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Independent travelers come in all sizes and shapes and so it is with this listing of places to stay. By city, you will find listings for hostels, pensions, guesthouses, and hotels. Istanbul is a large city so the district is also indicated.
Prices do vary by time of year. In April or September you may have a lovely room for $15, but in the middle of summer the same room may be $30. In August and September we recommend you e-mail, phone ahead, or arrive at your destination by early afternoon.
All the prices on our pages are listed in U.S. dollars as the high inflation rate in Turkey doesn’t make the use of Turkish lira practical.
Rooms are rented according to the number of people sleeping in them and the headings on our pages list the single room rate.
A final note to travelers: If you want amenities, such as air conditioning and fans, you usually will need to stay in 3-Star or higher rated hotel.
Istanbul
LESS THAN $10/night
Istanbul Hostel, Restaurant & Bar
Address: 35 Kutlu Gun Sokak (Next to the Four Seasons Hotel)
Sultanahmet
Istanbul, Turkey
Phone: 90-212-516-9380
Fax: 90-212-516-9384
E-mail: info@valide.com
If you like champagne, but only have a beer budget, then visit Istanbul�s newest and classiest hostel. Clean dorm beds ($5-$8) and doubles ($15-$20), full service restaurant and bar with wide-screen TV. Magnificent roof top views. Minutes to the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and all the major sites in the Historic District. Open 24-hours. Continue reading Places to Stay in Turkey
It’s usually difficult to find someone who can answer your questions before you arrive in Turkey.
While this website strives to bring you everything you need to know, there are still sometimes questions. For this reason, we have our Concierge Service.
Do you need help deciding on an itinerary? Just how much can you do in one day?
Do you want to be met at the airport or need a guide?
Then, perhaps Concierge can help you.
Because of the volume of e-mail we receive, we do ask that you first check our Independent Travel pages for questions about visas, places to stay, and for bus and ferry schedules. We are not travel agents so it’s best to contact one of the local travel agents found on the Independent Travel pages to make reservations!
E-mail us your requirements and we will write you back. There is no charge for this inquiry. Be sure to include the following information
* Your Name
* E-Mail Address
* Your Request
Local travel agents can sell you bus tickets, air tickets both for international and domestic travel, gulet “blue Voyages” as well as local tours.
Istanbul
METROPOL EXCURSION TOURS
Address: Adirga Liman Caddesi No:91/2
34400 Kadirga, Istanbul
Phone: 90-212-516-2213
90-212-516-2912
Fax: 90-212-516-2212
E-mail: info@metropoltours.com
Planning to travel between Greece and Turkey? Metropol can arrange your ferry, hotel reservations and tours of all the Greek islands. You can design a tailor-made tour to fit your time and budget. Metropol has a wide range of tour programs inside Turkey from the Black Sea program to the Aegean coast to Cappadocia and Pamukkale. While in Istanbul let them guide you through this historic city: St. Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and more. Rent-a-car or hire your own chauffeur. Programs in Francais and Deutsch. Continue reading Local travel agents
This page will help you find the transportation resources you need to help plan your trip.
The first part is International Travel organized by the continent of departure.
The second part is Travel Inside Turkey.
You may also want to visit our Tips page where fellow travelers share their travel experiences with you. There is a section dealing with transportation .
You can also contact Local Travel Agents who can help you with the purchase of international and domestic air, bus, train and ferry tickets.
International Travel
You can reach Istanbul by air from almost anywhere in the world! Continue reading Transportation about Turkey
Welcome to Travel Turkey Tips. Oftentimes, it’s the little things we learn that help make our travels more enjoyable. If you have a tip to share, e-mail to your agent and we’ll spread the news. Please remember to give us your name and country so we can thank you for your tip.
