June 2008 :

As of June 2008 , $1 U.S. is 1.22 lira , $50 U.S. is 61 Lira , $100 Lira is 122 Lira . Except airport shuttle, musuems , or rather small purchases, anything else you may pay in US $ , or Euros - € , or credit card is accepted at almost all of museums ( not in Chora , yes in Hagia Sophia, Topkapi, Dolmabahce , Archaelogical Museum, each for about 10 lira ) For payments less than 10 - 20 $ make sure to carry local currency. I am originally a tour guide from Turkey, mainly running tours of Istanbul, Ephesus and CAppadocia. ( at my istanbul blog , my.opera.com/istanbulinsider I am putting a visual Istanbul guide, especially good on how to explore Asiatc Istanbul ) Below you will find money exchange info for Turkey , it does not change from Istanbul to Ankara or elsewhere, the same value. American Dollars, German Marks, and other major currencies are accepted everywhere for payment, traveller's cheque and credit cards also. You may use one of the plenty ATMs which are all over in the city ( as almost all of you will go to Istanbul's Saint Sophia ( Ayasofya ) Museum ,short walk going straight from the main entrance towards the Blue Mosque, along the street with the cars ; on your left you will see the WC sign and the many ATM's. You will see like 3 or four of them awaiting you, but you can not cash more than couple of 100$'s per day. At Topkapi Palace, next to the ticket booth where you will see the Ministry of touirsm gift shop , in the same one floor building at its entrance is the Post office ; they change travellers cheque as well as stamps available.

1 Euro is about 1.9 lira ( YTL ) ( Lira = YTL = Yeni turk lirasi = new turkish lira ) The banks at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul upon your arrival, do not give you the best rate; they charge 2-4 % commission to change cash. Use the Atm's for local cash at the airport (so you will need to get a pin number - if you do not have it - for your credit card. That makes life easy. Read my previous years articles below ; the rates changed but other information is still mainly correct.

Payment in major currencies - especially American Dollars, German Mark, British Pound is accepted everywhere in Turkey. Credit Card payments are rather common anywhere , including the restaurants ; Visa is preferred for their lower interest rates. You can use an ATM to draw cash in local currency, using your credit card or the regular atm card, if you have a pin number. Traveller's cheque is also accepted for payments - but less common. Vendors do not like American Express cards for its higher commissions. ................................................. year 2001 article :

2001

Turkey had an annually enflation of around 70% last year(2000), for this year (2001 ) with the crisis it is thought to be around 57 % by the end of the year. That means you get better value for your currency every other day, but prices in Turkey are also adjusted according to the value of foreign currency: Price tags at most of the places will be either in U.S. dollars or German Marks as a result. But not everywhere - so - good deals are waiting for you everywhere.

Traveller's Cheque is difficult to convert to cash at many banks, and if they do they won't accept more than 5 notes, and charge approx 1% commission. As you will be visiting Saint Sophia - the famous Byzantine Cathedral,( across the Blue Mosque & the Basilica Cistern, and on your way to Topkapi Palace, )accross that is the Post Office (In Turkey postal sevice providing institution is called the 'PTT' ) booth, where you can change your traveller's cheque, or cash. And next the booth is an ATM. For payments less than 10 - 20 $ make sure to carry local currency. The shuttle from the airport to the city center is somewhere between 3 to 4 million Lira, which is only about 3$ (as of june - july 2001 , 1 $ is 1.250.000 (one million two hundred and fifty thousend Lira ) only but you need to pay it in Lira. to give you an idea. ( Or the attandent may offer you a rate like 1 million lira to a dollar - still not bad. )

2004 MArch 17th :

1$ U.S. is approx. 1.3 million Lira , which will by you a coke and a simit ( turkish combination of pretzel & bagel in the form of wheel , photo at the bottom will show it here. 1 Euro is 1.6 million lira approx INFO - SUMMER - Winter 2001 Rates :

American Dollar - U.S.$ : Because of the economical crisis, as of April 13 2001, 1 American Dollar is 1.220.000 Turkish Lira (one million two hundred and twenty thousand Lira ). Around a month ago it was half of that (670000 Lira ). Dollar is considered to have overgained value - it was expected to drop down to somewhere like 1.1 million Lira. But in December 2001 : 1$ is 1460 Lira.

Summer 2001 Rates :

German Mark : 550000 Lira (fifehundred and fiftythousand Lira ) British Pound : 1730000 Lira Canadian Dollar : 770000 Lira Finnish MArkka : 180000 Lira

INFO OF THE YEAR 2000 SUMMER :

As of 15th of July 2000, 1 U.S. $ is 4305oo Turkish lira, and 1 British Pound is 666ooo Turkish Lira, that is free market value, which is just slightly higher than the bank rates. On the 2nd of July, 1 U.S. $ was 4234oo. It changes a bit, it seems , isn't it?

(the diamond above is Spoonmaker's Diamond - 86 carat , and dagger is Topkapi Dagger; Both are in Topkapi Palace - Jewellery Section, The Gordion ( King Midas City) Mound, and me. )

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