Türkiye
Istanbul
Two airports 90 km apart on opposite continents. Picking the wrong one costs you three hours and about ₺3,000.
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- Entry
- Visa-free for 90 days for the UK, US, all EU/Schengen states and all six GCC countries. Jordan too. India, Pakistan and Egypt need a conditional e-visa.
- Currency
- Turkish lira (TRY) — about 47.9 to the US dollar, and falling
- Best months
- May, June and September. September is the single best month.
- Watch out for
- Two airports, 90 km apart, on different continents
Checked 15 August 2026. Prices and visa rules change — tell us if something here is wrong.
The single most expensive mistake
Istanbul has two airports and they are not interchangeable. Istanbul Airport (IST) is on the European side, about 40 km from the centre. Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) is on the Asian side, and there is no direct metro or coach from it to the old city. Getting from SAW to Sultanahmet takes 90+ minutes and three separate legs, or a taxi at ₺2,600–3,350. A cheap Pegasus or AJet fare into SAW can easily cost you more in time and taxi fare than it saved.
Entry rules
No visa needed, 90 days in any 180-day period: United States, United Kingdom, all EU and Schengen states, and — since the December 2023 expansion — Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. Jordanian passport holders also get 90 days.
If you are reading older guides that say Americans need a $50 e-visa, that is out of date. US passport holders have been visa-exempt since 2024.
Still need an e-visa: India (only if you also hold a valid Schengen, US, UK or Ireland visa or residence permit — USD 43, 30-day stay), Pakistan, and Egyptian ordinary passport holders under similar conditions.
Apply only at evisa.gov.tr. There is a large industry of copycat sites charging three to five times the official fee.
British passports need 150 days' validity beyond your arrival date — an unusual number that catches people who assume the standard six months.
Getting in from Istanbul Airport (IST)
| Option | Cost | Time |
|---|---|---|
| M11 metro to Gayrettepe | ~₺55 | 35 min |
| Havaist coach to Taksim, Sultanahmet, Aksaray or Beşiktaş | ₺470 | ~90 min |
| Havaist to Sabiha Gökçen or Kadıköy | ₺515 | ~120 min |
| İETT public bus | ₺46.20 | Slow |
| Taxi to Taksim | ₺2,200–2,400 | 45–75 min |
| Taxi to Kadıköy | ₺3,000–3,300 | 60–90 min |
The M11 runs 06:00 to midnight only. Havaist runs 24 hours and takes contactless cards on boarding — most routes don't accept cash. There is no night surcharge on taxis from IST; the same tariff applies around the clock.
Buy an İstanbulkart from a machine in arrivals before you try to board anything. Turnstiles don't take cash.
Getting in from Sabiha Gökçen (SAW)
The M4 metro runs from the terminal to Kadıköy for ₺46.20 in about 52 minutes — 06:00 to 23:56, with 24-hour running on Friday and Saturday nights. If you are staying on the Asian side, that's easy.
To reach Sultanahmet you need three legs: M4 to Kadıköy, ferry to Eminönü, then the T1 tram. Budget 90+ minutes and ₺120–140. Havabus runs to Taksim for ₺485 (~90 min) or Kadıköy for ₺300 (~60 min). Taxis carry a 50% surcharge after midnight from SAW, plus tolls.
Where to stay
| Area | Mid-range | Good for | The downside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sultanahmet | £63–110 | First visit — Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapı and the Grand Bazaar on foot, tram at the door | A tourist monoculture. Mediocre overpriced food, relentless touts, dead at night, steep cobbled hills with luggage |
| Beyoğlu / Galata | £56–95 | Second visit — bars, meyhanes, galleries, a real neighbourhood | İstiklal is loud until very late; Taksim-adjacent streets feel rough at night; hills everywhere |
| Karaköy | £79–150 | The best food and coffee, on the water, one tram stop from the old city | The most gentrified pricing in Istanbul; cruise crowds around Galataport |
| Beşiktaş / Ortaköy | £150–260 | Bosphorus views, ferries, Dolmabahçe, a young local scene | Badly connected to the old city by rail — you're on ferries, buses or taxis through terrible traffic. Match days shut the area down |
| Kadıköy (Asian side) | Cheapest | Third visit — the best eating and drinking in the city at local prices, direct metro to SAW | Every sightseeing day starts with a 20-minute ferry, and the last ferries stop mid-evening |
Ranges from a July 2026 market survey. High season (June–August) runs 30–50% above average; January to March is 25–35% below. New Year is 40–60% above and needs booking months ahead.