Money
TIP: You will get a better rate of exchange for cash than for travelers cheques. We found that the exchange places charged a commission for travelers cheques, but not for changing cash. — M. Culshaw, Canada
TIP: When you bring cash make sure that none of the bills have ANY rips in them. We have had bills refused with small rips. — A. Higgins, Canada
TIP: Credit cards are used most places in Istanbul, but lots of cash or access to it is really necessary. The old thing of tipping with American dollars is not too well received – which is strange due to the strength of the dollar. Good advice was to change money every few days rather than a lot at once due to the unruly fluctuation of the value of the dollar. –L. Durand, USA
TIP: If you are planning to be in Turkey for more than a few days, convert your money a little at a time. Inflation is high in Turkey (50% in 1999) and you will be surprised by the changes a week in exchange rates can bring.
TIP: When you arrive at the airport, the best place to exchange money is at the PTT (post office) inside baggage claim. And always count your money no matter who is making change. Turks do it and so should you! Continue reading Travel Tips
Turkey is a wonderful country for independent travelers. It offers breathtaking sites, affordable travel and a user-friendly transportation system.
Travel Turkey is designed to provide you with the on-line and off-line information you need to plan your trip. We encourage you to read guide books and do some basic research so you can best decide where you want to go. Our pages are not designed to provide this basic research — that really depends on what interests you.
We also encourage you to visit our readers’ Tips page to see what advice and places to go that fellow travelers recommend.
Travel Turkey’s Transportation pages will also be of value to you in planning how to get there and how to get around.
On this page we also offer some help with places to visit. We do not plan itineraries. If you need help with this, please contact a local travel agency as Travel Turkey is not a travel agency. We can help you once you’ve outlined an itinerary and are wondering can you really do all that in 4 days! We’re happy to answer these types of questions with our Concierge service. Continue reading Planning your trip to Turkey
You will add enjoyment to your journey by knowing and understanding more about Turkey. With that in mind, Travel Turkey is proud to annouce the opening of its on-line store in affilliation with Amazon.com.
Books
You can purchase any of these books directly from our pages by following the links to Amazon.com. Here’s our short list of suggested reading: Continue reading Knowing and understanding more about Turkey
Here’s everything you need to know before you go from what weather to expect to how to apply for a visa. There’s also a list of useful products and services such as traveler’s insurance companies, and much more.
Turkish Visa Information
Most travelers can purchase a visa at any port of entry, but you must have cash. They do not accept traveler’s checks or Turkish lira. If you’d like to avoid the delay of purchasing a visa when you arrive, you can apply online.
Americans and U.K. residents need visas. Visas are good for three months. There is a non-refundable processing fee of 26 USD in cash or money order for single entry or 87 USD in cash or money order for multiple entry, payable to Turkish Consulate General. Full information on these requirements is available at the Turkish Consulate Online. Continue reading Before you go to Turkey !
 Hotels in Istanbul and throughout Turkey cover the full range of lodgings, from luxury palace hotels through charming, historic inns to simple but clean and cheap pensions and hostels, and even rental villas and flats/ apartments.
Most Turkish hotels offer rooms with private bathrooms, and include breakfast in the rates. Here are the ratings by the national Ministry of Tourism, and my (rough) price estimates for double (two-person) rooms:
Special-Class Hotels & Inns (TL85-300+)
Luckily for us visitors, Turkey has hundreds of special places to stay that don’t fit easily into the star categories: Ottoman mansion inns, historic houses, boutique hotels, Cappadocian cave dwellings, etc. These often have loads of character, at least some modern comforts (and sometimes all comforts), and are priced accordingly, anywhere from TL85 to TL300 double and occasionally higher.
The Association of Historical & Boutique Hoteliers of Turkey (ÖZBI), has over 60 member hotels of this type.
Continue reading Hotels in Istanbul & Turkey
Automated teller (cash) machines (cashpoints, bancomats) are everywhere in Turkish cities, airports, and even in most small towns.
Choose your language: Turkish or English for sure, and sometimes French and German. Just push a button to get screen prompts in your language.
North Americans! Note that Turkish ATM keypads usually do not have alphabetical keys (ABC for 2, DEF for 3, etc: see the keypad at lower right on this page). If your PIN/password is actually a word, and you’re used to pressing the letter keys, you’ll have to translate your password into numbers. Make a note now of the numbers from this USA keypad: Continue reading ATMs/Cash Machines in Turkey
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