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The unit of Turkish currency
is the New
Turkish Lira (YTL:
Yeni Türk Lirasi; international
symbol: TRY), put
into circulation on January 1, 2005.
Here's
the current exchange rate
for the New Turkish Lira.
It's best to wait until you get to
Turkey to exchange money for New
Turkish Liras. Exchange
rates outside of Turkey are usually
not as good as those inside Turkey.
The New Turkish
Lira (YTL)
is divided into 100 yeni
kurus (New
Kurush; that's yeh-NEE koo-ROOSH). Here's
how the notes/bills look.
Although you can sometimes use foreign
currencies (euros are
best, US
dollars are good, UK
pounds sterling are
accepted in some places) for larger
transactions, and using non-Turkish
currency is legal, you will want to
use
YTL most
of the time.
The
easiest way to get cash liras is
to stick your home bank card or credit
card into a Turkish
ATM (bancomat/cashpoint, cash
machine). Travelers'
checks are a much less efficient
way.
You
can exchange foreign-currency
cash at a Currency
Exchange Office (Döviz
Bürosu).
The best currencies to
carry for changing to YTL are, again, euros,
US dollars, and UK
pounds.
Many
people in Turkey will not accept
large bills/notes for small payments,
so it's good to juggle your YTL cash-on-hand
so that
you always have some smaller amounts.
Get in the habit of paying with bills/notes
that are about equal to
twice the amount you're
paying (so pay for a YTL23
meal with a YTL 50
note, which gives you YTL27
in change). If you give notes that
are three times or more than the
price, you're liable to get a dirty
look and a request for smaller notes.
Old
Turkish Lira notes and coins were
withdrawn from circulation during 2005,
but there may still be some floating
around. YTL1.00
is equal to (old) TL1,000,000. In other
words, a million old liras equals one
new lira, but you should not accept
old liras! More...
Though
most people are honest, the few
cheats
may
try to hand you an old TL
note with lots of zeros on it. Don't
accept it! Count
your change and insist on New
Turkish Liras only. Say Yeni
lira istiyorum! (YEH-nee
LEE-rah eess-tee-YOH-room, "I
want New Liras [only]")
A
century ago, one Ottoman Turkish
lira was worth US$5 (and that
$5 was worth about $100 in today's
dollars).
What
It Costs to Travel in Turkey
Currency
Exchange Rates
Shopping
in Turkey
Bargaining/Haggling
Turkish
Bills/Notes
Turkish
ATMs (Automated Teller Machines)
Credit
Cards
Travelers
Checks
Tipping
Travel
Details
Turkey
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