Travel to Turkey

Turkey sits where Europe meets Asia, and Istanbul spreads across both sides of the Bosphorus. Most first trips combine Istanbul with Cappadocia and a stretch of the Mediterranean or Aegean coast, and domestic flights connect them in an hour or two. Citizens of the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and most EU countries can visit without a visa for up to 90 days.

Our Turkey travel tips are sorted by region and by topic: Istanbul, Cappadocia, Antalya and Alanya, Bodrum, Things to Do and See, Food and Drinks and General Travel Tips.

Visa and Entry Requirements for Turkey

Citizens of the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and most EU countries don’t need a visa for a tourist trip to Turkey, and neither do holders of a British citizen passport. The usual limit is 90 days in any 180-day period. Since 2 January 2026, holders of ordinary Chinese passports can visit without a visa too.

If your nationality needs a visa, check whether you can apply online on evisa.gov.tr, the official e-Visa site of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Citizens of Mexico and South Africa, for example, can get a single-entry e-Visa for up to one month, and Indian citizens qualify for a one-month e-Visa if they hold a valid Schengen, US, UK or Irish visa or residence permit. The e-Visa covers tourism and business trips only. For work or study, apply at a Turkish embassy or consulate before you travel.

Turkish law asks for a passport that is valid for at least 60 days beyond the end of your permitted stay, which adds up to 150 days for a 90-day visit, with at least one blank page. The US State Department recommends six months of validity. You can bring in any amount of foreign currency or lira, but you can’t take out Turkish lira worth more than US$5,000, and other currency above that amount has to be declared.

Entry rules change, so check them before you book on the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa page and in the advice of your own government, such as GOV.UK or travel.state.gov.

Important Cultural Information

Türkiye is the country’s official name, and governments, including the US State Department, now use it in official texts. In everyday English most travelers still say Turkey, and so does this guide. Turkish is the official language. Staff in hotels, restaurants and tour companies in Istanbul and the resort towns usually speak some English, much less so in rural Anatolia. A few words of Turkish are always welcome, such as merhaba (hello), lütfen (please) and teşekkür ederim (thank you).

Most Turks are Muslim, and mosques are open to visitors outside prayer times. Cover your shoulders and knees, women cover their hair, and take your shoes off at the entrance. If you are invited into someone’s home, take your shoes off there too and bring a small gift such as sweets or flowers. Older people are treated with a lot of respect, and younger passengers give up their seats to them on public transportation.

Money in Turkey

The currency is the Turkish lira (TRY), written as ₺ or TL. Prices have risen fast in recent years, so treat any price you read online, including on our pages, as a rough guide and check menus, entry fees and transfer rates on the day.

Cards are accepted in most hotels, restaurants and shops in the cities and resorts. Carry some lira in cash for markets, small cafes and the shared minibuses called dolmuş. Banks and exchange offices may refuse US$50 and US$100 bills because of counterfeiting concerns, so bring smaller notes. When an ATM or card terminal offers to charge you in your home currency, choose lira instead.

In restaurants, a tip of about 10 percent for the waiter is usual. Some restaurants already add a service charge (servis ücreti) to the bill, and many charge a cover charge (kuver) for bread and the table, which isn’t a tip, so check the bill before you add more. In the bazaars, bargaining is expected.

Banks, ATMs and Cards

The big Turkish banks have ATMs in every city and resort, among them Ziraat Bankası, Halkbank, VakıfBank, İş Bankası, Garanti BBVA, Akbank and Yapı Kredi, and the post office PTT runs ATMs too. Most take foreign Visa and Mastercard cards and have an English menu, and they pay out lira. Many charge a fee for foreign cards, and the amount differs from bank to bank, so read the screen before you confirm and cancel if it looks high. Your own bank may add its own fee on top. The amount you can take out in one go is often low, which makes several small withdrawals expensive.

Visa and Mastercard are taken almost everywhere cards are accepted, American Express much less often. You type in your PIN for card payments. To change cash, exchange offices (döviz bürosu) in the city centers usually give a better rate than the counters at the airport, and euros, US dollars and British pounds are the easiest currencies to change.

Health, Insurance and Emergencies

Emergency numbers in Turkey:

• 112 – ambulance and police, the number to call first
• 155 – police, also for reporting traffic accidents
• 156 – Jandarma, the gendarmerie that polices rural areas

Standards of medical care vary widely across the country. Travelers from the UK should know that the EHIC and GHIC cards aren’t valid in Turkey, so take travel insurance that covers treatment and medical evacuation. British prescriptions aren’t accepted in Turkish pharmacies, and some common medicines are controlled, so bring enough of your own medication for the whole trip, together with the paperwork for it.

