ATMs in Istanbul
 

Our hotel and guide in Istanbul are quoting prices in euro instead of turkish lira. When using ATMs in Istanbul is there an option to withdraw euro as well as lira?

I was there a couple of years ago but I'm pretty sure it was lira only. I just took euros with me for the hotel. Everything else - restaurants, admissions, shops etc - was in lira.

Well Mom, now you need a layover outside of the US :-)

They quote prices that way, but they'll almost certainly take lire. Right now, it's pretty close to a 2:1 ratio between the two currencies, so it's easy to figure out in your head how much to withdraw.

So much for my plan for a quick side trip to Paris for you - don't say I didn't try!

Actually, I've got the euro for the hotel leftover from a previous trip, although stopping in Paris is always good!

I was just curious since they quoted prices in euro if they used both currencies. We will have a great time whatever we pay with!
Thanks, CarrieAnn40, Lisa and mr_go.

We only encountered one hotel, Sheraton Antalya, that wanted to b paid in currency other than lira, in this case US$. ATMs only dispensed lira. Wonder if currency issues are driving hotels/guides to another currency.

P.S. Sheraton Antalya..lovely,great pool, private beach, and easily most expensive hotel of our whole trip.

In touristy places in Istanbul some places will take euro if you have them. If you want to pay in euro I would contact the hotel and ask, otherwise the currency of the country will certainly be accepted!

Thanks All, this is not a problem....I was just curious since all quotes were in euro. We will have euro, dollars and I'm certain some lire.
Looking forward to a short stay in Istanbul before a Mediterranean cruise (which we've never done...we are not cruisers, so should be interesting!)

Hm, that sounds a little confusing. Also, I noticed in a few posts that to purchase your visa in another currency (yet no mention of which currencies are accepted).

What currency would you recommend people bring with them to Turkey? It sounds like Euro would be your best bet, then convert there. Do they take US dollars or Canadian dollars as readily?

I've paid US dollars for my visas, but I'm sure they'll take euros. Aside from that I use ATMs to get local currency. Have you looked at the embassy website?

I encountered this same issue when I was planning my Romania trip. It led me to believe €'s were accepted in Romania but they are actually not. I think they quote €'s because most people don't know the exchange rates on currencies like the Romanian lei or the Turkish lire. The € is something most people can relate to, although it's usually not accepted in that country.

I never saw an ATM in Turkey that dispensed €'s, just Turkish lire.

This may help for the visa:
http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/d...ies/index.html

We took US$20s for our visas. For everything else, we used ATMs/local currency.

Thanks, everyone. Our plan is US dollars for Visa, then get turkish lire from ATM. We have euros from last trip should we need them.

Our experience was Turkish lira just about everywhere. US dollars will be fine for the visa. Enjoy your stay!