When traveling Turkey, I have found that there are a lot of things that I really was not quite prepared for. Interestingly, I had been to Turkey before, but that was a long time ago. I still did my research before I came, yet at the end of the day there are several things I wish I had known before I arrived. So now I have decided to put together all of the Turkey Travel Tips that I wish I had read before I came, so that the travelers that come after me are better prepared!
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Some of these Turkey Travel Tips are straight forward. There are some that you may already know. But there are others that you would NOT think of, and trust me, you will find yourself stuck if you are not prepared!
So here are my top Turkey Travel Tips and Hints. I hope they help you out.
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#1 Get a local Sim Card
The first thing I did when I arrived in Istanbul was to check out the local Sim Cards. Coming from Indonesia, I thought the price at the airport was a little expensive. So I decided to try my luck in Istanbul after I arrived at my accommodation.
As it turns out, the price at the airport is symbolic of the actual price everywhere else.
All I can say though, is that getting a local Sim Card is at the TOP of my Turkey Travel Tips for a reason. There is little to no free WIFI in Turkey. When you DO find it, you need to log in with a Turkish number. They do give you an option to change it and use a foreign number, but out of the 500 times I tried this, it only worked maybe 3 times.
This can be a real problem at the airport when you really need internet.
Plus, another thing that we are accustomed to as travelers, is that in cafes and restaurants you will have access to WIFI. Even just to check email or Facebook. This doesn’t happen in Turkey. It was in very few places that I was able to find WIFI, and when I ordered a coffee and asked about WIFI, it was a simple “no WIFI” response.
So do yourself a favor and get that SIM card at the airport!
Note – You may not need a local SIM card if you have a phone that support ESIM. This can be invaluable as you travel, so make sure to do some research and find out if this is an option for you.
#2 Get an IstanbulKart
If you are going to be in Istanbul for more than just a couple of days, then get an IstanbulKart. It will save you a lot of money, and is one of the best Turkey Travel Tips that I picked up before I even got on the plane.
What is the IstanbulKart?
This is a card that will get you onto all public transport around Istanbul. Train, bus, ferry, tram – it is all covered with the IstanbulKart. You simply load it up with funds and swipe or tap it to get onto the public transport.
Unless you have a transfer arranged, i would suggest you get this as soon as you arrive in the airport. You can catch the Metro (train) from the airport right into Istanbul for only about 8TL. Buy the IstanbulKart from any of the yellow machines, or even from one of the Kiosks in the airport. It will save you a lot of money whilst catching public transport around Istanbul.
Online booking site KLOOK also offer an Istanbul Travel card. You can check it out HERE.
Turkey Travel Tips Note – All major towns around Turkey have a similar setup. For example there is AntalyaKart, and IzmirKart. So if you spend enough time in another city as, look into getting one there as well.
#3 Travel by Bus
Traveling around in Turkey is easy, even though it is a large country. One of the main reasons for this is the incredible amount of bus companies that there are.
Bus travel is so easy, especially between main centers. You can easily book online, but whilst wandering around any of the cities, you will see bus offices everywhere, especially in the centers. You can easily book a ticket and get all the information you need from an office. Including information on shuttle services to take you to the bus depots.
Flying is always an option around Turkey, but the bus is a lot cheaper, and an overnight bus will save you a nights accommodation!
If you really want to drive yourself and have the freedom that a car can provide, then MAKE SURE you have an International Drivers Permit. You can check the requirements and get one easily online at THIS LINK.
#4 Do your Research in Advance
If you are reading this article, then you are (hopefully) already all over this one.
You HAVE to research before you leave.
There are SO MANY things you need to cover about your Turkey Trip that you have to know before you even get to the country. Things like do you need a Visa, which I will talk about a little further on. What should you pack? Where are you going?
This is an important one. Have an itinerary before you start, because Turkey is a big country, and you will need to plan ahead. Otherwise you will miss something, or run out of time to see it. I just spent a month in the country, and STILL didn’t see everything that I wanted to see. Of course, it just gives me a reason to return now…
Do your research before you leave home. It will go a long way.