If you’re looking for travel insurance, we are an affiliate of SafetyWing, a travel medical insurance provider.

Wi-Fi, SIM Cards and eSIMs in Turkey

Turkey’s international dialing code is +90. Hotels, cafes and airports usually have free Wi-Fi. The three mobile networks are Turkcell, Vodafone and Türk Telekom, and you can buy a prepaid SIM card in their shops with your passport.

If you put a Turkish SIM card into a phone you brought from abroad, you can use it for up to 120 days. After that, the phone has to be registered on the government’s e-Devlet portal and a registration fee paid, or the network blocks it. On a normal vacation this doesn’t matter, and an eSIM or your home roaming plan avoids the question.

Use a VPN on public Wi-Fi, like ExpressVPN.

Arrival in Turkey

Most international flights to Istanbul land at Istanbul Airport (IST) on the European side, which replaced Atatürk Airport for passenger flights. Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW), on the Asian side, handles many flights by Pegasus and other low-cost airlines. Here is how to get from Istanbul Airport to the city center.

For the coast, you can fly straight into Antalya (AYT) for Antalya, Side and Alanya, Dalaman (DLM) for Fethiye and Marmaris, or Milas-Bodrum (BJV) for the Bodrum Peninsula. İzmir (ADB) is the closest major airport to Ephesus. Cappadocia has two airports for domestic flights, Kayseri (ASR) and Nevşehir Kapadokya (NAV).

Search for available flights to Turkey on Expedia.

Turkey borders Greece, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, Iran, Iraq and Syria. Ferries link Aegean ports such as Bodrum with nearby Greek islands. The US State Department advises against all travel within 10 km of the borders with Syria and Iraq.

Areas of Turkey

Turkey is a big country. The drive from Istanbul to Cappadocia takes most of a day, so most travelers pick two or three regions and fly between them.

Istanbul

Istanbul spreads along the Bosphorus, the strait between Europe and Asia, and its Historic Areas are a UNESCO World Heritage site. In the old town around Sultanahmet, Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and the Basilica Cistern are a short walk from each other. Start with our overview of the sights in Istanbul and this 4-day Istanbul itinerary. Before you go, read how to buy Hagia Sophia tickets, Basilica Cistern tickets and Dolmabahçe Palace tickets, and plan half a day for Topkapi Palace. The Basilica Cistern reopened on 6 June 2026 after a short closure, when its management passed from the Istanbul municipality to the General Directorate of Foundations, so check the current opening hours and ticket price before you go.

Then slow down. Browse the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, see the city from the water on a Bosporus tour, spend an hour in a traditional hammam in Istanbul and get a hot towel shave at a Turkish barber shop.

Cappadocia

In Cappadocia, in central Anatolia, wind and water have shaped soft volcanic rock into cones, valleys and cliffs, and people carved churches, homes and whole underground towns into it. Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia are a UNESCO World Heritage site. Most visitors stay in Göreme or Ürgüp, go up in a hot air balloon at sunrise when the wind allows, and hike the valleys. Read about the monasteries of Cappadocia, how to choose between Cappadocia day tours, and whether a 1-day Cappadocia tour from Istanbul suits your trip. Our guide to Cappadocia on a budget shows how to see it for less.

Antalya, Alanya and the Turquoise Coast

Antalya is the gateway to Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, with an old harbor quarter and long beaches on either side. Families can start with our tips on things to do in Antalya with kids.

East of Antalya, Alanya has a castle on a rocky headland above the sea. Plan your visit with our guide to Alanya Castle, compare the beaches in Alanya, pick one of the Alanya boat tours and see the other things to do in Alanya.

West of Antalya, the coast around Kaş is known as the Turquoise Coast. Boats take you over the sunken ruins of Kekova, and wooden gulets sail the bays for several days at a time. Our Kekova blue cruise guide compares a cabin charter with a private gulet, and if you want to skipper a boat yourself, read about Mediterranean sailing routes for beginners.

Bodrum and the Aegean Coast

Bodrum sits on a peninsula in the southwest, with a 15th-century castle of the Knights of St. John above the harbor, small bays around the peninsula and a lively summer nightlife. Pick your sand with our guide to the beaches in Bodrum, book a table from our list of restaurants in Bodrum and browse the markets with our guide to shopping in Bodrum.

