Expensive Turkey
 

Having just returned from a 2 week holiday to Turkey, and paying off my credit card, I cannot believe how expensive Turkey is, so I would not consider going there again as it was a far more expensive holiday than any of my recent holidays to France and Spain - it's not even the prices of our hotel rooms as we spent a majority of our time at the Conrad Hotel in Istanbul (7 days in the beginning to do Istanbul, then a night's stop returning from Edirne and finally at the end of our holiday after returning from Selcuk in the south), the Conrad was reasonably priced at £146 per night, and the hotel in Selcuk was £96 per night - very reasonable to be honest.
Tickets to the sites were exorbitant with Ephesus being 52 euros each, £27.50 each to go to the Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia was about 25 euros each etc
If you want to wine and dine, you will find that many restaurants do not serve alcohol and those that do charge a high price.It was not uncommon for a bottle of wine to be £60 or more - beer too. Tax on alcohol is apparently 80%!
It was interesting to take in the local elections where the opposition resoundingly defeated Erdogan's party, and I can see why with inflation at 70 percent.

I just returned from Norway which is probably more expensive than Turkey. I have no regrets for the cost because it was a fantastic trip.

It sounds like you saw some great things, so I bet you had a good trip too. Forget the cost and treasure the memories. You can't put a price on memories.

I agree with P_M.
Remember too that Turkey is for the most part, and under Erdogan increasingly, a Muslim country, so it shouldn't be a surprise about the alcohol. I assume you were also there during Ramadan if you have just got back, which could also have affected things.

I travelled through Turkey all the last years (without touching the highly touristic places you mention) and I didn't get the same impression concerning food and entry prices.
The entry fee to the archeological site of Perge, for instance, was 11 EUR and that for Phaselis 6 EUR.

Thanks neckervd, in the beginning one has to take in Istanbul, Ephesus and Edirne (the Ottoman Empire) - this is history, not tourisy!

I'm curious of the distinction.

Roman colosseum - touristy or history?
Leaning tower of Pisa?
Chichen Itza?
Museum of Natural History?
Disney World?

Historic places that need preservation, upkeep, and amenities for those who visit (aka tourists) all need money to pay the bills....

We were in Istanbul on work a little over two years back and I don’t remember it as being particularly expensive. The Aya Sofya and Blue Mosque had free entry at that time and I walked in 2-3 times on different days, by myself at first and with my husband on the last day. We have been to Turkey a couple of times in the past and visited Topkapi and other sites previously, so I don’t have any idea of current ticket prices.

Restaurants were pretty reasonable too, unless you went somewhere really fancy. Alcohol of course hasn’t ever been cheap in Turkey, except some local beers. We had a couple of business dinners where they ordered wine; expensive and not particularly good either!

Disney World?!!

I drank Efes - I suppose we did eat at nice restaurants, after all it was a holiday

I don't know if you have been doing much traveling post-Covid, but higher inflated prices are everywhere. From Turkey to Peru. Hotel prices, entry fees, restaurants, etc., etc.

You said yourself, you went to nice restaurants because it was, after all, a holiday. That is going to cost you.

And I would expect alcohol to be expensive when it is at a premium, which for a country that has or may abstain from alcohol would put it at a premium. Basic economics here: supply and demand. It is also expensive in places like Iceland and Cook Islands - also because of supply and demand - cost more to get the materials to produce and/or import, so it is at a premium.

Travel Nerd makes a good point about the post covid world. A lot has changed. Last year we were in Paris and it was more expensive than it had been in the past, but our biggest problem was with the crowds. We couldn't believe how packed all of the tourist places were. We were also unaware that we should have bought a lot more tickets in advance.

If Turkey was expensive, but not so crowded that you couldn't get into the major tourist sites, then count your blessings.

https://theistanbulinsider.com/entra...t-attractions/

A lot of attractions are free.
As for the restaurants. you were probably charged " foreigner price"
Pesonally, as a matter of principle I avoid countries like that.

My wife and I stayed in Istanbul in '21, and the Muslims there were remarkably enthusiastic about encouraging tourists to drink. I asked about it, and one said it was no big deal.

It could be that Turkey has joined the bandwagon of countries drastically increasing prices for tourists. I heard that Greece has introduced new fares for tourists only to visit Acropolis and the likes. Japan has increased the price of the famous JR rail pass. And so on...

I never got the impression they were trying to rip off tourists, maybe the restaurants I went to were more expensive - and then drinking alcohol there, wine and beer (and probably spirits, I don't drink them) is expensive, very highly taxed.

If anyone is going to Turkey and is going to visit a lot of archaeological sites, it makes sense to buy the Turkey pass. It covers almost any site in Turkey and will save you a bundle.
Of course, alcohol is highly taxed in a Muslim country. There are actually some decent wines made in various parts of Turkey but that industry will never get off the ground.
Like others have said, prices for everything have gone up everywhere. And yes, 70% inflation. We still found it relatively cheaper than some other countries, and much cheaper than Croatia, which we visited immediately after Turkey.

Bodrum, marmaris, alanya very expensive but antalya cheaper than against this palace. Demre, kaş and antalya sutible price. you must search local google search.

I found the food and hotels in Athens and Central Greece to be very reasonable. Same with the pass that gets you into all the ruins. At restaurants we ordered too much, didn't really adjust to portion sizes. Plus.... on vacation you want try more things, right?.

If you want lower prices, you should go to Armenia. Right next to Turkey but everything there seems like it's free.

Coming from Cyprus, I spent a week between Silifke and Gazipasha, just 2 months ago.
Beach hotels (for example Kupala Beach at Büyükeceli) were cheaper than in Europe, sunbeds and umbrellas on sandy beaches were dirty cheap.
So was the local food in restaurants (fish, seafood, kebabs) and our nice airbnb at Anamur (completely quiet, but close to shops and the sandy beach).
A bus ride (very comfortable buses, bookable in the web) costs about 3-4 euorcent/km (3-4 EUR for 100 km).