Thread 2833576

how much money for food and tickets I need in Istanbul? Is 800 liras fine for a dinner? I'll be going there in November.

Who the fuck even knows any more. I've been there in 2022 and 800 TRY was quite a bit of money - Turkey was dirt cheap in general. Since then the compound inflation is like 150% and lira is worth less than a third of what it was. Tourists bitch that it's gotten horrifically expensive and judging by the hikes of ticket prices in euros, I'd wager they're right.
Cross your fingers for someone who's just been there, or I suggest go ask a Turk on /int/ who's all up to date with Efendi Tayyip's Wild Ride.

>>2833576 (OP)
Some parts of the city are much more expensive than others. The area I went was cramped, extremely hilly, and fairly priced. This was a local restaurant. A taxi's motor burned out and stalled in the road right while I was dining on the sidewalk. Eventually they got it moved out of the way, and once it cooled off the driver drove it back to the shop making bad noises (ran out of oil, perhaps)

>>2833684
What’s the date on that photo in your photo app? Those prices seemly wildly out of date and not up to the current level of inflation.

>>2833576 (OP)
don't forget to bring some dolars so the hotel workers will tip themselves when they clean your room

>>2833741
July 17, 2025
You must've went to the nice parts of the city if you were seeing higher prices.
I paid $23 USD for my room, which was pretty shitty but soulful.
>>2833842
There are so many exchange houses in Istanbul, you shouldn't need to bother with an ATM.

BUMP anybody has something more to say.

>>2835555
You should travel with a full range of USD or EUR notes for street exchange at short-stay destinations. Maybe you only need $10 worth of local currency, but to save bulk in your wallet you only packed a wad of $100 bills.

>>2835567
lmao, people actually do this? I've never spent a dollar in my life.
You'd have to be a fucking retard to voluntarily get scammed on exchange rates on every purpose.
If some faggot demands dollars or euros from me, I cancel the trade.

sooooo, can anybody tell me what kind of prices are there in Istanbul?

>>2835812
>open google maps
>type "Kadikoy Restaurants"
>click on shit
>click on the 'menu' tab
>ensure pics are from 2025
>???
>profit!

>>2835829
That only shows you restaurants whose menus are online. There is no end of places to eat for every budget in Istanbul, and many places are not prominent online. You can eat a decent-sized chicken shawarma for 100 lira ($2.25 USD at the time) at a table set in a roadway if you're poor. Surprisingly, it digested well as a late-night dinner, and I drank the yucky-tasting tap water from my hotel. Don't be a Jew and make a scene over a high price if you are ordering something expensive. Istanbul is full of expensive treats (i.e. European tier pricing, not Asian tier pricing).
>>2835776
If I hand over a 5 dollar bill, I could get two 100 lira notes in ten seconds anywhere in Istanbul (at the time of my visit). The exchange rate was 40.4 back then. Today it is 41.9.

Flying Air Arabia I paid a dollar bill for a 500 mL water bottle after they refused to let me board with water.

In Colombia somebody in the airport gave me a mask after I landed not knowing medical masks were mandatory in public. I was wearing a bandana on the plane. I paid him a dollar because I did not have any local currency.

Tourist visa fees in many countries are payable with USD cash only. Are you going to be one of those fools in Aranyaprathet posting on reddit "where can I exchange Thai baht for USD for my Cambodia visa?" Yes, you will be. Meanwhile I will hand over a crisp $50 with my visa application and waltz into Nepal for 30 days.

Istanbul anon gonna hate on me for saying it again, but the Istanbul metro is an overcrowded rat tunnel with zero views whatsoever and no cash single-use token option either. Take a bus to the city instead. There's plenty of snacks to buy with any leftover cash. I ran out of money and was very disappointed to land hungry in Denver with nothing but an Uludağ water bottle.

Don't wait until the airport to buy something tasty. You're gonna get reamed. Bring it in through security. BTW there are three layers of security in IST - entrance security, secure area security and gate security. Give yourself lots of time.

>>2835866
cat!

>>2835866
Of course you'll find cheaper stuff on the street. But it's a solid guide to get started and act as a measuring stick to know if you're getting gipped.
Better to go in with an 'average expectation' and be surprised when you find stuff lower, than to get married to the idea of $1 street food being everywhere, then seething when "everything's expensive."

>>2835866
If a country, like Egypt, needs USD for visas, that's different. But I outright denounce the USA's imperial games, and won't be using their currency where avoidable. Seriously, if anybody ever rejects getting handed local currency, or even mentions USD, I just walk away.
I hate the idea of walking around another country throwing around dollars. I like to keep as low a profie as possible.

I get it know, it's just a personal bias and culture thing.

>>2833576 (OP)
>tickets
What are you interested in doing, and where are you staying?

What expectations do you have from the trip, and what budget are you aiming for?

These questions will help massively.

>>2835953
Basically your typical airbnb poor man's trip. Stuff like Hagia Sophia, some basic museums.

>>2833684
>Turnip drinks

>>2836057
Which district your airbnb in?
Make sure you get some ferry journeys in. This is what Istanbul's all about.
Also fish sandwiches on the bridge are kino.

>>2835952
Anti-American diatribes aside, euros are the preferred foreign currency in Istanbul. Undoubtedly there are many small business owners who appreciate payments in euros as opposed to the steadily devaluing lira. However, if you're not good at math, it's easy to get short-changed with these kind of transactions.

During my one-night stay, I did not encounter any dishonesty from the businessmen of Istanbul. They were all very solicitous and appreciative of a foreign customer. Polar opposite of Poland, where everybody treats a foreign customer like a nuisance.

>>2833576 (OP)
Have fun enjoying what Christians built before Muzzies genocided them all.

>>2836616
Weird way to say other Christians, Roman Catholic Church and the Venetians but okay. It was okay tho, those hecking based crusades destroyed the Eastern Roman Empire AND resulted in the deaths of Europeans for the Jews. Almost as based as the Baltic Croosades where the croosaders committed genocide against ethnic Europeans practicing indigenous European religions in Europe.

>>2833576 (OP)
All I know is that it’s Istanbul not Constantinople.