#5 Check your Visa Requirements
There are many countries that do not need a Visa to enter Turkey. However there are many that do! I read a story only recently of someone that traveled from Bulgaria to Turkey by bus and was stuck at the border without a Visa. Don’t let that be YOU!
When it comes to Turkey Visa’s, many countries that are free to travel throughout most other European Countries will need to obtain a Visa for Turkey. For example, Australia and the United States. Make sure that you check before you travel.
Also, just because you checked 6 months ago, doesn’t mean it is the same now. Always check, double check and triple check your Visa Status right up until you get on the plane. Things change fast in the Visa world!
To make it easy, I have inserted a really simple Visa Check Tool below. If you need a Visa, just click on through to IVisa and they will help you with the process.
#6 Have a Travel Adapter
This goes without saying for anywhere you travel in the world. You don’t want to be stuck somewhere that you can’t charge your phone, do you?
The good thing is that the sockets in Turkey are the same as in Indonesia and most of Europe. If you are from anywhere else though, you better get an adapter, because you will probably need one!
Check out the link below for a trusty universal adapter from Amazon that will have you covered no matter where you’re from.
#7 Install the PayPal App before you leave
If you do any banking or business at all through PayPal, then you will want to make sure you have the PayPal app installed before you leave home. Even better, have it installed and set up with your account etc.
Why?
Because PayPal is blocked in Turkey. So you won’t be able to log into PayPal on your laptop. The app, however, DOES work. This in itself doesn’t really make sense, but it is a situation that I also encountered in Indonesia. I couldn’t use PayPal, but I COULD use the app.
So make sure you have it all ready to go.
#8 Carry Cash
Next on my Turkey Travel Tips is to always carry cash. This is not something that hit me by surprise because I had just spent nearly 3 years in Indonesia, and cash is a necessity there.
For those that are coming from places like Australia, United States or United Kingdom however, they might not even remember what cash looks like! And that goes for most of the Western world!
Whenever I am back in Australia, I never go near an ATM. I just don’t need to. Everywhere you go, even if it’s McDonalds for a Soft Serve Ice Cream, you just pay by waving your card. In Turkey though, there are many places that you cannot do that.
Not that you can’t altogether. You will find that in most cities and towns, you can pay by card. But there are plenty of times that the machines don’t work, or the operator simply doesn’t know how to use it. There are also times when they frown and grumble and don’t WANT to use it, because they prefer cash.
Another interesting reason is that you will need cash to top up your IstanbulKart. The machines only take cash. You can BUY a card, if you go to a shop to get it. But from the machines you will need cash.
So avoid a problem, and make sure you carry cash!
If you don’t want to carry cash all the way to Turkey, then you can make withdrawals at an ATM at the airport. My favorite way of doing this is with my trusty WISE card. The WISE card allows me to load up with Turkish Lira before I even leave home, at the best possible rate. This means I don’t lose as much in conversion. Check out how to make your own WISE account at THIS LINK.
#9 Booking.com doesn’t work!
This is another one like PayPal. Booking.com is actually blocked in Turkey.
I didn’t know this, and I use Booking.com a lot, along with Agoda and Air BNB. Whilst in Turkey I was lucky, as I had already booked ahead, and it wasn’t until halfway through my trip that I was searching around for the best prices for a place in Fethiye, that I found my Booking.com app not giving me any results.
Before I threw my phone at the wall, (actually I just used Agoda, which I was going to use anyway) I did a search on Google and found out that the website is actually blocked. No wonder I was getting no results.
So do your due diligence, and if you use Booking.com book ahead and don’t expect to be able to search for Turkish accommodation whilst in country.
Turkey Travel Tips Hint – I was actually able to get my app working by using a VPN. But don’t rely on this working. I might have been lucky…
#10 Dress appropriately
This goes mostly for the ladies, simply because Turkey is mostly a Muslim country. It is conservative, even if a lot less so than many of its neighbors. Women have a little more freedom in Turkey, but that does not mean you are free to do what you like.
