Due to Turkey’s stubbornly high inflation, cash remains king here. Bring lots of it to avoid high ATM and credit card fees.
You’ll get the best rate by exchanging your Dollars or Euros at a money changer shop. While most places in the larger towns take credit cards, you’ll still need cash for many other places. Most merchants will also happily accept Dollars or Euros, but at a less favorable rate.
After recent changes in bank regulations, almost all ATMs will charge at least an 8% withdrawal fee, on top of whatever your own bank charges. One exception we’ve found is with a debit card from Wise. We were able to withdraw money using this card with no fee at all. Follow this link for more detail.
The recently opened Istanbul International Airport is a long way outside the central city and is miles from anything else.
With many international flights arriving late at night and onward domestic connections leaving early in the morning, it makes no sense to go to a hotel all the way in the city. We suggest either staying in the airport at Yotel, nearby at Park Inn Odayeri, or driving a few extra miles and staying in a nice local town. We enjoyed our stay at Villa Siesta Hotel, in the town of Karaburun, on the Black Sea.
Transfers from the airport to the city can be quite confusing, as the transportation companies cannot display a placard with the client’s name. Instead, you need to go to the transfer kiosk outside the terminal building and find a representative.