While some types of hotels and restaurants are undoubtedly upscale here in Türkiye, it is still very much possible to find venues offering the more traditional Turkish way of life, which is more affordable. From camping out to staying in mini apartments, picnicking to shopping right and how to spend an evening for free, the following is a guide on how to travel in Türkiye on a shoestring budget.
Türkiye admittedly does not have a widespread hostel network, which in many countries would be the go-to style of accommodation for traveling on a budget. Don’t get me wrong, there are certainly a few hostel options. However, they are nearly exclusively limited to the big cities and are only evident in popular holiday destinations such as Bodrum. Otherwise, the budget traveler’s cheapest accommodation is staying at “camp” grounds. The “camp” sites in Türkiye are nothing like those abroad and have many amenities, even serving as fully functional hotels.
That’s right, you don’t have to arrive with a tent to stay in one of these accommodations, which tend to have their own tents set up for guests to rent out. That said, it will be cheaper to pitch your own tent, but indeed not necessary, and in many cases, these “campsites” also tend to have ensuite rooms in bungalows and cabins. So, don’t take the word “camp” at face value here in Türkiye, as many have much more to offer than an outdoor toilet, but they tend to be the most affordable types of accommodation, rivaled only by the “apart.”
As the name implies, an “apart” is quite literally a small apartment with a restroom, a kitchen and multiple beds and couches at your disposal. This type of accommodation is usually highly affordable and allows preparing meals at home.
Türkiye has an immense array of affordable street food that, in many cases, is also available at all hours of the night. From soups to oven-baked and topped flatbread, huge baked potatoes with the works, corn on the cop, stuffed mussels and more, anything that is widely available as such and sold by food trucks, stalls, soup kitchens, pide shops and such will be offered affordable dining options.
While Turkish breakfast is rightly famous for its lavish spread, it can be quite a costly meal should you dine on it at restaurants if you are not offered it for free at your hotel. But don’t fret, various other breakfast options are decidedly affordable and delicious. Starting with the simit, recently ranked as Türkiye’s most famous street food, resembles a bagel that goes great with feta or spreadable cheese and is usually available for purchase alongside the sesame-covered round bread, is sold nearly everywhere, from wandering stalls, bakers and even supermarkets.
Bakeries will also have a huge array of savory and sweet pastries that are tasty and satisfying at any point in the day, with the spicy being stuffed with potatoes, olives, cheese and even meat, and the sweet pastries generally filled with apples, chocolate and even tahini.
Your supermarket or a charcuterie also makes for excellent options to source affordable food and not necessarily anything you would have to prepare. From çiğ köfte wraps, stuffed grape leaves, and more to mezes in takeout containers and lavish single-serving traditional Turkish puddings, you can easily purchase a delicious meal and then set up a picnic at a nearby park, for example, to enjoy.
Many parks in Türkiye that allow for picnicking will also have barbeques set up, which is another option for those wanting to grill up their own meat. Supermarkets such as Migros and the delivery service Getir are also good options to shop on a budget as you can see what everything costs and catch on to special discounts. Otherwise, farmers markets offer the most affordable and abundant array of the beautiful produce available in Türkiye, as well as the cheapest cheese and olives, and tend to have freshly made stuffed pastries, such as gözleme. If you head to the farmers market near closing time, you can also find extra discounts on produce the vendors at that stage pretty much want to give away.
The traditional lifestyle in Türkiye, and especially in holiday towns, is to stroll the streets. Most towns will have a pedestrian area with a majority also lining the sea, and walking along it is one of the most enjoyable activities there ever was. Many of these landscaped parklike areas will also have benches or grass to sit on and enjoy a picnic. If not, the local tea garden will be the most affordable cafe to hang out in and most are situated in prime spots for people watching.
For many holiday towns, sitting out on the beach to watch the sunset is one of the most popular activities, and should you want to swim on the beach in the daytime but don’t want to pay for the sun loungers and other amenities, then seek out the nearby “halk plajı,” which are the public beaches that in most cases are free-of-charge. In Istanbul, seek out any “Bel-Tur” establishment, which is a wide variety of cafes and beach clubs connected to the municipality that offer food and services at a significantly discounted rate.
