Istanbul - Dollars, Euros or ???

[aneka]

In Istanbul, what did you need for currency? Was the dollar or Euro accepted, or did you need other currency?

[ClaudiaF]

They use the Turkish Lira. Some shops accept dollars/ Euros .Many taxi drivers will most likely want "their" currency. You can get it at your hotel ( if you are staying there) or sometimes on ship they have the local currency or get small amounts at ATM. Sometimes it's best to have a bit of everything and use credit card ..easier.

[Jancruz]

We used credit cards and usd..never had a problem EXCEPT on the ferry..that was a problem..
Jan
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[Fetchpeople]

The lira has been devalued: it is now about 1.58 to the USD. Make sure you get new lira in change and not the old stuff which went up to about 1 million to the USD. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you what the new lira looks like and barely remember the old ones from a trip about 5 years ago.

[meow!]

A million lira to one? The Italian lira used to be a thousand to one, but at least it was fairly steady over the years. If a country has continuously declining currency and you buy something there, it will be difficult for you to tell whether you have a good "deal" or not, e.g. how much should that carpet cost. Besides, how can a country with such unstable currency hope to join the European Union, especially since the euro seems to be rising these years?

[Judyumcer@aol.com]

We were in Istanbul for 4 nights after our cruise. We found they take anything. $$$ Euros or Lira. Still it is best to use credit cards when you can. We did exchange money at the hotel every morning to have taxi money, admissions, etc. Even the vendors on the streets like dollars! IT is an interesting place to visit. Be sure to visit the Harem.

[artichoke]

It is too bad they changed the currency in Turkey. I was really looking forward to being a millionare again (the only way it will happen). When we were there last it was 1,400,000 to the dollar. Funny to have to pay 6 million for a short taxi ride and 70 million for an anniversay dinner in a cistern. Had lots of fun when came home with about 18 million though. The cashiers at Wendy's were a little unsure of how they could make change for a million.

Changing dollars to Lira was best at little "Change" kiosks or storefronts which are everywhere. Usually beat the hotel rate (at least 5 years ago). Again, as said above don't let anyone pawn off the 'old' currency on you, unless you want to be 'rich'.

[smeyer418]

It is too bad they changed the currency in Turkey. I was really looking forward to being a millionare again (the only way it will happen). When we were there last it was 1,400,000 to the dollar. Funny to have to pay 6 million for a short taxi ride and 70 million for an anniversay dinner in a cistern. Had lots of fun when came home with about 18 million though. The cashiers at Wendy's were a little unsure of how they could make change for a million.

Changing dollars to Lira was best at little "Change" kiosks or storefronts which are everywhere. Usually beat the hotel rate (at least 5 years ago). Again, as said above don't let anyone pawn off the 'old' currency on you, unless you want to be 'rich'.

This info is not accurate the old currency is readily accepted and even the new currency has the 6 dropped zeros in smaller numbers. The old currency just gets 6 zero's ignored. We saw very little old currency in October when we were there. We did have one cab driver whose meter was in old currency who wanted us to pay that amount in new. Fat chance..I drove a cab in Brooklyn and no Turkish taffy was going to swindle me.

[hammybee]

We used U.S. $ and credit cards and had no problem anywhere at anytime. When using cash, most vendors appreciated U.S. $ over their own.

[Daw6id]

Their currency has been reasonably stable for the last few years - but removal of the six zeros was a politically courageous decision - done as a step towards joining the European Union. ATM machines work well in Turkey, but it was always scairy to get a receipt saying they just deducted 400,000,000 from your account!

[nparmelee]

We just got home from Istanbul yesterday and they will take euros, dollars or Turkish Lira just about anywhere, the exception would be the museums or entrance fees which they wanted Turkish Lira for. Just make sure you know your exchange rates if you plan on using euros or dollars and do your math.

[aneka]

Thanks for all your replies.
Annette

[conan]

Did anyone buy New Turkish Lira at the Ataturk airport? Where is that currency exchange? Or is buying local currency at the airport a no-no?
Thanx!
Conan

[Liat]

The best bet anywhere for foreign exchange is a local ATM. You MUST check the machine to make sure it is compatabile with your card, but finding one will not be a problem. The exchange does cost something, but nowhere near what you would pay at an exchange booth. The only place where I had to use a booth was to exchange my Icelandic Kroner back to dollars when I left Reykjavick.