Tips for traveling in Turkey: A step by step guide

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1. Requirements to enter Turkey

Yes, Turkey is open to tourism. After asking for certain requirements for a while, nowadays it is not necessary to show any certificate or proof to enter Turkey. Therefore, we can say that there are no COVID requirements.

Importante: Entry requirements may change at any time. For this reason, it is very important that you confirm any information on your country’s official website, since it is possible that there has been some changes. I also recommend that you check the requirements again a day or several hours before your flight.

2. Best time to plan a trip to Turkey

If you have flexible dates to choose from when you are planning your trip to Turkey, you are surely interested in knowing when is the best time to visit Turkey.

If that is the case, I recommend traveling to Turkey during the spring, since these are months with very good temperatures throughout the country and long days, although it is possible to have a rainy day, especially in April. Autumn is also a very good time to visit because the temperature is still pleasant throughout the country, although the days are very short.

Summer is also not a bad to plana trip to Turkey as long as you have a good tolerance for heat, as temperatures can get quite high, especially as you get closer to the eastern part of the country. Your last alternative is visiting during the winter, since the temperatures are cold and there is more chance of precipitation.

Autumn and spring months are high season in Istanbul and Cappadocia. During the summer, towns on the Mediterranean coast experience peak season. Winter is the lowest season in Turkey, but you will be able to enjoy better prices and avoid crowds.

3. How many days should you visit Turkey

One thing’s for sure, the next time I travel to Turkey I will spend at least 20 days. There are so many beautiful corners in this country!

If you are interested in visiting the most popular places in Turkey (Istanbul, Cappadocia and Pamukkale) and spend enough time in each place, I recommend visiting Turkey for at least 10 days. The more time you have to visit, the better. These are your options: either spend more nights in each place to have more time to get to know them or add another place in the country. Later I will tell you what else you can visit in Turkey.

4. Flights to Turkey

Once you know which time of the year you want to plan a trip to Turkey and how much time you wish to spend in the country, you can go ahead and purchase your flights.

I always use Skyscanner whenever I want to purchase airfare. It’s simple and easy to find the best and most affordable days of the week to fly.

I happened to be in Madrid at the time and I bought my flights Madrid – Istanbul and Istanbul – Madrid on March 20th, 3 weeks before we left. They cost me $165 with Pegasus airline.

Keep in mind that Istanbul has two airports: Istanbul Airport (IST) and Sabiha Gökçen (SAW). The IST airport is located northwest of the city and can be reached by bus. SAW airport is on the Asian side, much further away. I chose to fly to SAW because the flight was much cheaper. It’s always like that.

To go from SAW airport to the city center you can choose between taking a bus or a taxi. In my case, I was pretty tired, so I shared a cab with 2 other travelers and went downtown. Sharing expenses between the 3 was convenient, I only paid $10.

Do I recommend flying with Pegasus?

The truth is that I had not read great reviews online, but the price difference was huge, so I decided to buy my flights with Pegasus.

They don’t serve food or drinks and there’s a fee if you want to check in luggage. It wasn’t a problem for me because I didn’t check any luggage in and as for food and drinks, it’s as easy as buying something before the flight. Other than that, both flights were good. There is sufficient space between seats, not too small, which I didn’t expect from a low-cost airlines.

That being said, I do recommend flying with Pegasus.

5. Do you need a visa to enter Turkey?

U.S citizens need a visa to travel to Turkey. If you are traveling to Turkey for tourism or commercial purposes of up to 90 days within a 180 day period, you can obtain a Turkish visa from this website prior to arrival.

Remember that your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry to Turkey.

6. Safety in Turkey

Security is always a topic of concern when we visit a foreign country. I always say that you have to be careful and have common sense anywhere you go. Turkey is not a dangerous country, but you should always be careful. I always give everyone the same advice regardless of the country he or she is planning on traveling to.

Of course, due to the situation in neighbouring countries, it is not recommended to visit the provinces bordering Syria and Iraq.

In any case, I advise you to take a look at the travel recommendations given by the U.S Embassy in Turkey.

Travel Insurance for Turkey

Purchasing travel insurance is one of the best tips for traveling in Turkey that I can give you. I thought we would get to use it on our last trip to Turkey because my partner was sick one day, but he recovered quickly. What a relief it was!

