Getting a Visa while visiting Turkey

[Shorex]

A year ago we were on a cruise from Barcelona to Istanbul. A gentleman guest who was disembarking in Istanbul did not have the necessary e-visa. The ship's staff very courteously walked him through the e-visa process on a ship computer (without charge for internet time). The IT attendant was very careful not to observe any personal information provided for the visa. The final step was that the e-visa would be emailed to the guest's personal email account.

 

The guest then asked how to access his own email (gmail) account. The IT attendant was puzzled, and said, "well, you log in to your account."

The guest asked, "How?" "Um, enter your login name and password."

 

"What password? My son set up my computer so that the email just automatically opens."

 

At that point, I left for coffee :)

[Maddle]

 

"What password? My son set up my computer so that the email just automatically opens."

 

At that point, I left for coffee :)

 

That's a funny story.

[N&PJ]

Hi Neil,

 

I've not had this problem, because on the one occasion I've been in that situation I arranged to leave luggage at the hotel we used pre-cruise. If you have a pre-cruise stay in Istanbul, I suggest you do the same - Turkish folk are very obliging.

Otherwise ............

 

There are left luggage facilities in Taksim http://bagaj.co/eng/#about-bagaj and at Sirkeci train station.

The one at Taksim is a short taxi ride from the new cruise terminal, but in the opposite direction to the main sights. Sirkeci train station is almost-certainly the better bet because it's very little further and much more convenient to the sights.

 

To get to Sirkeci train station you have two options.

Walk out of the port gate & head for the nearest tram stop. Take a tram heading to your left - it's the direction that virtually all cruisers will be going - and get off at Eminonou (first stop after the tram has crossed Galata Bridge)or the next one, Gulhane. They're both less than a ten minute walk from the station.

But the tram may be crowded & that's no fun with luggage - I know, I've done it :eek:

So because you have luggage, a taxi is much much easier. Unfortunately taxis at the port have a pretty dreadful reputation for ripping-off tourists with high fares (they won't use their meters). You can walk past them & hail a passing taxi in the street - for a longer taxi ride that's what I'd do, but it's only a five to ten minute ride from the port to the station so probably best to bite the bullet and use a port taxi. But do agree the fare before you get in - I don't know what's reasonable but I wouldn't agree to more than 10 euros or equivalent. You may have to start to walk away for them to quote their lowest price.

Tell the driver you want to go to the station's left-luggage lockers.

 

There are two sizes of left-luggage locker at the station. I've used the self-same type of locker elsewhere - automatic, but the instructions have always been in English, This website suggests that may not be the case in Istanbul, and explains how it works. Best to print-off & take it with you ;).

http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/trans/Train/gar_lockers.html

 

For your day in Istanbul, probably it's best to then do as most tourists do. From the station, that 10-minutes-or-less walk to either Eminonou or Gulhane tram stop and take the tram up the hill to Sultanahmet, which is the stop after Gulhane. The Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii) and adjacent open hippodrome with its Egyptian obelisk are close to the tram stop, and the Roman cistern (Yerebatan Sarnıcı) and the mosque-to-church-to-museum of Hagia Sophia (various spellings) are just yards away. Hagia Sophia is a beautiful building, well worth seeing the exterior but you may not have time to go into the museum - especially if there's a queue.

Topkapi Palace is down the hill from there (nearest tram stop Gulhane) but you cannot see it from the road, and visiting will take a big chunk of your time - a bare 90 minutes but preferably about 3 hours. So skip it, or if you're keen to tour it you'll need to skip other sights.

Alternatively work your way across the hill from Sultanahmet to the top entrance of the Grand Bazaar (Buyuk Carsi) (if you wanted to visit the Grand Bazaar first, you stay on the tram until Beyazıt-Kapalıçarşı).

Walk down through the Grand Bazaar, then to the Spice Bazaar (aka Egyptian Bazaar). You are now back near the Galata Bridge, the waterfront, and train station.

Others may suggest various other permutations of sights & routes - there's no right or wrong, and it also depends on your priorities.

 

Ataturk airport is an extremely variable 30 to 60 minutes by road, depending on traffic. Again be wary of just hailing a taxi. Most folk pre-book a taxi over the internet, at a cost of around 25 euros or equivalent - no payment with booking, you pay the driver in lire or euros.

You'll not have a base as a pick-up point, which might make it tricky to pre-book - I guess the best bet is to quote a hotel near Sirkeci station as a pick-up point. No personal knowledge, but the closest (2-minute walk) that I found on Booking.com is http://www.booking.com/hotel/tr/esen.en-us.html?aid=303948;label=istanbul-vKpQzEuT1NdWhW7mNYNwjQS63753941781%3Apl%3Ata%3Ap12260%3Ap2%3Aac%3Aap1t1%3Aneg;sid=8e2a8fcba33028c235b27ecb33d7ef90;dcid=1;no_rooms=1;req_adults=2;req_children=0&

 

But since you'll start at Sirkesi station, there is the option of taking a direct commuter train from the station to Yesilkoy, very close to the airport. Found a post on an internet blog which suggests it, here's the relevant bit:

"....... take the commuter train to Yesilkoy from Sirkeci station. (1.5 lira.) From Yesilkoy you can get a taxi to the airport. The commuter train follows the coast and you can see - from the windows - the old/undeveloped part of Sultanahmet and beyond, the fishing boats and tankers in the marmara sea, and the end of the city wall."

No personal experience, & you may want to research it a little deeper. But I just might try that myself next time. :)

 

Whatever route you take to the airport, do allow plenty of time for Istanbul's notorious traffic or for any complications if you take the train.

 

Super city, one of my favourites.

You'll be kicking yourselves that you didn't give yourselves an extra day or two. ;)

 

JB :)

 

Hi again JB

 

What is the procedure for disembarking in Istanbul? I guess I am right to assume that there will be a customs/immigration process to go through - how long will this normally take and will it be available for early disembarkation if the ship docks at 06.00 and we get off by 07.00?

 

Many thanks once again for your help

 

Neil

[John Bull]

Hi again JB

 

What is the procedure for disembarking in Istanbul? I guess I am right to assume that there will be a customs/immigration process to go through - how long will this normally take and will it be available for early disembarkation if the ship docks at 06.00 and we get off by 07.00?

 

Many thanks once again for your help

 

Neil

 

Hi Neil,

 

When we've ended cruises in Istanbul, immigration has been quite cursory & customs don't pull many folk aside. Pretty straightforward.

That's before e-visas, so immigration just looked for the little red stamp & I don't know if they'll just look at your copy of your e-visa or whether they match with your passport, either manually or electronically.

We've not needed early disembarkation, but I've seen posts on this forum from folk planning to leave the ship in the wee small hours to make early-morning flights - that's ships that are in-port for the last night of a cruise.

So I'm guessing you can disembark early (eg about 7am from a 6am arrival) and that you shouldn't face a long slow queue.

 

But as you can tell, I'm not the best person to ask.

 

Anyone got recent experience of early disembarkation?

 

JB :)

[hathaway42]

In September 2014 we disembarked in Istanbul after overnighting in port. People left the ship at all hours to get to the airport. Get your E visa in advance that was the biggest confusion in disembarking . We arrived in Istanbul the afternoon before so everyone cleared immigration the day before disembarkment