✓BEFOREGet ready11SunAntalya12MonÇıralı13TueKapaklı14WedKaleüçağız15ThuÜzüm16FriKaş17SatKaş18SunLighthouse19MonTurkdomes20TueKabak21WedÖlüdeniz22ThuÖlüdeniz23FriSelçuk24SatSelçuk25SunCappadocia26MonCappadocia27TueIstanbul28WedIstanbul29ThuIstanbul30FriIstanbul31SatIstanbul1SunHome

Language

Turkish Phrases & Customs

Tap ▶ to hear each phrase (works offline). The grey line is an English-style sound-out; stressed syllable in CAPS.

Quick sounds: c = j, ç = ch, ş = sh, ğ is silent (lengthens the vowel), ı = the “uh” in “taken”, ö/ü as in German.

Greetings & politeness

Restaurant & food

Keto ordering (no bread, rice, flour, sugar)

Shopping & bargaining

Directions & transport

Hiking & trail

Emergencies & health

Numbers 1–10

Hamam

Customs to know

Mosques

Visit outside the five daily prayer times (sites post them; Friday midday is busiest). Shoes off at the door; bags for them are usually provided.

Women cover hair, shoulders and knees (scarves are lent at big mosques like the Blue Mosque); men wear long pants. Speak quietly, don't walk in front of people praying, and don't use flash.

Homes & shoes

Take shoes off when entering a home; hosts often offer slippers. Some carpet shops and pensions ask the same.

Hamam

Keep the peştemal on (same-sex sections are normal; mixed tourist hamams expect swimwear underneath). Don't let the scrub water splash on neighbours; hand-tip the attendant (see Turkish Baths page).

Tipping

Restaurants: about 10%, in cash even if you pay the bill by card (check the bill for a servis charge first). Round up taxis. Porters ~₺50–100 per bag; guides and drivers by the day, in cash.

Bargaining

Expected in the Grand Bazaar and souvenir shops, not in supermarkets, pharmacies or fixed-price stores. Stay friendly, start well below the ask, and only bargain if you'd actually buy. Accepting tea while browsing doesn't oblige you to buy.

Tea (çay)

Tea is hospitality: accept a glass if offered, hold it by the rim, and to signal you've had enough lay the teaspoon across the glass.

Gestures

'No' is often a head tilted back with raised eyebrows and a 'tsk' click; it isn't rude. Shaking the head side to side can mean 'I don't understand'.

Avoid the OK sign and the thumb-between-fingers fist (both rude). Eat, pass and hand money with the right hand.

Greetings & affection

Handshakes are standard; friends kiss on both cheeks. Wait for a woman to offer her hand first, as some religious people don't shake with the opposite sex. Keep public affection modest, especially outside Istanbul and resort areas.

Atatürk & the flag

Atatürk, founder of the Republic, is deeply respected and insulting him (or the flag, or 'Turkishness') is a crime. Oct 29 is Republic Day (we're in Istanbul: flags and crowds) and Nov 10 at 09:05 the country stops for a minute's silence.

Ramadan (not during our trip)

Ramadan doesn't fall in Oct–Nov 2026. If it did: don't eat, drink or smoke conspicuously in public during the day in conservative areas.

Water

Don't drink the tap water; use bottled or filtered water (cheap everywhere). Ice and brushing teeth are generally fine in hotels and restaurants.

Toilets

Many toilets have a built-in bidet spray. In older plumbing, put paper in the bin, not the bowl. Public toilets often cost a few lira, so carry coins/small notes. Squat toilets still exist in rural spots.

Dress

Away from beaches, dress a bit more covered than at home; beachwear is for the beach. Istanbul is cosmopolitan; villages are more conservative.

Sources (checked Oct 12, 2026)

Audio: computer-generated Turkish voice.