Turkey for cheap

On my scale: expensive country.

2TL = 1€

Visa (French citizen): Free. For other European citizen, you may pay 15€.

cigarettes: 4.50TL / 2.25 €. Next to the Syrian border, prices are “suddenly” between 1.5 to 2TL!

sandwich: 3 to 5TL / 1.50 to 2.50€.

kebab dinner: around 8TL / 4€.

beer: 2.50 to 4TL / 1.25 to 2€. You can find Efes Pilsen -which is quite good- almost everywhere. You can bring back your bottles to the store for 10 to 25 cents of TL each.

More about Cappadocia especially : check this link

Accommodation:

- Istanbul:

Paris Hotel: 30TL / 15€. Triple room (but price per person), private bathroom, Internet, bar in the hotel, breakfast include. Nice place.

- Bogazkale:

Hattusas Pension: 15TL / 7.50€ Double room (but I was alone), scaring bathroom, no heat, Internet, helpful personnel. Few dolmus running for & from Sunburlu, ask for departure times.

- Trabzon:

Hotel Anil: 35TL / 17.50€ Single room, private bathroom, Internet and breakfast include. Picked up in the LP; there is more reasonable prices, but also lot of brothels, be careful.

- Konya:

“The very one” Hotel: 40TL / 20€. Indecent price (but I was beginning my trip), for a good value; an other hotel was under construction in the city. Double room, private bathroom.

- Antakya:

Seker Palas Oteli: 15TL / 7.50€. Single room, shared bathroom, scary place, you got what you paid for.

- Sanliurfa:

Istiklal Hotel: 20TL / 10€ Double room (but price per person), shared bathroom.

Hotel Ipek Palas : 20TL / 10€ Single room, shared bathroom, Internet and breakfast include.

Hotel Ugur : 15TL / 7.50€, musma63@hotmail.com, 0(414) 313 13 40, Double room (but price per person), friendly personnel. Haven’t tried, seems to be a good place to stay.

- Harran:

Geleneksel Konik Kubbeli Evi (Traditional conical dome house): 15TL / 7.50€. Dinner and breakfast include; may double the price in high season.

- Kahta:

Pension Kommagene: 25TL / 12.50€ Triple room (but I was alone), private bathroom.

- Diyarbakir:

Diyar Hotel: 15TL / 7.50€ Double room (but I was alone), shared “bathroom” (hum… old style shower), welcoming personnel… but no English spoken. Ask for room 301, wonderful view of Ulu Mosque. Situated in the old city, just front of Ulu Cami entrance.

- Hasankeyf:

Hasankeyf Motel: 20TL / 10€ Triple room (but I was alone), shared bathroom, no heat.

- For Cappadocia (Goreme and Güzelyurt), check this link again.

Others :

Everything is more expensive in Ankara, in Cappadocia, and most of all in Istanbul.

Access to touristic places is expensive in most of case, and they are numerous! As oil is expensive, transport is. Check for trains if you can, and there is a very good Istanbul-Ankara night-train. There is buses and dolmus (minibuses) everywhere; and some buses companies provides you WiFi Internet. Hitchhiking is easy and a very good way to encounter people. Turkish people usually pay for it, but they will understand you want to hitchhike for free, just check before getting in the car or don’t be chocked that some drivers ask for a few money ;)

People will invite you for food or a tea everywhere, go on!

Good nightlife in most of big cities.

You will be very unlucky if you encounter somebody trying to trick you, except in Istanbul or in Cappadocia. People in Diyabakir told me that their city was home to the best robbers, 10 minutes later, a pickpocket stole my cigarettes in my pocket ??!? Be careful.

You can not afford your Syrian visa at the border since october 2010. careful.You can not afford your Iranian visa at the border but you can ask for it in Trabzon.

You can stay in Turkey for less than 25€ per day.

This is just a feedback from my experience. If you got some useful prices information, share it in the Comments !