Budget — Turkey

Turkey is one of the best value-for-money destinations in the European/Mediterranean basin. The reference budget of €60/day/person covers an accessible comfort trip: a 3-4 star hotel or Cappadocian boutique hotel (€40-80/night for two), lunch in a family lokanta (€5-12/person) and dinner in a good restaurant (€15-30/person), site entries and transport included.

A budget traveller can manage on €30-45/day: hostel or simple pansiyon (€10-25/night), meals in büfe (snack bars) and pide-salonu (popular restaurants) for €4-8, public transport. The lunch of the day (esnaf lokantası) offers a full menu (soup + main + dessert + drink) for €4-8 — unbeatable value.

The comfort or luxury traveller has access to remarkable high-end options: Çırağan Palace Kempinski on the Bosphorus (19th-century Ottoman palace, €500-1500/night), Four Seasons Bosphorus, Pera Palace Hotel (where Agatha Christie wrote Murder on the Orient Express). In Cappadocia, cave hotels are a unique experience: Museum Hotel in Uçhisar (€550-900/night, Relais & Châteaux), Argos in Cappadocia, Sultan Cave Suites in Göreme. On the coast, 5-star resorts in Antalya, Bodrum and Çeşme offer excellent value (€150-400/night half-board).

A few practical pointers: the rechargeable İstanbulkart (15 TRY for the empty card) simplifies all public transport in Istanbul (metro, tram, bus, ferry, funicular) at lower fares than contactless payment. At restaurants, the tip (bahşiş) is expected — 5 to 10% in cash. Bargaining is mandatory in bazaars and with street vendors — start at 30-40% of the asked price. Local SIM (Turkcell, Vodafone, Türk Telekom) costs 400-700 TRY (€12-21) with data, but EU roaming does not work in Turkey (outside the EU) — check your plan before departure. For archaeological sites, start early (opening 8:30-9:00am) — Ephesus and Pamukkale are unbearable between 11am and 4pm in summer.