Read money saving tips before traveling in Istanbul

Istanbul is one of the relatively expensive cities, and what concerns me as a traveler is to save the most amount of money during my trip, and luckily there are many ways that you will be able to save a lot of money, here are some tips before traveling to Istanbul.

Use public transit

Istanbul contains a very large public transport network that avoids the use of taxi or even renting a private car, as the transportation network provided by Istanbul Municipality includes all the vital areas in the city, and the most famous means of transportation are available: metro and tram fi in addition to buses and coaches, and public transportation is freely available To travel between the Asian and European halves of the city, and if you use the correct means of transportation, you have saved a lot of time and money during your trip.

Buy Istanbul Card

Ride the metro by purchasing a one-time rides card costs 4 TL, while if you use the card the fee will be 2.6 and thus we have saved 1.40 TL each time we use the metro. Knowing that the price of a 6-lira Istanbul card is paid once.

Where do I get the Istanbul card?

You can buy a Istanbul transport card when traveling to Istanbul from the approved centers in the city, such as groceries and volcanoes near bus and metro stops, and you can also obtain it automatically through electronic machines located in the metro stations or by tram stations, and the price of the card is 6 pounds paid once Get the card.

How do I charge the card?

The card is shipped either from the approved centers to sell the Istanbul card, or through the electronic electronic machines located inside the metro stations or next to the tram stations, and the machines can be used by choosing the English language.

Where to use the card

You can use the card in most of the transportation of Istanbul such as metro, trams, transport ships inside Istanbul, buses internal transport, metro bus.

Buy Istanbul museum card

In case you are a fan of museums and decide to visit 3 or more of the Istanbul museums mentioned below, we advise you to buy the card

Where do I get a museum card?

You can buy a card from Istanbul museums from 6 points, which are: entry point of the Aya Sofia Museum, Topkapi Palace, Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum, Istanbul Archeological Museum, Chora Museum, Mosaic Museum.
The card price is 185 Turkish Liras and it is allowed to use it for 5 days only.
You can also buy the card through the official website of Istanbul museums on the Internet.from here

Where to use the card

Among the museums that I can enter using the Istanbul Museum Card:
Aya Sofia Museum, Topkapi Palace and Harem Rooms, Istanbul Archaeological Museum, Istanbul Mosaic Museum, Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum, Museum of Technological History and Science in Islam, Chora Museum, Galata Museum, Yildiz Palace, Rumeli Hisar Museum, Fethiye Museum
The card also gives a discount for many other places and activities that you can see from here

Buy a Turkish mobile line

Where do I buy the line?
There are three companies that provide mobile service in Turkey, which are Turk Telecom, Turkcell, and Vodafone, as a first step. Do not buy the line from the airport unless you have to. The prices inside the airport are high compared to the points of sale throughout Istanbul. Go to an authorized selling center for the company. Easily found in malls and in vital areas.

How much more money if you use the Turkish line

This depends on the mobile companies in your country, and the prices vary from one place to another, but in general the savings rate may exceed half.

Use a bank card with caution

Withdraw your entire daily expenses and avoid paying too much commission.
Example: When you withdraw 500 liras from the card, the commission will be 3% + 35 liras, and when you withdraw 50 liras from the card, the commission will be 3% + 35 liras
The value of the commission varies from one bank to another, but the result is the same, so we always prefer before traveling to check with your bank and inquire about the commission of withdrawals and banks that your bank deals with so that you do not lose a lot of money

Currency exchange

Do not transfer currency from airport offices or unlicensed exchange offices, always request the transfer fee and verify that it is correct before departure to avoid errors that occur during the transfer process.

Break on prices

Try to avoid buying from well-known markets that raise the price on the tourist such as the Grand Bazaar and the Egyptian market, and separate the prices as much as possible, preferably shopping from the shopping malls, specifically Turkish brands, which are found in all malls and vital areas.

I book an apartment

When you visit to Istanbul with your family, book an apartment in Istanbul instead of a hotel, which saves you about 100-150 TL per day, especially in the case of large families, the cheapest apartments for rent in Istanbul

Prepare your meal

The apartments are equipped with a kitchen that contains complete equipment, you only need to buy your needs from the supermarket near your residence and prepare a delicious meal on your own, and if you are not a fan of preparing food for you, go to the popular restaurants that offer many delicious meals that do not differ much from the luxury restaurants.