Your first 24 hours in Türkiye

1. Before you board: put your plan on your phone

   Open your trip plan and press “Save for offline”: the places in it, with their hours, tickets and directions, then open without signal. Any page you open on this site is kept the same way.

   Open your plan

2. From the airport into town

   Istanbul: A standard İstanbulkart costs 165 TL (≈ €3) and a full single fare on it is 46.20 TL (≈ €0.8). Contactless Mastercard, Troy and Visa cards are also accepted at the gates, charged at the limited-use ticket rate for that line. İstanbulkart →

   Every airport: Metro, airport buses and council-set taxi fares from eight airports. From the airport into town →

   Driving: Foreign visitors may drive in Türkiye with a driving licence issued abroad for 6 months; after that you need a Turkish licence. This applies to licences issued abroad since 1 January 2016, according to Türkiye's civil registration authority NVİ. Renting a car →

3. Emergency number: 112

   Ambulance, fire and police — one number for every emergency in Türkiye. The police (Polis İmdat) and the gendarmerie (Jandarma İmdat) are both reached on 112. Pharmacies on duty and hospitals →

4. Check what is open today

   Next public holiday: Republic Day, Thu 29 Oct (in 6 days). Some museums close one day a week; each place page shows its closing day and whether it is open right now.

   Open now near me All holidays

5. Before the first museum: Museum Pass or single tickets?

   A Museum Pass starts counting at the first museum you enter, so decide before you queue. The Istanbul pass costs €105 for 5 days; the Türkiye pass €165 for 15 days. Does it pay off? →

6. Booking a tour on the spot

   Travel agencies in Türkiye need a Ministry of Culture and Tourism licence. Ask for the licence number and check it before you pay. How to check a licence →

Sources: listed on each linked page. Figures checked 30 Sep 2026.