Useful tips

One card for metro, tram, buses, funiculars and ferries. Buy and top up at station machines; one card can pay for several people.

Use the BiTaksi app or a hotel-called taxi, and insist on the meter. Note the plate before you get in.

Around 5–10% in restaurants is appreciated; round up taxis. Check whether service is already on the bill.

Friendly invitations often lead to a carpet shop. Accept the tea if you like, but never feel obliged to buy.

Cards work widely, but small lira notes help at markets, simit carts and toilets.

Withdraw from bank ATMs and choose to be charged in lira, not your home currency.

Topkapı closes on Tuesdays; Dolmabahçe and many private museums on Mondays. The Grand Bazaar closes on Sundays.

Mosque visits pause around each prayer and on Friday until early afternoon. Keep a museum in reserve.

November brings showers and wind on the water. A waterproof and shoes with grip matter on wet cobbles.

Tap water is treated, but most people drink bottled or filtered water.

The old city and Beyoğlu are steep. Use the funiculars and trams, and pace your walks.

Buy a local SIM or eSIM from an official operator store (bring your passport), or set up a travel eSIM before you fly.