Along the south coast, around the resort areas, things are a bit more liberal. In these places you will probably get away with dressing a little more “beachy”. Even in a city like Izmir, where its a lot more relaxed, you could get away with pushing boundaries.
When you are in Istanbul and other major cities though, dress a little more conservatively. Especially if you are planning on going near a mosque. No one wants to be the person that stands out, or to be turned away from the door of the Hagia Sophia after standing in line for an hour!
Turkey Travel Tips Hint – Carry a scarf or a shawl in your bag with you. Then, you have a handy fallback if you suddenly decide you want to visit a mosque, or find yourself in a more conservative neighborhood.
#11 Don’t use a Taxi in Istanbul
Istanbul Taxi’s are famous worldwide as the kings of the scamming game. So one of my most important Turkey Travel Tips is DO NOT use them!
They will be on you as soon as you set foot out of the airport, and this is the most common place in all of Istanbul to be scammed. They will use every trick in the book, so don’t fall for it.
There is no need to use taxi’s anyway. I just spent a month in Turkey and never touched one in the entire country. The public transport is that good that you don’t need to. Even from the airport, you can catch the metro, or get the Havabus, which is a far sight less than catching a taxi.
Don’t touch them, and don’t take the risk.
#12 English is not common
Even in Istanbul, English is not spoken everywhere. Get to the outlying areas, and small towns around the country, and you will be hard pressed to find anyone that will return your friendly greeting with anything but a blank look.
This has to be expected, but I honestly thought that in a city like Istanbul that gets so many tourists, English would be more widely spoken. Even in Cappadocia, in Goreme, a town BUILT on tourism, our hotel receptionist did not speak a word of English.
So do yourself a favor and be prepared.
Learn a few Turkish phrases, but if you follow my Turkish Travel Tips #1 tip and get yourself a local Sim Card, then get onto Google Translate as well. It comes in really handy, and I lost track of how many times I used it to get me out of a language tight spot!
#13 Have Travel Insurance
This is another one that shouldn’t just be in the list of Turkey Travel Tips, but in Travel Tips for anywhere!
Have good Travel Insurance!
You never know when something will happen that you will need it. From lost bags to cancelled flights. I have seen it all, and know how important it can be.
Only recently we had friends fly from the Netherlands to Bali. They spent two weeks on the island and never saw their bags until a week after they got home again. It was lucky they had travel insurance, because they were able to buy all new clothes and toiletries to use during their trip.
I had another friend who had a simple surfing accident and nearly drowned. A week in an Indonesian hospital with salt water in his lungs would have been really expensive if not for his insurance. A SIMPLE accident.
If you need to find good, reliable insurance, then flick over to THIS page to check out who I recommend.
You won’t be sorry.
#14 Pick the right time of year to visit
The last item on my Turkey Travel Tips is a no brainer. Make sure that when you visit is the best time of year. Depending upon what you want to do.
Know what you are planning, and where you are planning on going. Turkey is a big country and has a lot of climates. So check out where you want to go and make sure it suits.
For example, Summer is really nice when you are on the beach in the south of Turkey. But then hop across to Cappadocia, and you could be faced with 45 degree days, slogging away in a tour bus with a stinking load of sweaty tourists.
On the other hand, autumn in Cappadocia could be nice, but not exactly ideal beach weather when you get to Antalya.
It all comes back to doing your research, and knowing where you want to go, then thinking ahead.
BONUS TIP – Book your Balloon Flight on the First Day
This is my top tip for Cappadocia. Book your balloon flight for the first day that you can!
The reason?
Flights are cancelled all the time. And when they are, they could be cancelled for 4 or 5 days in a row. You can’t tell when it comes to weather. The last thing you want to happen is that balloons only flew on your first morning, and you were standing on the ground watching them!
Also worthy to note is this. After a cancellation, prices go up. And they will keep going up every day that they are cancelled, because the operators KNOW there is huge demand. Have it booked and paid for early!
Summary
I hope these Turkey Travel Tips have helped you out. They are all things that I either wished I knew before I traveled, found out when I was there, or read about before I actually left and was glad that I had!
Do you have any more tips? Be sure to let me know in the comments.
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