Turkey (TR)
Turkey is a transcontinental nation straddling Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus Strait, uniting 85 million people under a rich civilisational heritage stretching from the ancient Hittites and Romans to the Byzantine Empire and Ottoman Empire.
Daily Life
Practical day-to-day information for living in Turkey.
🛒 Supermarkets
Turkey's largest supermarket chain — widespread throughout cities. Good range of local and imported products. Migros 5M and Macro Center are premium larger-format stores. Accepts Istanbulkart for gas and HGS top-up. Migros app for online shopping and delivery (Migros Sanal Market).
French-owned chain with both neighbourhood stores and hypermarkets. Reasonable range of international products. Good for household goods alongside food. Weekly discount leaflets popular.
Turkey's most popular discount supermarket — queue-out-the-door busy, very cheap prices. Limited range but excellent for basics, Turkish dairy, bread, and staples. No frills, no imported goods, but extraordinary value. Open 7 days.
Similar to BİM — discount format with limited but very affordable range. Branded as "Accessible Turkey" price level. Fresh produce, basic groceries, and cleaning products. Widespread throughout Turkey.
Third major discount retailer alongside BİM and A101. Good bakery section. Often has special weekly offers on electronics and household items. Covers most urban and rural areas.
Premium large-format supermarkets in affluent Istanbul districts (Bağcılar, Nişantaşı). Best selection of imported goods, organic produce, international cheeses, wines, and specialty items. Popular with expats.
Upmarket imported foods specialist in Istanbul. Best selection of international products — European cheeses, wines, craft beers, specialty foods. Located in Etiler, Bebek, and other affluent neighbourhoods. Popular with expat community.
Opening Hours
Most shops: Monday–Saturday 09:00–21:00 or 22:00. Shopping malls: 10:00–22:00 daily including Sundays. Supermarkets: typically 08:00–22:00 or 23:00, often 7 days. Bazaars (çarşı, pazar): specific days per neighbourhood — weekly market days vary by district. Government offices (Mesai Saati): Monday–Friday 08:30–17:30, closed weekends. Banks: Monday–Friday 09:00–17:00, some branches Saturday 09:00–13:00. Pharmacies (Eczane): Monday–Saturday 09:00–19:00; nöbetçi eczane (duty pharmacy) open 24/7 — posted on pharmacy doors.
Sunday Rules
Turkey does not have German-style Sunday trading restrictions. Most shops, supermarkets, and malls are open on Sundays. Government offices and banks are closed. During Ramazan Bayramı and Kurban Bayramı (major Islamic holidays), many shops close for 3–4 days — plan ahead. Friday midday: some businesses in more conservative areas close for Cuma namazı (Friday prayers, approximately 12:30–13:30).
Recycling
Turkey's recycling infrastructure is developing but limited compared to Western Europe. Blue bins (mavi bidon/kutu) for paper and cardboard. Yellow bins for plastic and metal packaging. Green bins for glass. General waste in regular black bins. Municipalities increasingly implementing separate collection. In Istanbul, Beyoğlu and Kadıköy districts have better recycling facilities. Bottle and can return machines (İstanbul İçin Kampanya) in some Migros stores. Electronic waste: collection points at electronics retailers (Media Markt, Teknosa). DASK earthquake insurance requirement means most apartment buildings are legally registered — building manager (kapıcı/site yöneticisi) often manages waste.
Dining Out
Eating out in Turkey is extraordinarily good value — even in 2026, a full meal at a lokanta (traditional Turkish diner) costs TRY 150–350 (roughly €4–10), while a mid-range restaurant charges TRY 400–800 per head. Fine dining in Istanbul (Nişantaşı, Bebek, Karaköy) can reach TRY 2,000–5,000+/head. Lokanta (affordable home-style lunch restaurants) are the best value for money — daily specials (günlük menü). Dönerci, köfteci, pideci: fast food staples. Fish restaurants (balık lokantası) on the Bosphorus and sea front command premium prices but are spectacular. Alcohol: meyhane (traditional tavern with meze and rakı); Turkey produces excellent wines (Kavaklidere, Doluca, Urla Winery) — cheaper in restaurants than comparable European wines. Ramazan: many restaurants close during daylight hours in conservative areas; İftar (breaking the fast at sunset) meals are special. Menu tip: ask for the günlük menü (daily menu) for best value at lunch.
