Turkey
Türkiye
Turkey has its own ecosystem. Use BiTaksi instead of Uber, and Yemeksepeti for food.
🚖Rideshare & Taxi
All apps →
Turkey's main licensed taxi-hailing app — Uber has limited operation here.
Required — Uber operates only as a taxi-hailing layer here.
The most widely available rideshare service globally. Works in 70+ countries.
Hails taxis in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and more — BiTaksi is the local standard.
🗺️Navigation & Maps
All apps →
Works almost everywhere except mainland China. Offline maps are critical when roaming.
Strong for Istanbul transit.
💬Translation
All apps →
The universal default. Camera mode translates signs and menus instantly.
Camera mode for Turkish menus.
📱Messaging
All apps →
The dominant messenger in Europe, Latin America, India, Middle East, Africa.
Universal for hotels, guides, and restaurant bookings.
🍱Food Delivery
All apps →
Turkey's dominant food delivery (also covers Northern Cyprus).
Dominant food delivery throughout Turkey.
Is Turkey one stop of several?
Add your other destinations and get one combined app list, with the adapters and currencies for the whole trip.
The practical basics
Power & plugs
- Plug type
- C / F
- Voltage
- 230V
- Frequency
- 50Hz
- Type C: Two round pins. Used across most of Europe, South America, parts of Asia and Africa.
- Type F: Two round pins + grounding clips on top and bottom (Schuko). Standard across most of Europe.
Standard European.
Tipping
Tipping (bahşiş) is customary: leave about 5-10% at restaurants if no service charge is included, round up for taxis, and leave small change for hotel staff and hammam attendants.
CurrencyTRY
Turkish you'll actually use
Etiquette and scams to know
✓ Do
- Remove your shoes before entering a home or mosque
- Dress modestly when visiting mosques; women should cover their hair, shoulders, and knees
- Accept offered tea (çay) as a gesture of hospitality and friendliness
- Greet elders first and use both hands or your right hand when giving and receiving
- Ask permission before photographing people, especially women
- Avoid visiting mosques during the five daily prayer times
✕Don't
- Don't blow your nose loudly or point the sole of your foot at someone
- Don't show public affection beyond hand-holding in conservative or rural areas
- Don't make critical jokes about Atatürk or the Turkish flag
- Don't eat, drink, or smoke openly in public during daytime in Ramadan in conservative areas
⚠️ Common scams to know
- The 'friendly local' who invites you to a bar, then hands you a hugely inflated bill
- Shoeshiners who 'drop' a brush so you pick it up, then demand payment for a shine
- Taxi drivers using broken meters, taking long routes, or swapping banknotes
- Carpet and souvenir shops using high-pressure tactics and inflated 'special' prices
This page was last reviewed in September 2026. Apps launch, rebrand and pull out of countries all the time, so confirm anything your trip depends on. Spotted something out of date? Tell us — here's how we check.