How much should you budget for a week in Istanbul for hotels, food, public transport and palace entry tickets?
From messages by 3 participants in 1 source · Last activity: 34 days ago
For teenagers visiting both Topkapı Palace and Dolmabahçe Palace, getting an ISIC card in advance can be worthwhile. It brought ticket prices to around TRY 400 for Topkapı and TRY 300 for Dolmabahçe, saving approximately US$100 across the two visits.
34 days ago ISIC: Topkapı TRY 400, Dolmabahçe TRY 300
In the Sultanahmet area, a hotel room cost €70 per night when paid in cash, compared with €75 by card. The booking was made directly with the hotel after comparing options on booking platforms, with a 30% deposit.
34 days ago Sultanahmet: €70 per night in cash
Food does not have to be expensive: a balık dürüm was about TRY 300, and two wraps with beer and tea came to roughly TRY 900–1,000. In Sultanahmet, it may be possible to negotiate a small discount on kebab or shawarma; tea and dessert were sometimes included.
34 days ago Balık dürüm: around TRY 300
Prices for the same dish can vary sharply between neighboring restaurants. In Laleli, lahmacun was quoted at TRY 800 in one place and TRY 300 nearby; lahmacun with beer and tea cost around TRY 600–650.
34 days ago Laleli: lahmacun TRY 300–800
Allow a substantial public-transport budget: between August 27 and September 7, one Istanbulkart limit was used in August and another in September, with about TRY 900 spent on airport journeys. An eSIM, Google Maps, and route information for T1, metro, ferries, and Metrobus were useful for navigation.
34 days ago About TRY 900 for airport transport