Turkey: Before You Go Guide (Printable + iPad)

Turkey is easy to love, but first-timers get caught out by the same details: major sights priced in euros for foreign visitors, mosque dress and prayer-time rules, museum passes that don't cover the biggest attractions, Cappadocia balloon flights cancelled by wind, and lira prices that rise fast.

This printable guide puts everything you should know before a trip to Turkey in one place, in short plain-English points, researched in autumn 2026 with links to the sources so you can double-check anything. Where a price or rule could not be confirmed on an official page, the guide says "about ... check before you go" instead of guessing.

WHAT'S INSIDE

• Entry and paperwork: who is visa-free (90 days in any 180), passport validity, customs, antiquities rules
• Money: the lira, euro-priced tickets, ATMs, cards, tipping, bargaining
• Getting around: Istanbulkart, ferries, airports, domestic flights, buses and high-speed trains
• Phone and internet: eSIMs, foreign phone registration, plugs
• Etiquette: mosques, Ramadan and holidays, tea and hospitality
• Food and ordering
• Weather and when to go, by region
• Health and safety: scams, earthquakes, government advisories
• Accommodation tips (Istanbul neighborhoods, cave hotels, taxes)
• Book ahead: Hagia Sophia, Topkapı, the Basilica Cistern, Ephesus, Pamukkale, balloons and more
• Choosing where to go: itineraries for 5, 7, 10 and 14 days
• Driving, flights and day trips
• Sample daily budgets
• What things cost: 30 prices, from simit and tea to museum tickets and balloon flights
• A month-by-month calendar: weather, crowds, festivals and what to watch out for
• A pre-trip countdown checklist, from 3 to 6 months out to travel day
• A tick-box packing checklist (30 items)
• A first-day checklist for arrival day (10 steps)
• 26 useful Turkish phrases with easy pronunciation
• Emergency numbers
• Two editions: a printable PDF and an iPad edition with a tappable contents page

PERFECT FOR

• First-time visitors to Turkey
• Anyone who wants the practical details in one place
• Travellers who like to arrive prepared
• A thoughtful gift for someone with a Turkey trip booked

PAIRS WELL WITH

Our Turkey Travel Guide (the 144 best things to do, by region) for what to see once you're there.

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

You'll receive 2 PDFs. No physical item will be shipped.

• Print edition (23 pages): US Letter, prints fine on A4
• iPad edition (33 pages): tappable contents, room to write

This guide is general travel information, not legal, medical or immigration advice. Entry rules depend on your nationality: always confirm with the official sites before you travel.

PLEASE NOTE

Rules and prices were researched in autumn 2026 and are subject to change: admissions, fares, menus, hotel rates and taxes can change without notice, and Turkish lira prices rise often. Please confirm important details with the official sites before you travel. Photos are illustrative. Researched and written with the help of AI tools.

Made by Global Trip Insight. For personal use only.