A complete guide to the cost of traveling to Istanbul

Traveling is important, especially foreign travel such as traveling to Istanbul. You should know in advance what expenses to consider before traveling and have a plan for buying tickets and booking hotels. The cost of traveling to Istanbul depends on various factors, what vehicle you travel with and where you stay… how much you shop or what restaurant you eat at… However, having enough information before your trip will help you experience a better trip.

In this article from Alibaba Tourism Magazine, we will provide you with a complete guide on the cost of traveling to Istanbul so that you don’t travel recklessly.

Note that the costs announced in the article are approximate and as you know, many factors play a role in the final costs.

What is the currency of Türkiye?

The currency of Turkey is lira, known by the symbol (₺). The first thing you will encounter when traveling to Istanbul or any other foreign country is the Turkish currency. It may seem trivial to talk about the currency of a well-known country like Turkey, but this article is intended to inform people of all levels of knowledge, so it’s better to start with the details.

The lower unit of the Turkish lira is the kurosh, where each lira is equal to 100 kuros. When traveling to Istanbul, buying lira is possible in two ways:

• Obtaining lira directly from Iranian exchanges
• Obtaining dollars from Iranian exchanges and converting them into liras in Turkish exchanges

Shortcut solution: During the trip, carry some of your money in lira and some in dollars, and use each of them when necessary. This helps to manage the cost of traveling to Istanbul.

Essential information before traveling to Istanbul

The introduction of the city of Istanbul is long-winded, but if we want to provide you with the general information of this city:

• The common language in Istanbul is Turkish, but most people can speak English at a basic level.
• The currency of Türkiye is the lira.
• The official time is 30 minutes behind Iran time.
• The religion of the majority of Turkish people is Islam, but other religious minorities also live in this city.
• Istanbul city water is not suitable for drinking and it is better to use mineral water.

Expenses before traveling to the beautiful country of Türkiye

Before traveling to Turkey, there are a number of fixed costs that you should consider for your trip when calculating the cost of a trip to Istanbul. Note that these fees may change annually, this article lists the latest rates for each of these items in 1400. It should be noted that traveling to Turkey does not require a visa, so pre-travel expenses are divided into two general categories:

• The cost of issuing or renewing a passport: Leaving the country with whatever destination you have in mind requires a passport. If you have not traveled abroad before, you should apply for it, and if it has been a long time since your passport was issued, you should consider renewing it. Renewing or issuing a passport according to the costs of 1400 includes the following costs:

The cost of issuing a passport: 1,250,000 Rials

The cost of municipal fees: 62,500 rials

Passport services: 731,520 rials

The cost of photography and authentication, which is done separately in the kiosks located in the offices: 430,000 Rials

• Fees for leaving the country: Exit tax is the amount that every person pays to the government when leaving the country. According to the resolution of the Islamic Council in 1401, the amount of fees for exiting the country for each person is 400 thousand tomans for the first time, 600 thousand tomans for the second time, and 800 thousand tomans for the third time. This fee is paid through electronic systems.

The cost of traveling to Istanbul for tickets

Considering your budget, you can use different vehicles to travel to Istanbul, the ticket cost of each of these is described below:

The cost of a plane ticket to Istanbul

Airplane is the first and most convenient option to travel to Istanbul. If you live in a city other than Tehran, we suggest you to get to Tehran or Tabriz first to reduce your expenses and get a direct flight ticket to Istanbul from one of these two cities for your trip. It is better to know that usually the cost of a charter ticket is lower than a system ticket.

The best suggestion is to go to Tabriz first to travel to Istanbul and buy a ticket from there; Because the cost of plane tickets to Istanbul from Tabriz is cheaper than other cities in Iran.

The cost of a train ticket to Istanbul

The cost of traveling to Istanbul by train is less, but naturally it will take time and you will have limited options to choose your travel time. To travel by train, you need to buy a train ticket from Tehran to Ankara, and after arriving in Ankara, take the high-speed or ordinary train from Ankara to Istanbul, the cost of which is between 75 and 90 liras.

It should be noted that the Tehran-Van and Tehran-Ankara train lines have been suspended since the outbreak of the Corona virus, and this option for traveling to Istanbul is not on the table.

The cost of traveling to the most spectacular city in Türkiye by private vehicle

The cost of traveling to Istanbul by private car seems low at first glance, but if you look a little carefully at the details of the trip, you will notice the micro-costs of this method. It is possible to travel by private car through Bazargan border, but the high cost of gasoline in Iran and after the Turkish border (between 7 and 8 liras per liter) will be very high. In addition to the cost of gasoline, you must keep in mind the many tolls after the Turkish border and the need for an international car license and license plate.

If you like, read more information about land trip to Istanbul.

How is the hotel reservation in the total cost of traveling to Istanbul?

As one of the most important tourist destinations in Turkey, Istanbul has many options for tourists to stay. The number of hotels in Istanbul is very large and this makes the selection process a bit difficult. The first thing you should do in such a situation is to consider your budget for the cost of traveling to Istanbul and the amount you prefer to spend on the hotel.

With this, you can more easily find a hotel that suits your taste and conditions.