Ephesus and Pamukkale

North of Bodrum, near Selçuk, the ancient city of Ephesus is a UNESCO World Heritage site, with the Library of Celsus and a huge theater along its marble streets. Inland, the white travertine terraces of Pamukkale run down the hill below the ruins of Hierapolis, another UNESCO site. Both work as day trips from the Aegean coast, and many tours combine them.

Geographers divide Turkey into seven regions. We don’t have articles for all of them yet, but each is worth knowing about when you plan a longer trip or a second visit.

Marmara Region

The Marmara region around the Sea of Marmara is the most densely populated part of the country, with Istanbul at its center. Bursa, the first Ottoman capital, is known for its mosques, silk market and the thermal baths of Çekirge, and the slopes of Uludağ above the city are Turkey’s best-known ski area. In Edirne, near the Greek and Bulgarian borders, the Selimiye Mosque by the architect Sinan is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Çanakkale, on the Dardanelles, is the base for the ancient site of Troy and the Gallipoli peninsula with its World War I memorials.

Aegean Region

The Aegean region runs along the west coast, with olive groves inland and İzmir, Turkey’s third-largest city, as its hub. Besides Ephesus and Bodrum, you can visit the hilltop ruins of Pergamon above Bergama and the ancient city of Aphrodisias, both on the UNESCO list. Çeşme and Alaçatı, west of İzmir, are summer beach towns, and the steady winds at Alaçatı draw windsurfers and kitesurfers.

Mediterranean Region

The Mediterranean region stretches from Fethiye in the west past Antalya and Alanya to Mersin and Adana in the east, with the Taurus Mountains rising behind the coast. Paragliders take off above Ölüdeniz near Fethiye, and the Lycian Way, a long-distance hiking trail of more than 500 km, follows the coast from Fethiye toward Antalya past the Lycian ruins of Xanthos and Letoon. Spring and fall are the months to hike it, as summer is very hot.

Central Anatolia

Central Anatolia is the high, dry plateau at the heart of the country, with cold winters and hot summers. Besides Cappadocia, it includes the capital Ankara, where the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations shows finds from the Stone Age to the Romans and Anıtkabir is the mausoleum of Atatürk. East of Ankara lie the ruins of Hattusa, the capital of the Hittites, and Konya has the Mevlana Museum, built around the tomb of Rumi. The Neolithic settlement of Çatalhöyük near Konya and the Phrygian capital Gordion are UNESCO World Heritage sites too.

Black Sea Region

The Black Sea region in the north is green, wet and mountainous, with forests down to the coast and tea gardens on the slopes around Rize. Trabzon is the main city, and the Sumela Monastery sits on a cliff in the forest south of it, so check its opening status before you go. Uzungöl and the high summer pastures (yayla) of the Kaçkar Mountains are good for hiking, and you can go rafting in the Fırtına Valley. In the west of the region, the Ottoman town of Safranbolu, with its wooden houses, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Try the local anchovies (hamsi) and the corn bread, and pack a rain jacket in any season.

Eastern Anatolia

Eastern Anatolia is Turkey’s highest region, with long, snowy winters and short summers. Mount Ararat (Ağrı Dağı), at 5,137 m the highest mountain in the country, rises near the border with Iran and Armenia, and climbing it needs a permit. Lake Van is Turkey’s largest lake. Near Kars, the ruins of the medieval city of Ani stand on the border with Armenia and are a UNESCO World Heritage site. Erzurum has a ski area on Palandöken, and in winter the Doğu Express sleeper train from Ankara to Kars is popular for its views of the snowy landscape, so book early.

Southeastern Anatolia

Southeastern Anatolia borders Syria and Iraq, with hot, dry summers and some of the country’s oldest sites. Göbekli Tepe near Şanlıurfa, where people built stone enclosures about 11,000 years ago, is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and so are the giant stone heads on Mount Nemrut and the fortress walls of Diyarbakır. Gaziantep is known for baklava and its food scene, and its Zeugma Mosaic Museum holds Roman mosaics. Mardin is built in honey-colored stone on a hillside above the Mesopotamian plain. Check the current travel advice before you go, as the US State Department advises against all travel within 10 km of the borders with Syria and Iraq.

Transportation in Turkey

For long distances, domestic flights are the fastest way to get around. Turkish Airlines, its low-cost brand AJet, Pegasus and SunExpress connect Istanbul and Ankara with the coast, Cappadocia and the east.

