Turkey in September - what currency to take?
Discussion
...Should I take sterling and euros, or just sterling and change to Turkish Lira when I get out there? I'm unclear as to which currwncy would get me the best value out there.
I'd probably use my debit card as much as possible - I assume the exchange rate would be quite good?
All advice appreciated.
I'd probably use my debit card as much as possible - I assume the exchange rate would be quite good?
All advice appreciated.
We have a house in Turkey www. villayar.com to answer your question:
Dont take euros, why change sterling to Euro then again to YTL (Turkish Lira).
Everywhere Lira is the currency of choice afterall it is their currency.
The best and cheapest is to use the cash machine in the airport when you land ( for a small amount) then go to the PTT Yellow buildings, ie the Turkish Post Office. They have the best rate by a mile. This week 2.85YTL. If you can, take UK cash to avoid your card charges or Travellers cheques for security.
All the street vendors change money too at approx 2.6 from the hotels to 2.7 high street. They don't take commission, all they do is exchange your money then go to the PTT themselves in the morning and make 5-10% profit. Well done them.
The Turkish exchange has weakened dramatically. In May this year it was 2.2YTL to the £ its now 2.8YTL so Turkey is CHEAP!
Hope this helps,
Regs
Dont take euros, why change sterling to Euro then again to YTL (Turkish Lira).
Everywhere Lira is the currency of choice afterall it is their currency.
The best and cheapest is to use the cash machine in the airport when you land ( for a small amount) then go to the PTT Yellow buildings, ie the Turkish Post Office. They have the best rate by a mile. This week 2.85YTL. If you can, take UK cash to avoid your card charges or Travellers cheques for security.
All the street vendors change money too at approx 2.6 from the hotels to 2.7 high street. They don't take commission, all they do is exchange your money then go to the PTT themselves in the morning and make 5-10% profit. Well done them.
The Turkish exchange has weakened dramatically. In May this year it was 2.2YTL to the £ its now 2.8YTL so Turkey is CHEAP!
Hope this helps,
Regs
Went to Istanbul for a short break in late May. Definitely better rates over there. At least 5% better than anything I saw advertised in UK. There are banks and bureau de change kiosks everywhere. Worth keeping an eye out as you can stumble on some very competitive rates, nearer 10% better.
One thing to watch out for is deliberate switching between currencies in bars and restaurants. I was lured in with prices I was initially led to believe were Lira only to receive the bill priced in Euros. Another trick is menus at the table with no prices on them. In the end I got waiters to confirm what currency they were charging and whether taxes were added or not, before ordering. Threaten to walk out and a concession is usually forthcoming.
One thing to watch out for is deliberate switching between currencies in bars and restaurants. I was lured in with prices I was initially led to believe were Lira only to receive the bill priced in Euros. Another trick is menus at the table with no prices on them. In the end I got waiters to confirm what currency they were charging and whether taxes were added or not, before ordering. Threaten to walk out and a concession is usually forthcoming.
t hot IMO. I went September 2010 and the rate was 2.10 at the time, then in April 2011 the highest I got here was 2.38 (in the country the going rate seemed to be 2.42)
- Rate is currently 2.83-2.85 YTL which is superb considering I was buying at 2.52 in May and 2.61 in June, which was good at the time anyway.
Personally i'd change up a wad now, and take the rest in English incase you need to change more over there. The bubble has to burst at some point soon.
I've already changed up next years spending money while the rate is this good.
Personally i'd change up a wad now, and take the rest in English incase you need to change more over there. The bubble has to burst at some point soon.
I've already changed up next years spending money while the rate is this good.
Consigliere said:
I think I will take my Starling card and just use the cashpoints there if necessary. At 25TL to the pound it must be cheap as chips out there.
I’m in Alanya at the moment, and it’s anything but cheap… beer in bars are 150TL, most meals are 400TL for a standard main. Cocktails are upto 300TL if that’s your thing. It’s not quite U.K. prices but it’s getting close. Not as cheap as it used to be. Online you can see prices from a year/18 months ago and it was considerably cheaper. But crazy inflation will do that. It’s also filled with Russians, which is unsurprising given most of the Med/Europe is closed off to them. Not a problem but their general etiquette is far off from what I’m used to.
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