How Much Currency You Need to go on Vacation to Istanbul, Turkey

Planning your trip to Istanbul, Turkey? Know how much currency you need to make sure you have a great trip! Don't forget to check out our guide for your stay in Dubai, too.

Transportation

In our how much currency to bring abroad chart, you'll see a 10 mile cab ride is on average about $4.75 in Istanbul. Having this information on hand will give you a good idea on how much you would need to get around the city. View in PDF >

Food

Naturally, when in Istanbul you'll most likely want to try some authentic Mediterranean and Turkish cuisine. Turkish cuisine has a very rich history, which has its roots in traditional Ottoman dishes; an amalgamation of Central Asian, Middle Eastern, Eastern European and Balkan cuisines. While dishes vary throughout Turkey, Istanbul tends to have most of its meals consist of rice, vegetables, fish, and subtle pinches of traditional Turkish spices like sumac, cumin, paprika, oregano, and red pepper flakes.

For the perfect taste of Turkish cuisine, we recommend checking out The Old Ottoman Cafe & Restaurant. Old Ottoman has everything you could think of when it comes to Turkish dishes: shrimp dishes, whole fish, mixed grilled vegetables on beds of savory rice, hummus, eggplant, baklava, coffee, teas, chicken, and more!

Shown in our how much currency to bring abroad chart above, it costs on average $18.74 for a budget dinner for two in Istanbul. If you want to include some beverages, on average you're looking at about $2.76 for a pint of beer. 

Currency: Turkish Lira

The Turkish Lira has six different banknote denominations: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200. They also have five denominations of coins that are used on a regular basis, the: 1, 5Kr, 10Kr, 25Kr, 50Kr. 

Curious to learn more? Check out 5 Currency Facts You Probably Didn't Know About The Turkish Lira. If you have leftover Lira after your trip to Istanbul, CXI will buy them back from you. If you originally received this foreign currency from CXI, then with the currency receipt we do not have any exchange fee to buy it back! Order your Turkish lira now.

Flights

Round-trip tickets to Istanbul for two typically range from about $741 USD to about $1150 USD, depending on where you leave from, the airline you fly with, and when you are taking your trip, according to Expedia.

According to Cheap Flights, the best time of the year to travel to Turkey is in February as opposed to August. As far as we're concerned, we could not get a better deal on a better month to fly to Istanbul as many great events occur in the city in February. Just to name a couple, there's the Istanbul Art & Antique Fair, as well as the great Eurasia Boat Show! 

Don't forget before you book that flight, check out everything you need to know about the five trusted travelers programs in our video. 

Vacation rentals

Prices for hotels in Istanbul tend to vary greatly as far as their nightly rates go. You can anticipate paying anywhere from $47 to $250 for a typical hotel room. Or, you can enjoy your stay like a local and immerse yourself in lavish, Turkish living in an Airbnb, hosted by the app's top super hosts in Turkey starting at $20 a night!

Get more travel tips and news >

Subscribe now to platinum passport >