Anyone been to Turkey recently? - Cruise Line Fans: Cruise Forum, Reviews and Chat From Real Cruisers

BJC · 01-12-2006, 02:38 AM

I was just wondering if the Euro was accepted there?

The reason being that most of our cruise time is in Italy and Greece, and we are spending time in Rome post cruise, I thought it would be easier just to get Euro’s.

By the way we are from Australia, so if the Euro is not accepted I expect we will have to change some AU$ to US$, any recommendations will be much appreciated.

Regards, BJ and Mrs C

MCcruiser · 01-12-2006, 03:08 AM

Hello and welcome to CLF!

I have not been to Turkey, but it is one of the places my husband and I intend to travel to soon, so I have researched it a little.
Turkey has yet to be included in the European Union and so they do not use the Euro. But I would not recommend using $US there. Their currency is the Turkish Lira, and the link below will take you to a page with pictures of the different bills and coins.
http://www.turkishtravel.com/currency.htm

In general, the best place to change currency in the US is at the airport. If you have a debit card, that is the best way to get foreign currency in my experience. Use the card at a machine, and it will deliver cash to you in the currency of the country you are in. It becomes a bit of a problem when you use a machine that does not have an English option, but the numbers usually help you figure it out. Save all receipts, so that when you get home, you can verify that no extra withdrawals were made that you did not know about.

Cruise Princess · 01-12-2006, 01:44 PM

Julie (TexasHorseLady) was there in Oct or Nov.

jstducky · 01-12-2006, 01:47 PM

Yep, THL was there recently. Hopefully she'll see this post and answer.

But I've read, since I will be there in July, that most places there accept Euros if thats what you've got. I wouldn't recommend changing to Lira since you could end up with millions of them! I've also noticed that private tour guides quote their prices in Euros

Texashorselady · 01-14-2006, 06:30 PM

Hi BJC, I just got back from the Mediterranean, including Turkey and I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have.

First of all, yes, the Euro is accepted in Turkey, Greece, Italy...just about everywhere. Even places that aren't on the Euro yet. I recommend getting your money changed into Euros one time as you begin your trip and change it back one time on the way back. It might take a little research on your part to see where you get the best exchange rate. We found that an ATM was a surprisingly good place to make a withdrawal in local currency at a good rate.

I don't recommend trying to get Turkish Lira for a short visit to Turkey...it's just not worth the trouble. They love selling to travelers...and were very happy to take dollars or Euros. We used leftover Euros part of the time and American dollars part of the time, no problem. When we got change in Turkish money we used some of that, too. They are very easygoing about most everything there and we found it delightful dealing with them!

I am not sure how many Australians they see in Turkey, so I can't say if your own currency would be accepted there. I am guessing not, so again...I think your best bet is to change to Euros.

One note about Turkish Lira - it used to be a ridiculous currency and people were walking around spending millions of lira for a lunch. They corrected that and the new currency isn't like that anymore. In fact, I recommend buying some of the old notes (if you can find it) just because it makes a very cool souvenier. I have a five million note. How often do you see those?

Another thing to be conscious of when you are there: When prices are posted they are usually, but not always in Euros. Sometimes an item will have just a number without a symbol for Euro, Lira, or anything. We got fooled a few times thinking it was in Euros, when it wasn't. If you are in a shop and see something you like, be sure to ask the shopkeeper.

If you haven't read it yet, you might want to check out my recent cruise review that includes Turkey. I put lots of photos and descriptions in there, and it might give you an idea of what to expect.

Take care and let me know if you have any other questions!

Texashorselady · 01-14-2006, 06:35 PM

Here's the link to that cruise review I was talking about.

http://www.cruiselineforums.com/foru...n-trip-35.html

MCcruiser · 01-14-2006, 07:31 PM

Kudos for the info, THL! Apologies to BJC for giving you bad info about the Euro (I should have known that they would accept them, if they are trying to join the European Union), and thank you THL for correcting me. It's good to learn things.

BJC · 01-15-2006, 09:41 PM

Thanks THL, and others, good advice from you all again, thanks.

Regards, BJ and Mrs C.

Texashorselady · 01-15-2006, 10:04 PM

BJC, just curious...when are you going to Turkey? What cruiseline? Where are you planning to see when you get there?

BJC · 01-16-2006, 01:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texashorselady

BJC, just curious...when are you going to Turkey? What cruiseline? Where are you planning to see when you get there?

Hi THL,

March 22nd out of Rome on the Celebrity Galaxy, 12 days, including 2 days, well one and a half in Istanbul, and 1 day in Kusadasi.

On the first day we get in at noon so are going to the Grand Bazaar, as the next day it is closed, then day two we are doing the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Ibrahim Pasha Palace and somewhere else, just forgot, having a “Seniors Moment”!

In Kusadasi we are going to the House of the Virgin Mary and the Ephesus Tour.

I expect that we will be all “Ruined Out” by the time we get back to Australia, however we don’t have anything like that here, as a country being just over 200 years old, so it’s a novelty for us.

Regards, BJ and Mrs C.