You always have to have insurance just in case; it is better to be safe than sorry. For some time now, I have always purchased Heymondo travel insurance before my trips. It is the insurance that I like the most and the one that I recommend.

If you still haven’t purchased travel insurance for Turkey, you can purchase it through this link and take advantage of a 5% discount for being a reader of my blog.

Rates for travel insurance for Turkey:

• 1 week: starts from $21.71.
• 2 weeks: starts from $41.69.
• 3 weeks: starts from $59.67.
• 1 month: starts from $78.66.

7. Places to visit in Turkey

The first thing you have to be clear about is the amount of time you wish to spend in Turkey. Turkey is a fairly large country with plenty of places to visit. My advice is, the more time, the better!

We spent a total of 8 days visiting Turkey, therefore our list of places to visit in Turkey was quite short. Of course, visiting Istanbul and Cappadocia was a no-brainer. I really wanted to visit both places.

Both Istanbul and Cappadocia have countless places to visit. You could perfectly spend a week in each place and not get bored or stop seeing new things. I recommend spending a minimum of 3-4 days in both Istanbul and Cappadocia. I do not mean that 3 days in Istanbul is enough time to visit every place in Istanbul because you wont. It is a huge city. But I do think that it is enough to visit the most interesting places and get a good feel of ​​the city.

Other places that I recommend adding to your itinerary when you plan a trip to Turkey (and that I would have visited had I had more time) are Pamukkale, Ephesus, Mount Nemrut or some small town on the Mediterranean coast.

If you’re interested in knowing more about Cappadocia and Istanbul, I recommend reading my blog posts:

• 10 things to do in Cappadocia.
• 30 things to do in Istanbul.

8. Plan your Turkey itinerary

Ok, now that you know how long you are going travel to Turkey for, you have the flights to and from the country, the visa, travel insurance, etc, It’s time to plan a route!

To plan a successful route you have to take into account two very important factors: the available time and the places you want to visit.

Visiting Istanbul we all know is a must. For me, Cappadocia is as well. Surely, if you had visited Ephesus or Pamukkale, you would say that these places are also must see places… Yes, Turkey is full of beautiful places that should be included in your itinerary. It’s your trip and it’s up to you to choose. Look at photos, watch videos, read information. Think carefully about what you are going to enjoy visiting the most and plan your route.

It’s your trip and it’s up to you to choose. Look at pictures, watch videos, read information. Think about what you are going to enjoy the most and plan your route. We had it easy. With 8 days I only wanted to visit two places, since I didn’t want to go in a hurry. As you already know, we chose Istanbul and Cappadocia. Our route through Turkey was as follows:

• April 1st during the night: Arrival in Istanbul (SAW Airport).
• April 1 – 6 in Istanbul (Partner arrived on the 3rd in the morning).
• April 6th in the evening: flight to Kayseri (from IST Airport).
• April 6 – 9: Göreme (Cappadocia).
• April 9th at nigh: flight to Istanbul (SAW Airport).
• April 10th in the morning: flight back home (SAW Airport).

Organized trips to Turkey

If you’re the type of person who likes to have everything planned beforehand, you can book organized tours from Istanbul to other popular tourist destinations in the nation, saving you the trouble of planning your trip. I advise making reservations for them in advance.

All these tours depart from Istanbul; therefore, my recommendation is that you visit this city on your own and then go to other places thanks to these organized tours:

• 7 days tour to the best of Turkey.
• 6 days to Cappadocia, Pamukkale and Ephesus.
• 1 day tour to Cappadocia by plane.
• 4 days tour to Cappadocia.

9. How to get around in Turkey

Once you know which places you want to visit, it is time to think about how many days you are going to spend in each place and how you are going to move between them. Now is a good time to buy flights, bus tickets, rent a car, etc. If you decide to rent your own car (in Cappadocia, I highly recommend it), I recommend comparing prices at Auto Europe and Discover Cars.

Internal flights are usually very cheap, and being such a big country, I think it is the best option. We only had to buy two transfers within the country: to fly from Istanbul to Kayseri and from Kayseri to Istanbul. The four tickets cost us a total of 100 euros.

If flights are too expensive, a very economical way to travel around Turkey is by bus. I have not made any trips by bus, but my partner did travel by bus from Ankara to Istanbul, and he says the buses are fine. In Cappadocia, I also met other travelers who were going back to Istanbul by bus.

