TURKEY: COMMON MISTAKES MOST TOURISTS MAKE!

1. Not carrying enough cash

Türkiye is a country where most of credit or debits cards are well accepted. However, is also good having with you some cash.

The main reason is because if you want to buy souvenirs or clothes specially in the bazaars or stores in Eminönü area is easier to get a better discount when buying several items and paying in cash.

2. Exchanging your money at the first place you find.

This is a common mistake many travelers make when visiting another country.

We recommend not exchanging a large amount of money into Turkish Lira at the airport, just exchange enough to have on hand for immediate needs, just in case.

Once you arrive in the city center or main areas, take your time to compare exchange rates at different places. Don’t go with the first one you see, you’ll likely find a better rate elsewhere especially inside the Grand Bazaar, one of the places with the best exchange rates in Istanbul. This can save you quite a bit, especially if you're exchanging a larger amount.

3. Do not over plan your itinerary with many cities in a short time.

We know that Türkiye has many fascinating cities and that you’d love to cover as many as possible in a short time but please! Do not squeeze too many cities in a 10 or 15-day itinerary. This is some thing common that we often see, they cover too many cities, they’re rushing everywhere, people do not enjoy the places as they were expecting, and they end up exhausted, because believe it or not, Türkiye seems small but in reality, traveling from city to city can even take 10-12 hours by bus or car.

Instead, cover 2 maximum 3 cities, take your time to explore them and really get to know the new place you’re visiting. Now you won’t only have the photo for your Instagram feed, you’ll also have amazing memories from those places. In the future, you can come back to Türkiye to explore new places, that’s a great excuse to keep visiting this amazing country!

Is also recommended to leave some flexibility in your itinerary because you never know what could happen, maybe you fell in love with a place , you really want to spend more time there and is easier to replan everything with less cities.

4. Visiting places late.

We encourage you to start your day as early as possible, that way you can also avoid huge lines in some of the main attractions specially in high season.

In case that the city is already full of tourists, by starting your plans early you can also enjoy some sites without people, feel the real magic of a place, and for the photography lovers, you can also take amazing photos!

5. Speaking loudly inside mosques

This is something that a couple of times I encountered in some mosques in Istanbul, some visitors were almost shouting and speaking loudly, let’s remember that we are inside a mosque and is a sacred place, we need to respect the place, some locals even though is not praying time go to the mosques at any time to pray. We can still speak of course, but let’s not do it loudly.

6. Buying souvenirs or things in the first shop or bazaar we step in

We know that the Grand Bazaar and even the Spice Bazaar are the most famous places for souvenirs and where we can literally find everything from clothes, purses, jewelry, carpets, etcetera but most of the time those items are overpriced.

If you are patient and are willing to look into other places specially the local stores outside the Spice Bazaar and compare prices, more likely you’ll find the same thing for a better price.

Unless you really loved something at the bazaars and found it unique then go for it!

7. Taking only taxi to move within Istanbul.

Taking a taxi to move around can be very expensive, especially if you take it from the main areas and not from an approved apps.

You an take it if you want to go to a place which is far and probably a bit uncomfortable to take public transportation but other than that, you can instead use the public transportation which is quite affordable and convenient.

8. Not using public transportation.

One of the best experiences that we can have in any country is using the public transportation, and Türkiye is not the exception, especially Istanbul.

This is one of the best opportunities to be able to immerse ourselves in the routine of daily life of the locals and see the places from another persective that we would miss when traveling by taxi.

Remember that Istanbul offers outstanding views and many of them can be enjoyed from the public transport especially ferries.

Istanbul has a great transportation system, the main tourist areas are well connected by tram, ferry, buses, and Marmaray (the train that crosses from continent to continent under the Bosphorus strait), the fees are affordable, especially if you buy the IstanbulKart plus is safe.

9. Renting a car in Istanbul.

If you are planning to rent a car in istanbul, PLEASE STOP!

Renting a car in Istanbul is a no no and the main reason is because the traffic here is INSANE, in the historical peninsula the streets are way too narrow and there's lack of parking lots, that can really give you a hard time in Istanbul.

On the other hand, if you want to visit other cities and rent a car, then that's a great option, the roads in Türkiye are quite good and you can move at your own pace.

10. Visiting only main touristic areas in Istanbul.

Do not limit your holiday only to the most famous attractions or areas in istanbul, don't be afraid of exploring other interesting places, if you have the time, we encourage you to get out of the bubble to discover more places, for sure, you'll fall in love with what you see.

11. Not wearing comfortable shoes.

This is probably one of the worst nightmares for every traveler, when a show starts killing your toes!

Make sure to bring the most comfortable shoes that you have, Istanbul is a city where you'll walk a lot and many of its streets especially in the old peninsula are going up and down the hills.

Ladies, please avoid high heels or platforms at all costs! You'll regret it! Unless you go to a nice restaurant and take a taxi, then go for it, other than that, heels are a big no.

12. Eating in only international fast-food chains.

We know that in many countries fast-food chains that can be found internationally can be quite affordable and those traveling on a budget find them convenient.

But, in Türkiye, food in general is inexpensive, you can have a great lunch or dinner almost for the same price as a burger or fried chicken at any of those places.

Instead of doing that, we recommend looking for good local restaurants near your area and eat there, that way you'll be tasting the local and unique flavors of Turkish cuisine for almost the same price.

In addition to this, do not limit yourself to eating at restaurants on the main streets or tourist areas, even just by walking a couple of blocks away you'll find excellent places with better prices.

13. Staying in Cappadocia 1-2 days.

Unfortunately, the region is mostly known nowadays only for the hot air balloons but let me tell you something, Cappadocia is much more than that, not only has a fascinating landscape, but is also home to fasciating history dating back to thousands of years.

The very first time we went to the region, we spent 5 full days and we never got bored, we always found interesting activities to do and places to visit and we didn’t ride the hot air balloon, that wasn’t our priority to be honest but still we had an amazing time!