The cost of traveling to Istanbul, which I have said so far, is quite approximate, naturally, the cost of booking a hotel depends on the conditions and facilities of the hotel, and you may see more expensive hotels on the reservation list. If you want to spend less money on the hotel, we have two solutions for you:

Travel in winter: Turkey has fewer passengers in winter because of its cold weather, so it is more possible to book cheap tickets to Istanbul in winter.

Hotel reservation in advance: If you identify and book your favorite hotel a few months in advance, you will definitely be able to book a ticket at a lower cost and your stay in Istanbul will be more economical.

The cost of traveling to Istanbul and dining in a restaurant

Everyone knows that Istanbul is a city of fun, shopping and sightseeing, which increases the cost of traveling to Istanbul! Colorful cafes and restaurants will attract you with delicious food. Among the famous dishes of Turkey, we can mention all kinds of kebab, piedeh, lah majoon, manti, burek, simit, etc., none of which can be easily missed.

The cost of a trip to Istanbul that you consider for dining varies depending on the type of restaurant and food you choose. If we want to categorize the cost of food in restaurants in Istanbul in general:

• The cost of cheap restaurants in Istanbul starts from 50 lira per person.
• The cost of average restaurants in Istanbul starts from 100 liras per person.
• The cost of luxury restaurants in Istanbul starts from 150 liras per person.
• The cost of fast food like McDonald’s is approximately 35 lira per person.

The cost of traveling to Istanbul for food

Considering that sometimes the travel plan may go off track, in addition to restaurant costs, it is better to know the price range of some basic foods in Istanbul.

• A 1.5 liter bottle of water: about 2 liras
• Bread: about 3.5 lira
• One kilo of rice: the price starts from 15 liras
• One kilo chicken breast: price starts from 45 lira
• 6 eggs: 14 liras
• Banana (one kilo): 9 liras
• Orange (one kilo): 7 liras
• Apple (one kilo): 6.5 lira
• Cucumber (one kilo): 15 liras
• Tomatoes (one kilo): 5 liras
• Carrots (one kilo): 7 liras

The cost of visiting the sights of Istanbul

Istanbul is full of historical places and places of interest that you should definitely dedicate a part of your trip to visit. The cost of traveling to Istanbul is important to visit Istanbul tourist places, because you need to buy an entrance ticket. The entrance ticket price of some important sightseeing places in Istanbul is as follows:

• Topkapi Palace: The entrance fee of the palace is 60 liras and the cost of visiting its different parts is 40 and 30 liras.
• Ayasofiya Mosque: Entrance fee is no longer due to the fact that this place has been reopened as a mosque.
• Doleme Baghche Palace: The entrance fee and visit to different parts of this palace is 40 and 50 liras.
• Basilica Cistern: 30 lire
• Sea Life Aquarium: 79 liras

The cost of shopping and souvenirs in Istanbul

The cost of traveling to Istanbul sometimes increases because of its many markets and shopping centers; In fact, shopping can be considered one of the basic entertainments in a trip to Istanbul. Colorful stores of important brands and shops with various foods and souvenirs are one of the strengths of Istanbul as a tourist destination.

It is better to set aside some of your travel budget for buying and preparing souvenirs. Of course, if you travel to Istanbul during the auction months, you can get everything at a better price.

In general, the average cost of buying some consumer items in Istanbul is as follows:

• A pair of shoes with a common brand: the price starts from 200 lira
• Jeans: price starts from 80 lira
• Men’s t-shirt: the price starts from 40 lira
• Women’s shirts: prices start from 70 liras

Cost of intra-city transportation in Istanbul

To explore Istanbul, you can use public transportation such as buses, subways, city trains, trams, ferries, sea taxis, etc. It is possible to pay for the whole year of intra-city transportation with the help of Istanbul Card.

Istanbul Card is actually a rechargeable electronic ticket that lowers the cost of traveling to Istanbul. You can buy special tickets from the ticket counters next to the vehicle stations. The cost of buying an Istanbul card is 13 liras, which is recharged. Each person must have a separate Istanbul card, and children under the age of six do not need a ticket.

In addition, there is also the possibility of using a taxi and an online taxi system such as Uber. Taxi is the most expensive vehicle, the cost of which is calculated based on the taximeter and affects the cost of traveling to Istanbul; The cost of taking a normal taxi is about 5.55 liras and the cost of each kilometer is 3.45 liras. Usually, the cost of Uber is about 20% lower than that of a taxi and it will reach you in the shortest possible time.

Istanbul tour with Alibaba

Sometimes the trouble of getting tickets and booking a hotel is too much, you don’t have enough time and patience to do these things; In this situation, you can easily solve all the problems and experience a comfortable and pleasant trip by buying a tour to Istanbul. Istanbul tour is booked both by air and by land; Naturally, the cost of a land tour will be lower than an air tour.

The cost of traveling to Istanbul with a tour depends on various factors. When preparing an Istanbul tour, be careful to get your tour from reputable centers. Unreliable tour sales centers may make you regret your trip by providing poor quality services and not adhering to their commitments.

Considering the facilities that Alibaba has provided to its customers in the field of Istanbul ticket sales, hotel reservations, or tour purchases, you can make your dream trip a reality with just a few clicks by comparing the different conditions and prices offered on the site.