Long-distance buses link almost every town and leave from each city’s bus station, the otogar. Seats are reserved, and the longer routes run overnight. On the coast, the dolmuş minibuses run between towns and beaches.

High-speed YHT trains run from Istanbul to Ankara in about four and a half hours, and connect both cities with Eskişehir, Konya and Karaman, with another line from Ankara to Sivas. Seat reservations are compulsory and often sell out, so book a few days ahead. Trains don’t reach Antalya or the Turquoise Coast, and for Cappadocia the closest railway town is Kayseri.

In Istanbul, public ferries cross the Bosphorus between the European and Asian sides throughout the day, and sea buses cross the Sea of Marmara. On the Aegean, ferries run from Bodrum and other ports to the nearby Greek islands.

Traffic drives on the right. US travelers can drive on their US license for up to 180 days, ideally together with an International Driving Permit. Using a phone while driving is illegal, and the drink-driving limit is 0.05 percent. After an accident, stay at the scene and call 155 (police) or 156 (Jandarma).

Where to Stay in Turkey

In Istanbul, Sultanahmet puts you next to the main sights, while Beyoğlu and Karaköy, across the Golden Horn, have more restaurants and nightlife. In Cappadocia, many hotels are built into the rock, with cave rooms in Göreme and Ürgüp. On the Mediterranean, you choose between the large resorts around Antalya, Side and Alanya and small family-run pensions (pansiyon) in towns like Kaş. International chains, including Hilton, Sheraton and Ritz-Carlton, have hotels in Istanbul and the big resorts.

Youth hostels are found mainly in Istanbul, many of them around Sultanahmet. On a budget, guesthouses and pensions often cost less than a hostel bed. Apart hotels, with a kitchen and space for a family, are common in the coastal towns, and campsites along the coast offer the basics.

What to Eat and Drink in Turkey

Turkish food draws on Ottoman, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Central Asian cooking, and every region has its own dishes. Breakfast (kahvaltı) is a spread of cheese, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggs, honey and bread. Dishes to try:

• Adana kebap – spicy minced meat grilled on a wide skewer.
• Pide – boat-shaped flatbread baked with cheese, minced meat or egg.
• Mercimek çorbası – red lentil soup, served with lemon.
• Köfte – grilled meatballs, with countless regional versions.
• Döner – meat roasted on a vertical spit and sliced thin.
• Meze – small cold and warm dishes shared at the start of a meal.
• Menemen – eggs scrambled with tomatoes and peppers.
• Simit – a sesame-crusted bread ring sold from street carts.
• Kumpir – a baked potato loaded with fillings.
• Baklava and lokum – layered nut pastry and Turkish delight.

Tea (çay) comes in small tulip-shaped glasses and is offered everywhere, from carpet shops to ferries. Learn how to make and drink Turkish coffee, try the salty yogurt drink ayran with a kebab, and order rakı, the anise spirit, with fish and meze.

Things to Do and See in Turkey

• Istanbul’s old town – Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and the Basilica Cistern.
• The Bosphorus – a ferry or boat tour between Europe and Asia.
• Cappadocia – valley hikes, rock-cut churches and a sunrise balloon flight.
• Ephesus – the Library of Celsus and the theater near Selçuk.
• Pamukkale – the travertine terraces and the ruins of Hierapolis.
• Mount Nemrut – giant stone heads on a summit in eastern Turkey, best at sunrise.
• The Turquoise Coast – a boat trip over the sunken ruins of Kekova.
• Bazaars and hammams – the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul, then a traditional bath.

Spring (April to May) and fall (September to November) are the most comfortable months for sightseeing. July and August bring heat and crowds to the coast, and wildfires are frequent in summer, so follow local instructions if you’re told to leave an area.

Shopping in Turkey

The covered Grand Bazaar in Istanbul and the Spice Bazaar near the Galata Bridge are the classic places to shop, and most towns hold a weekly market where you’ll find fresh produce, textiles and household goods. Look for carpets and kilims, ceramics and tiles from İznik and Kütahya, copperware, leather jackets, cotton towels for the hammam (peştamal), Turkish delight, coffee, spices, olive oil soap and pine honey from the Marmaris area.

In the bazaars and souvenir shops, bargaining is expected. Ask the price, offer less and settle somewhere in between, and walk away if you don’t like the final price. Shops with fixed prices, such as supermarkets, malls and chain stores, don’t bargain. In markets, cash in lira is easier than a card.

