Currency in Turkey
You can exchange your currency anywhere in Turkey, almost in any shop, and you can shop with your money in Touristic areas.
Whatever you do, do not exchange your currency in your home country.
Banks, Tour Operators, Post offices, you name it, all will tell you that they have the best exchange rates. No, they don’t. It would be right to note that banks have currency exchange stalls upon your arrival at the Turkish Airports; they are a rip-off and will take advantage of you. So, try to avoid them like the plague.
Your best move would be to exchange your currency in Turkey. Wait until you get to your hotel, head to town, and you can change in any shop, whether it is a jewellery shop, travel agent or kiosk.
In larger cities such as Istanbul and Antalya, you can use Exchange Offices; they are easy to spot with their transparent flashing Currency rate displays.
Please bear in mind that, unlike in Europe, you can shop with your currency, Sterling | Dollar | Euro, as long as you don’t expect a change in your money.
You might come across some platforms where people write; Turks love sterling or euro. The truth is, they don’t care which currency you pay, as long as you pay, because most tourists do struggle with the currency exchange rates; salespeople find it easy to tell you the prices in your currency so that you can have an easier understanding and the selling progress can be much smoother. This is one of the reasons why we are displaying our prices on this site in foreign currency.
ATMs are everywhere; you can withdraw cash from most of them in Turkish Lira | Dollar, or Euro. English is also an option on most Cash machine screens, in most parts of Turkey, especially in the Touristic areas.
If you use the cash machines often, we suggest you check the commission rates with your bank to avoid surprise bills when you return home.