Utilities & Internet
Electricity: low-cost regulated rates — average apartment TRY 1,500–3,000/month (equivalent ~€40–85 at 2026 rates). BEDAŞ/AYEDAŞ (Istanbul), various regional companies elsewhere. Gas: IGDAŞ (Istanbul) — natural gas connection mandatory in many city buildings; average TRY 1,000–2,500/month in winter. Water: İSKİ (Istanbul) — very affordable; average apartment TRY 200–500/month. Utilities are connected in tenant's name with rental contract + DASK insurance + VKN (tax number). Electricity and gas can be set up online or at utility company branches. Note: utilities are cheap in TRY but have been rising with inflation. The full 20% VAT applies to utilities.
Cultural Tips for Expats
- → Tea (çay) is offered constantly — in shops, meetings, at the post office. Accept it — it is a gesture of hospitality and declining repeatedly is slightly rude.
- → Shoes off at the door is expected in Turkish homes. Look for the shoe rack near the entrance.
- → Noise culture is different — Turkish social life is loud and exuberant. Loud music from cars, neighbours having guests until 02:00, or a wedding downstairs is common. Managing expectations helps.
- → Weekly bazaars (pazar) by neighbourhood are social events as much as shopping — fresh produce, spices, olives, pickles, and clothing at excellent prices. Find your local pazar day.
- → Bargaining (pazarlık): expected at bazaars, carpet shops, some taxis, and service providers. Never appropriate in chain shops, restaurants, or supermarkets.
- → Hamam (Turkish bath) culture: a hammam visit is a social and wellness ritual — the original spa experience. Many historical ones in Istanbul (Cemberlitas, Çağaloğlu). Budget TRY 500–1,500 for a full treatment.
- → Friday prayers (Cuma namazı) at 12:30–13:30 may briefly affect traffic near mosques and cause some shops to close temporarily.
- → During Ramazan (Ramadan), non-Muslim expats should be respectful — avoid eating or drinking in public in more conservative areas, especially outside Istanbul. Iftar meals at sundown are social events often open to all.
Quiet Hours
Turkey does not have a comprehensive national quiet hours law equivalent to Germany's Ruhezeit. However, municipal by-laws and tenant rules in apartment buildings (Site Yönetmeliği) often set quiet hours. Enforcement is inconsistent — reporting to building management (site yönetimi) or local belediye (municipality) is the route for complaints.
General expectation in residential areas — construction and heavy noise prohibited. Apartment building rules typically mirror this.
Some older apartment buildings have informal afternoon rest hours — observe if communicated by building management.
- •Assuming construction noise stops at set hours — large construction projects often work into the night legally in Turkey.
- •Expecting total quiet on weekends — neighbourhood weddings and sünnet (circumcision) celebrations can run until 02:00–03:00.
- •Not checking site yönetmeliği (building rules) when renting — some premium buildings have strict quiet hours.
Excessive noise complaints: contact your building's site yönetimi first. For persistent issues, file a complaint with local zabıta (municipal enforcement) or call the police (155). Turkey's noise ordinances have limited enforcement capacity.
Postal Services
PTT (Posta ve Telgraf Teşkilatı) is Turkey's national postal and courier service — a major institution that also provides banking services (PTT Bank), e-Devlet password issuance, foreign currency exchange, and payment of bills. Every significant neighbourhood has a PTT branch. Service quality adequate for domestic post; international post slower.
PTT does not operate widespread parcel lockers. Delivery to door is standard. Large platforms (Trendyol, Hepsiburada, Amazon Turkey) use their own last-mile delivery networks. MNG Kargo, Yurtiçi Kargo, PTT Kargo, UPS, DHL available for parcels.
PTT requires ID (passport or residence card) for registered mail collection, money transfers, and some banking services. Always carry your passport or YKN card.
Taahhütlü posta (registered mail) — requires signature. Official legal documents sent taahhütlü. Used by courts, tax offices, and immigration authorities for important correspondence.
PTT offers mail holding and some forwarding services. Alternatively, address registration at Nüfus Müdürlüğü ensures official mail reaches your legal address.
- →Use PTT for the e-Devlet password (e-Devlet şifresi) — this requires an in-person visit with your YKN/passport.
- →PTT Bank accounts can be useful for bill payments and government fee payments.
- →For international parcels, DHL and UPS are more reliable than PTT for speed and tracking.
- →Major e-commerce platforms (Trendyol, Hepsiburada) have excellent same-day or next-day delivery in Istanbul and other major cities.
- →Customs (Gümrük) on international parcels: items over approximately €150 may attract Turkish customs duties — enquire with seller before ordering internationally.