allah.That is why Turkish drivers do not always heed the rules of the road, especially traffic lights. It every so often happens that drivers honk their horn before a crossroad instead of looking at the lights, this is to warn another driver of his intent to cross.

Public Transport
The most popular public transportation is the Dolmus. The Dolmus is cheap and prices are fix but in Turkey it is common to barter prices, meaning you may also get a cheaper price if done right. If you are interested in other areas you can take the bus.

Taxis / Infrastructure
Taxis are also available, and each has a taximeter, so when the driver take you to your destination it calculates to an immens rate. It is better to barter your own price for the ride.

Events
Turkey is a country of rich culture and for everyone there is something good.
Major holidays are national holidays, such as:
January 1 - New Year
April 23 - Independence Day and the Day of the Child. The feast is celebrated on the first anniversary meeting of the Grand National Assembly. According to the provisions of Ataturk, the day was devoted to children.
August 30 - Turkey's celebrated Liberation Day
October 29 Turkey celebrates Republic Day. In 1923, Mustafa Kemal announced Turkey, the Republic.
10 November - Day of Ataturk's death, always at 9:05 Turkey falls into a minute of silence to pay homage to Mustafa Kemal.
In addition to public holidays Turkey hosts a number of religious holidays like Ramadan (the annual month of fasting), Kurban Bayrami (Feast of sacrifice) and Ramadan Bayrami (3-day feast at the end of Ramadan).

Culinary Specialities
Turkish cuisine is simply a treasure trove of dishes, it's hard to choose where to even start. Turkish cuisine combines flavors of different cuisines: Greek, Bulgarian and Turkish. Everyone knows the famous döner kebab.  It was invented by a German fast food stall owner, but it originates from Turkey, having the same ingredients but not in a bread but on a plate with Pida bread beneath. Nowadays it is usually served with fries or rice instead of the Pida. For the naan we ordered meze platter, a cold snack for example: white cheese, slices of ripe melon, hot chilli, eggplant salad, calamari, yogurt with cucumber and garlic, kofta (grilled minced meat balls) and fish.Gozleme is also very popular in Turkey: pancakes with minced meat and spices. You can also try the fish, especially sea pike, perch and blue. If you prefer a lighter soup dishes I propose - Corba. It is very satisfying because it is always served with plenty of bread in the middle. A turkish drink is also ayran, a Turkish beverage created from yoghurt and water. The most popular desert is baklava (layers of pastry layered with honey, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, soaked with icing). It is very sweet.

Sights
On foot it is best to start from the ancient theater, it stands at the entrance of the city gates. The theater was built in the second century AD. It is an example of one of the few free-standing monuments of this type in Side. The upper part of the opera rises to over 15m, sitting on the top row you can see the commercial Agora, built in the second century AD. Another Agora is situated at the sea, around the standing columns in Ionic style. At the end of the town stand the remains of the temple of Apollo. The temple was built in Corinthian style. Columns that underpin the temple can still be admired today. Also worth seeing is a statue with the head of a Medusa, which is very well preserved. Next to the Temple of Apollo there was originally the Temple of Artemis (his sister). Unfortunately only the foundations remain. The Temple of Artemis is located near a basilica of the fifth century AD. Within these structures you can also find remnants of the great baths of Roman times. In Side there is also a museum. It contains artifacts primarily from Side: statues, sarcophagi and the remains of ancient buildings. After visiting the city, it's worth to sit in a nice tavern, drink beer and eat something good in the evening. The city is beautifully lit in the evening and you can enjoy a romantic aura around. You can also arrange for some shopping, because there are shops in abundance. For all who like to relax on the beach, instead of exploring the city, I suggest: Kucuk Plaji, Buyuk Plaji or the western beach. Kucuk Plaji lies in the southern part of the area, it's not large, and sometimes during the holiday season full of tourists. Buyuk Plaji is located east of the Kucuk Plaji - it's wider and longer. Last beach is the western beach. You can find it beyond the cape, north-east from the city center.