Hotels in Istanbul
If it's your first visit, filter to Sultanahmet or Karaköy — both put you within a tram ride of everything.
Compare on Agoda
Worth a second look before booking — pricing on the same properties often differs.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | ₺500 |
| Dinner for two, mid-range | ₺2,500 |
| Pint of draft beer | ₺200 |
| Cappuccino | ₺199 |
| Public transport, single trip | ₺46.20 |
| Taxi, opening fare | ₺71.94 + ₺47.92/km |
| Hagia Sophia (upper gallery) | €25 |
| Topkapı Palace incl. Harem | ₺2,750 |
| Basilica Cistern | ₺1,950 day / ₺3,000 evening |
| Galata Tower | €30 |
| Dolmabahçe Palace | ₺2,000 |
| Blue Mosque, Süleymaniye Mosque | Free |
The Museum Pass Istanbul (€105) does not include Hagia Sophia or the Basilica Cistern — the two things most visitors assume it covers. It does include Topkapı. For a typical two or three-day trip it does not pay for itself.
On prices generally: Turkish inflation is running at about 32% a year and the lira has fallen 17% in twelve months. Any lira price you read in a guide written 18 months ago is roughly half what you will actually pay. Note that the major museums now price in euros, which is why those figures have been far more stable.
Renting a car
Not in Istanbul. Sixteen million people, chronic gridlock, almost no affordable central parking, and a metro, tram, Marmaray and ferry network that reaches everywhere you need for ₺46.20 a ride. A car here is a liability.
Yes for the rest of Türkiye. Cappadocia, the Aegean and Lycian coasts, Pamukkale — the motorways are good and a car transforms the trip. Pick it up on your way out of Istanbul rather than parking one for three days.
You need a 1968 Convention International Driving Permit. The older 1949 IDP is no longer accepted in Türkiye. If you are getting one in the UK, you must specifically ask for the 1968 version — Post Offices issue both. The alternative is a notarised Turkish translation of your licence. Most guides still get this wrong.
Compare car hire for trips outside Istanbul
Covers local Turkish agencies the big international sites leave out, and shows the excess before you pay.
Staying connected
Turkcell has the best coverage, especially outside cities, then Vodafone, then Türk Telekom. Tourist SIMs are sold at both airports with a passport.
The IMEI trap. A foreign phone using a Turkish SIM is blocked after 120 days unless you register the handset with the tax office, which is expensive. The block follows the phone, so it persists into future visits. Under 120 days you are fine — but this is why many regular visitors use an eSIM instead, which avoids the issue entirely. Buy the eSIM before you arrive; Türkiye blocks several eSIM provider websites from inside the country.
When to go
May, June and September are the best months, and September is the strongest — warm, dry, the Bosphorus still swimmable, and the summer crowds thinning. July and August hit 35–37°C with humidity and the highest hotel prices of the year. October to December is the wet season, with December averaging 105 mm of rain — Istanbul on wet cobbles in short daylight is a very different trip. January and February are cold but 25–35% cheaper with no queues, which is a legitimate trade if you don't mind the weather.
Ramadan barely disrupts Istanbul — restaurants and bars operate normally. It does mean big evening crowds around Sultanahmet at iftar, and mosques closed to visitors for longer.
Traps and scams
- Taxi meter refusal. A driver claiming the meter is broken and quoting a flat fare is the classic scam, and it's illegal. Others: scenic routing, and the banknote switch — the driver palms your ₺500 and produces a ₺50, saying you underpaid. Use BiTaksi or Uber (Uber dispatches licensed yellow taxis here), or pay with exact change.
- Hagia Sophia is a working mosque. The ground floor is free for worship; the €25 ticket is for the upper gallery. Both it and the Blue Mosque close to visitors around the five daily prayers and for longer on Fridays.
- Fare figures below ₺46.20 are stale. Public transport rose twice in 2026 — ₺35 to ₺42 in February, then ₺46.20 in July.
- The shoeshine drop — a shiner drops his brush, you helpfully pick it up, he insists on shining your shoes and then demands a large fee.
- "Let me show you my friend's shop" around Sultanahmet, leading to carpet and leather hard sells.
- Mosque etiquette: shoes off, shoulders and knees covered, headscarf for women — usually provided free at the door.