The first stop on my RTW trip was somewhat impromptu. When researching flights to Nepal we found Turkish Airlines offered a stopover in Istanbul at no extra cost so thought why not.

As I had not originally planned to visit Istanbul it was imperative to keep costs down and happily I only spent £180 over the 7 days.

Accommodation 330TL
Dorm bed in a 6 person dorm – 55TL per night.
This was the most significant expense equating for almost half the money I spent in Istanbul

Travel: 24TL
To and from the airport 8TL each way
Ferry to and from the Asian side of Istanbul 8TL return
Most of the Old City is walking distance and this helps keep costs down. We were staying near the Galata Tower and had no trouble walking over to the Blue Mosque and other areas.

Food: 275TL
Fish sandwich 8TL
Breakfast simit 1.25TL
Vegetarian pide 18TL
Glass of wine in a bar on 18TL
There are a lot of cheap eats around, especially if you don’t mind sampling the street vendors delights. Even fairly upmarket places in touristy areas weren’t too expensive so my food expenditure was fairly low.

A good Turkish tea will set you back around 3TL

Sights: 105TL
Examples of entry costs include
Hagia Sophia 30TL
Blue Mosque Free
Bosphorus Cruise 25TL
Topkaki Palace 30TL

Misc: 6TL
It’s 1TL to use the public toilets!

In total I spent 740TL (£180) which worked out as around 106TL (£25.70) per day. It’s certainly easy to do it cheaper – for
example skip the boat ride and paid attractions. And again you can always spend more if you wish.

Overall I was happy to come in under a daily budget under £30 for a city (mostly) in Europe.