What's the budget for a trip to Turkey?

No line runs away, and that is what makes the country so reachable. In Istanbul a three-star room costs €54, a four-star €73: the gap between simple and superior comfort is about twenty euros, where it runs into the hundreds in Western European capitals.

The flight is trivial for the distance. At €44 return from London, you reach Asia Minor for the price of a European domestic hop. It is one of the best distance-to-price ratios available from the UK.

Food is the most advantageous line. A street dish stays under €3, a full meal at a neighborhood restaurant €8 to €12. Eating out often costs less than cooking, which completely changes how you organize your days.

The real subject is the exchange rate. The Turkish lira loses value quickly, and prices posted in local currency shift over the year. Paying by card at interbank rate, rather than in cash changed at the airport or by accepting the conversion a terminal offers, makes a real difference across a whole trip.

April-May and September-October are the best windows. Istanbul then sits around 12 to 21°C, ideal for a city entirely walkable, and rainfall stays moderate.

Summer is dry and hot, around 24°C on average in July and August, with very little rain: 20mm in July against 98 in December. Pleasant for the coast, harder for walking Istanbul, and the season when seaside resorts apply their highest rates.

Winter is wet but mild, around 6°C, and it is the cheapest season. Istanbul in the rain has character, sites are empty, and hotel rates drop a notch. December is the wettest month.

Airfare, though, barely moves: it starts at €69 and stays in the same range year-round. As in Italy, do not set your dates by the flight.

Eating. This is the country's great advantage. A simit, a pide or a street dish stays under €3, a sit-down meal at a neighborhood restaurant €8 to €12, and Turkish breakfast, generous and shared, is an institution not to miss. Immediately touristy areas charge double: two streets are enough to return to normal prices.

Getting around. Istanbul has a dense network of metro, tram and ferries, with a single rechargeable card covering everything, Bosphorus crossings included. Those ferries are among the city's best bargains: small change for the finest view of both shores. Between cities, the night bus is comfortable and very cheap, and domestic flights stay affordable.

Sightseeing. Major sites charge admission and their rates have risen noticeably in recent years, partly through inflation. Budget several dozen euros to combine Hagia Sophia, Topkapı and the Cistern. Against that, working mosques remain free, neighborhoods are freely walkable, and the Grand Bazaar and markets cost only what you spend in them.

Currency. The Turkish lira, not the euro. Financially this is the trip's most important point: the currency is volatile and posted prices shift. A card with no foreign transaction fee, used everywhere and without accepting the automatic conversion offered at checkout, is the best reflex.

Language. Turkish. English works in hotels and Istanbul's tourist areas, much less elsewhere. Phone translators genuinely help in neighborhood restaurants.

Entry. Check the entry requirements in force before booking; they vary by nationality and change regularly.

Rhythm and customs. Working mosques are free to visit outside prayer times, with covered dress required and a headscarf for women, often lent on site. Haggling is customary at the Grand Bazaar, much less so in ordinary shops.