10. Book hotels in Turkey

Once you’ve purchased plane tickets, it’s now time to book your hotels.

Where to stay in Istanbul

In Istanbul, I recommend that you stay in the European part, as it is where there are more points of interest. Although you should not leave Istanbul without visiting the Asian part, even if it is just to see the sunset,.

Within the European part of Istanbul, the two most popular areas to stay are Beyoğlu or Sultanahmet (either side of the Golden Horn).

We stayed in Beyoğlu, but very close to the Galata Bridge, which we would cross to get to Sultanahmet in a few minutes.

We stayed at the Golden City Hotel in Istanbul. The location is good because it is in the center of several points of interest, and you can walk to many places in a short time. In addition, the staff was very friendly, the room was nice, and the hotel terrace had spectacular views. I recommend it!

Here are some recommendations for accommodation in Istanbul according to your budget:

• Low budget: Nobel Hostel (hostel), My Holiday Time Hotel, HOTEL MİKLAGORD.
• Average budget: Ramparts, Meretto Hotel LALELİ, Tulip Guesthouse.
• High budget: Celine Hotel – Ottoman Mansion, Senatus Hotel – Special Class.
• Luxury budget: Sultan Tughra Hotel, World Heritage Hotel Istanbul.

Where to stay in Cappadocia

In Cappadocia, we decided to stay in the town of Göreme, since it is from where the balloons depart and we wanted to have them very close.

We stayed at the Koza Cave Hotel. What to say about this place? We simply loved it. It is one of the hotels that, as its name suggests, is located in the caves. The room, the upstairs terrace full of carpets—every corner of this hotel is beautiful. In addition, the staff is very friendly and helps you with everything you need. Highly recommended.

11. More tips for traveling in Turkey

Below are some additional tips to help you plan a trip to Turkey:

Hot air balloon flight reservation on the first day

In Cappadocia, we missed the balloon ride. We had it booked for our second day in Göreme; however, it was subsequently cancelled. We were offered to fly the next day. It looked difficult, but I was hopeful. It was cancelled again, and we were leaving that afternoon.

My advice is to book your flight for your first day in Cappadocia so you have a better chance of flying the following days if your flights are cancelled. I recommend booking your flight in Cappadocia on Civitatis or GetYourGuide, depending on the price.

Internet in Turkey

My service provider didn’t have any data plans for Turkey, therefore I purchased a SIM card as soon as I landed. If you don’t mind waiting a bit, I recommend purchasing a SIM card outside of the airport, it will be more affordable. You can visit a Turkcell store and purchase a SIM card there.

Another good option is to contract an eSIM from Holafly. You can buy it with a 5% discount by accessing their website and using the code “COMEAMAVIAJA”.

Currency Exchange

When I travel, I never exchange money before my trip. I usually withdraw money at an ATM or exchange money once I’ve arrived. That is what I did when I arrived in Turkey, I exchanged currency (USD to Turkish Lira) at the airport. Exchange rates aren’t usually good at the airport; however, it was at Istanbul airport. I only withdrew a bit of money at the airport and later withdrew a bit more once I got to the city. The exchange rate was good in the city as well.

Another highly recommended option is to buy a card with no commissions. I use the N26 card, with which you can make card payments without commissions and withdraw money from ATMs with only 1.7% interest (much less than traditional banks). You can get it through their website.

How to get around in Cappadocia

One of our mistakes was not renting a car in Kayseri to get around in Cappadocia. We rented a moped once we got to Göreme but later return it because it wasn’t suitable for some sandy roads and we didn’t want to use our travel insurance…

We ultimately opted for an ATV on our second day and visited a lot of places and hit many of the trails we couldn’t hit with the moped. Of course, it was a bit more on the expensive side (at least we had a great time). Therefore, consider the option of renting a car.

On our second trip to Cappadocia, we did rent a car and it was the best option. It was cheap and allowed us to move around the region with complete freedom. We rented the car upon arrival at the Nevşehir airport, from Avis. If you prefer to book it in advance, I recommend looking at prices in Auto Europe and Discover Cars.

These are the best tips for traveling in Turkey. I hope this post has been informative and very useful for you to plan your trip to Turkey. If you want to make any other recommendations or have any questions, I encourage you to email me, reach out through social media or leave a comment down below. Until next time!