Tourists who live outside Turkey can get the VAT back on purchases from shops that show a Tax Free sign. Ask for the tax refund form when you pay and keep it with the invoice, then show the goods, the forms and your passport to customs at the airport before you leave. The goods have to leave Turkey with you within three months of purchase, a minimum spend applies, and the refund agent deducts a fee. Without the customs stamp, you get nothing back.

Don’t buy antiquities. Buying or exporting them is illegal, and some old items that can be sold legally in Turkey still can’t be taken out of the country, so confirm the status of anything that looks old before you pay. For an older carpet, ask the shop for the invoice and the paperwork showing it may be exported.

Nightlife in Turkey

Istanbul has the liveliest nightlife in the country. In Beyoğlu, the side streets off İstiklal Avenue are full of bars, live music clubs and meyhane, taverns where a long evening of meze and rakı is the main event. Karaköy, down by the water, has cocktail bars and late-night restaurants, and on the Asian side, Kadıköy and the Moda neighborhood draw a younger, local crowd. You can also take an evening cruise on the Bosphorus, or watch a sema ceremony of the whirling dervishes, which is a religious ritual rather than a show, so stay quiet and don’t use flash.

On the coast, the nightlife follows the summer season. Bodrum and Gümbet have beach clubs and bar streets, and Marmaris, Alanya and the Kaleiçi old town of Antalya stay busy late in July and August. Many venues on the coast close or cut back their hours between November and April.

Shops, supermarkets and kiosks can’t sell alcohol between 22:00 and 06:00, but licensed bars and restaurants keep serving. Alcohol is heavily taxed, so drinks cost more than you might expect, especially imported spirits. Outside the cities and resorts, some places serve no alcohol at all. Buy your own drinks, keep them in sight, and stick to licensed bars and shops, as fake spirits can contain methanol.

Festivals and Holidays in Turkey

Ramadan and the Bayrams. Ramadan and the two religious holidays, Ramazan Bayramı (also called Şeker Bayramı) at its end and Kurban Bayramı about ten weeks later, follow the Islamic lunar calendar and move about 11 days earlier each year. Many Turks travel during the holidays, so book buses, flights and coastal hotels early, and expect banks and offices to close.

Republic Day. On 29 October, Turkey marks the founding of the republic in 1923 with a national holiday, flags across the country and events in the evening.

Şeb-i Arus. Every December, Konya commemorates the death of the poet and mystic Rumi (Mevlana) with sema ceremonies of the whirling dervishes. The ceremonies run on the evenings leading up to the anniversary on 17 December, mostly at the Mevlana Cultural Center.

Safety Tips for Turkey

The US State Department asks travelers to exercise increased caution in Türkiye and advises against all travel within 10 km of the borders with Syria and Iraq. The UK Foreign Office warns that terrorist attacks are likely and that most attacks have taken place in the southeast, Ankara and Istanbul. Read the current US advice and the FCDO advice before you book, because both change.

Street robbery and pickpocketing are common in the main tourist areas of Istanbul, so keep your bag closed and your phone out of reach. Be wary of strangers who offer to change money or invite you to a bar or nightclub. Buy your own drinks and keep them in sight, and stick to drinks from licensed bars and shops, as methanol in illegally made or fake branded spirits has caused deaths.

You must carry photo ID, such as your passport, as police run checks. Insulting the Turkish nation, the flag, the President or Atatürk is a criminal offense, and this includes posts online. Don’t photograph military or official sites, and ask before you photograph people. Buying or exporting antiquities is illegal, so keep the receipt for anything that looks old. Drug offenses bring prison sentences of four years and more.

At the beach, a red flag means you must not enter the water, and strong currents and hidden rocks catch swimmers every year. Earthquakes are frequent in many regions of Turkey.

Conclusion

With one week, combine Istanbul with Cappadocia and fly between them. With two weeks, add the coast, either Antalya and the Turquoise Coast or Bodrum, Ephesus and Pamukkale on the Aegean. On a second trip, head for the Black Sea mountains, the east around Kars and Lake Van or the southeast around Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa.

Before you book, check the entry rules and your government’s travel advice. Plan around the Bayram holidays and the summer heat, and expect prices in lira to keep changing. Our general travel tips for Turkey cover the practical details, from the airport transfer in Istanbul to seeing Cappadocia on a budget.