Know before you go: Turkey

Verified essentials for Turkey: connectivity, transport, tickets, money and etiquette — checked by humans, with dates.

Last verified: 2026-07-08

Before you book4

1. Check your passport and entry rules first.

   Before booking anything, check your passport's validity and the entry rules for your nationality — visa or visa-waiver, allowed stay, and any pre-registration your destination asks for. Rules differ by passport, not by airline.

   Documents

2. Sort travel insurance while flights are refundable. Travel insurance for this trip

   Medical care abroad is paid care — a short hospital visit can cost more than the trip. Buy a policy that covers medical treatment and trip interruption when you book, not the week you fly.

   Health

3. Check the e-Visa rules on the official site only.

   Many nationalities now enter Türkiye visa-free for up to 90 days, others need the online e-Visa — rules shifted recently, so check your passport on the official evisa.gov.tr, and never pay a lookalike third-party site for what's free or cheap there.

   Documents

4. Mind the Bayram holidays.

   During Ramazan and Kurban Bayramı (the two big religious holidays, dates shift ~11 days earlier each year), the whole country travels: buses, trains and flights sell out and sights are packed on the first days. Ramadan itself barely affects tourists in Istanbul — restaurants stay open.

   TransportTickets

2–4 weeks before2

1. Set up an eSIM before you land. Get an eSIM before you land

   Install a travel eSIM at home over Wi-Fi and it activates when you land — no airport SIM counters, no roaming surprises. Keep your home SIM active for bank SMS codes.

   Connectivity

2. Hagia Sophia and Topkapı: book online, mind the pass rules. Tickets on Klook

   Hagia Sophia's tourist visit costs €25 and is NOT covered by the Museum Pass; Topkapı Palace is pass-covered except the Harem. Both queue long from mid-morning — buy timed tickets online and go at opening. The Museum Pass Istanbul pays off only if you'll hit three or more covered sites in five days: do the math.

   TicketsIstanbul

A few days before3

1. Download offline maps and the language pack.

   Before you fly, download your destination's offline map area and the offline language pack in Google Translate or Apple Translate. The camera/Lens mode reads menus and signs instantly — it works best with the pack already on your phone.

   Apps

2. Prep your cards, skip the worst exchange rates.

   Tell your bank you're traveling, carry a second card in a different bag, and when a terminal offers to charge you in your home currency, always choose the local currency — "dynamic currency conversion" is a built-in bad rate.

   Money

3. European plugs at 220V.

   Türkiye uses round two-pin type-C/F sockets at 220V — UK and US travelers need an adapter; EU plugs fit straight in.

   Connectivity

On arrival3

1. Get an Istanbulkart — it runs the whole city.

   One card covers metro, tram, funicular, Marmaray, buses and the city ferries; buy and top it up at the yellow machines in any station (have some cash). Your contactless bank card also taps in, but at higher fares and not reliably on every line — the card wins for anything beyond a day.

   TransportMoney

2. Hail taxis through an app, not the street.

   Istanbul's taxi reputation is deserved — use BiTaksi or Uber (both dispatch the same yellow cabs with a tracked route and fare) and make sure the meter runs. Short rides get refused on the street; the apps make the trip worth the driver's while.

   TransportApps

3. Always pay in lira.

   When a card machine offers euros or dollars, choose TRY — the "convenient" conversion is a built-in bad rate. Cards work almost everywhere, but keep cash for bazaars, street food and taxis, and treat prices in old blog posts as expired: inflation moves them fast.

   Money

Daily on the ground6

1. Mosques welcome visitors — dress the part.

   Shoulders and knees covered for everyone, a headscarf for women (the big mosques lend them), shoes off at the door. Time your visit between the five daily prayers and skip Friday midday entirely — Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque are working mosques, not museums.

   Etiquette

2. Bargain in the bazaars — nowhere else.

   In the Grand Bazaar and around the Spice Bazaar, haggling is the game: counter at roughly half and meet in the middle, walk away if it's not fun. Fixed-price shops, restaurants and supermarkets don't bargain. The tea you're offered is hospitality, not a trap — accepting costs nothing.

   MoneyEtiquette

3. Tipping is normal here.

   Unlike East Asia: leave 5–10% in cash at restaurants (card tips often don't reach the staff), round up taxi fares, and a small note for hotel housekeeping is appreciated. Nobody chases you down — but it's expected at table service.

   Money

4. The city ferries are the best ride in Istanbul.

   Skip the pricey Bosphorus cruises first: the ordinary commuter ferries — Karaköy or Eminönü to Kadıköy or Üsküdar — give you the skyline, the gulls and a glass of çay for the price of a transit tap. Sit outside, starboard for the sunset run.

   TransportFamily

5. Drink bottled water in Istanbul.

   Tap water is fine for brushing teeth but nobody drinks it — bottled water is cheap and everywhere. In restaurants, ask for "su" (water); on hot days refill from the big pharmacy-brand bottles rather than tiny ones.

   Health

6. Tax-free shopping exists — sort it in the store.

   Participating shops (look for the tax-free logos) issue refund forms with your passport at purchase; you validate and collect at the airport before check-in. Minimum-spend thresholds move with inflation — ask in the store, and leave airport time for the queue.

   Money

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