The national currency of Turkey is the lira. Turkish lira comes in the form of banknotes and coins, however, as in any other country. Banknotes come in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 Turkish lira. As coins, money in Turkey comes in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 kurus (1 lira = 100 kurus) and 1 lira.
It is worth saying that all banknotes and coins depict the first president of the country, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
What currency to take to Turkey
It is difficult to answer the question of what currency to take with you to a given country. This is due to the fact that in different regions of the country there are different preferences. For example, the city of Side prefers the euro, because is a German district. In addition, some areas will give preference to dollars.
But euros and dollars are not the only option. You can also use, for example, rubles or hryvnia.
Currency exchange in Turkey
The answers to the question of what currency to take to Turkey are given above. Now it is worth talking directly about the exchange of imported currency for local. There is no restriction on the import of currency into Turkey, i.e. you can import any amount of foreign currency.
It should be said right away that most airports have exchange offices, but the exchange rate there is very unprofitable.
As for the exchange rate, as of February 2021, $ 1 is equal to 7.5 Turkish liras. Accordingly, approximately such a course should be counted on when traveling to Turkey.
Currency exchange in Turkey can be carried out at the post office, banks or official exchange offices. You should avoid small exchange offices, which most likely work unofficially. Often, these are just scammers.
We must not forget that Turkey's money is not quoted outside the country, therefore, when leaving Turkey, it is necessary to carry out a reverse exchange.
Settlement in foreign currency
In the resort areas of Turkey, you do not need to exchange currency, especially if you are planning to buy only a couple of souvenirs during your stay in the country. There are a large number of shops that sell goods for foreign currency, for example, for dollars.
You can also pay for travel on public transport in foreign currency, but it is worth keeping an eye on the change so that the driver does not give it back in Turkish liras. It turns out a kind of currency exchange, however, at a rather unfavorable rate.
Plastic cards
Nowadays, credit cards are very common, so money in Turkey can be stored on cards. Most shops, cafes, restaurants accept VISA and Master Card for payment.
In addition, you can withdraw cash from ATMs, which will be issued in Turkish lira. There is a daily limit of $ 400 or € 350.
Updated: 2020.02.
