- On 01/11/2019
- In Tips for travellers
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How Much Money to Take On Holiday To Istanbul
If youy wonder how money to take on holiday to Istanbul, here we will try to help you decided that. Istanbul keeps its popularity as a tourist destination as the Turkish Lira keeps losing value which makes the vacation more reasonable than any other spot in Europe. Considering that there is a profound difference in living conditions of citizens in Turkey, especially the ones habiting in Istanbul, it is hard to estimate a budget for the holiday seemingly there is something provided for every appeal. In this article, we will try to explain the cost to survive as a tourist by giving examples of certain goods or services that we would buy while visiting Istanbul.
Hotel
The accomodation facilities varies a lot for every kind of budget from the student hostels to 5 star hotels. If you are looking for a decent accomodation in a 3 or 4 star hotel, you may easily find a double room for 60-70 US Dollars in popular neighborhoods like Taksim or Sultanahmet. To lower the accomodation budget hostels may be the better option. In vibrant districts which are not far from the attractions, a dorm bed is about 10-15 US Dollars.
You may be sure that the facilities are adequate because of the competing businesses which have become more than the demand. If 5 star service is necessary for your needs, counting that you will be staying in the center of touristic attractions, you have to spend at least 400 US Dollars per night which is more or less a monthly salary of a working citizen.
Transportation
In any case, whether you are staying in the Old City or far from the attractions, Istanbulkart (the card for the public transportation) for each visitor will make you save a lot while visiting Istanbul. To give an example, if you take a taki from the airport, you will spend at least 150 Turkish Liras to get to the city center instead of paying 18 Turkish Liras having a loaded Istanbulkart which you may get one and top up at the airport. A single journey is about 3.5 Turkish Liras and you pay 2.5 Liras when you switch vehicle.
Taking taxis are never recommended, much more expensive than the public transportation and less convenient in the traffic jam in Istanbul. If you have to take taxis, it is better to use the services on smartphones which will be more secure and less expensive. We may consider daily expense for the transportation as 30-40 TL per person if public transportation is preferred. If you choose taking cabs to move around this may be up to 300-400 TL considering the city, how large it is.
Museums/Attractions
Whether you join the guided tours, book a private guide for your visits or wanna visit the monuments yourself, this is another major spending as a visitor. Be ready to pay 15 USD for the landmarks and about 5 USD for the other museums that require admission. Some guided tours include the entry fees as well but know that you pay that in the package with the transportation, lunch etc.
Food
Istanbul would never dissapoint a visitor foodwise as you may find something appealing in any budget on any hour of the day. You may grab a sandwich for 3-4 USD which will be okay to skip the meal or you may pay 200 USD for a fancy dinner on the night out. Normally breakfast comes with the hotel but you may always turn this into a feast by having breakfast in one of the breakfast shops for 10 USD per person.
Or you may get a Turkish bagel (simit) and çay (tea) for 2 USD. A decent lunch will be around 10 USD in a local restaurant or you may have a Turkish shawarma (doner) for 4 USD to skip the lunch.
Street food is always tasty and welcome at any time during the day and will make you lower your spending for the food. Be careful with the alcohol prices, especially wines when dining out as they are quite pricey comparing the general. It would be the average to spend around 200 Liras daily per person for your bellies.
Communication
Getting a local sim card is not recommended as the prices are quite high regarding the service you receive. Most of the cafes, restaurants have wi fi in good quality and all the hotels provide wireless internet. If it is not something essential for you to be online than you may erase this item from your budget. Otherwise getting a pocket wifi for a fee of 100 Liras per day will save your life and money.Then you will not have to deal with the packages or credits of the local service providers.
