How much should you plan for your leisure travel from Nigeria to Turkey? In this post, Iโll be sharing details of the costs of travelling from Lagos, Nigeria to Istanbul and Cappadocia, Turkey. I made this trip from Nairobi, and apart from the costs of flights, everything else is applicable when travelling from Nigeria.
This breakdown is based solely on our experience and is only intended for trip planning and to present a fair idea of how much to budget. All prices stated here are either approximate values (rounded up to the nearest whole number) or exact values at the time of this writing. A cost breakdown summary is available at the end of the post.
Note: This was a mid-budget trip. For simplicity, prices have been converted at 8.6TL to 1 USD.
Trip Planning Resources
Book your accommodation: Find accommodation options for any budget on Booking.com
Purchase Travel Insurance: I use SafetyWing for both my travel and visa application needs
Activities: Find fun activities and tours in your destination via Get Your Guide, Viator or Klook Travel
Getting to Turkey: How to Get a Visa from Nigeria to Turkey?
Nigerian citizens visiting Turkey for tourism require a visa. You are eligible to get a Turkish evisa ($50) if you have a valid visa or resident permit to the US, UK, Ireland and the Schengen zone. If you donโt meet these criteria, you would need to apply for a sticker visa through the approved application centres.
In this post, I have written about the entire process of the Turkey visa application. It contains details on visa requirements, documents, processing time, fees and more.
Getting to Turkey: How much is a flight ticket from Lagos to Istanbul?
The easiest and fastest way to travel from Nigeria to Turkey is via a direct flight to Istanbul on Turkish Airlines. The cost of the return flight tickets from Lagos to Istanbul will vary depending on your travel dates, so be sure to check the airlineโs website for an updated price. We flew from Nairobi to Istanbul and Cappadocia and paid $850 each for a return ticket.
When I checked how much it costs to fly from Lagos to Istanbul for our dates, the price was โฆ415,551 on Travelstart and $970 on Turkish Airlines.
Cost-saving Tip: Airlines, such as Egyptair and Ethiopian Airlines, usually offer cheaper flights to Turkey. The compromise is a longer commute time. Also, if you're travelling to Cappadocia, you can shave off around $100 from your ticket price on Turkish Airlines if you book your Nevลehir leg separately.
Travel Tip: Try as much as possible to book directly with the airlines, rather than through a third party. This makes it easier to manage your flights in case you have any reasons to cancel or change dates.
Transportation in Turkey
In Cappadocia, we decided to rent a car and this cost us $269 for 5 days (inclusive of fuel and insurance). While in Istanbul, we got around using the public transportation systems including ferries, buses and trams. We also walked around a lot.
For public transportation, we used the Istanbulkart to get everywhere and I highly recommend getting one if youโll be staying in the city for a few days.
Getting to and from Istanbul from the airport cost us a total of $35. We used the Uber app to hail rides to and from the airport.
Cost-saving Tip: Should you decide not to rent a car in Cappadocia, there are daily tours that leave from Gorome to all the major sights. Ask your hotel about the blue, red and green tours.
Accommodation in Turkey
We stayed in 5 hotels between Cappadocia and Istanbul. In Cappadocia, we stayed at the Osmanli Cappadocia hotel, Local Cave House and Mithra Hotel โ and we loved them all! Osmanli Cappadocia Hotel cost us $47 per night, Local Cave House cost us $57 per night, and Mithra was $97 per night.
These hotels fall within the median range for accommodation in Cappadocia. Youโll find several hotels and hostels for less or more, depending on your style and budget.
In Istanbul, we stayed at Dauria Galata Flats and Henna Istanbul. I chose these places because of their proximity to Galata Towers and environs and Sultanahmet โ where the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofia are located.
My favourite things about the Dauria Flats were the location and the fact that it had a laundry machine, which came in quite handy during our stay. On the downside, the flat we stayed in had a โfunky smellโ when we walked in. Luckily, we spent most of our time outside!
As for Henna Hotel, I also loved its location (only 5 minutesโ walk to the Blue Mosque & Hagia Sophia). The hotel terrace and coffee shop were also highlights of our stay here.
Dauria Galata Flats cost us $24 per night, while Henna Hotel was $66 per night.
Feeding & Entertainment
Our total food tab for 10 days came up to $672. If youโre looking to save costs, I think this is one place you can cut down on as food is quite cheap in Turkey. Some of the restaurants we dined at were wonderful but not very budget-traveller friendly but you will not be hard-pressed to find cheap meals both in Istanbul and Cappadocia.
As for entertainment and sightseeing, our total cost came up to $325. Our biggest single expense was the hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia which took $223 of the total entertainment cost. It was worth every penny!
Cost-saving Tip: If you're not willing to fork out $100+ to go up in a hot air balloon, you can enjoy the views from below at the numerous view points available.
I have written a series of posts about how we spent our 2 weeksโ holiday in Turkey. You can find them here.
Hereโs an overview of everything we spent, excluding shopping (about $200). Unfortunately, I would have to quote the prices in dollars as the price for Naira keeps changing drastically. I feel this would give you a better guide to planning your travels.
Again, this breakdown is based solely on my experience and is only intended for trip planning and to present a fair idea of how much to budget. All prices stated here are either approximate values or exact values at the time of this writing.
| Items, Activities | Prices ($) x 1 pax | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Flights from Nairobi to Istanbul & Cappadocia | 850 | Book your flights separately to save about $100 |
| Visa | 186 | Costs $50 for an evisa |
| Accommodation in Istanbul | 90 | Prices are based on 2 people sharing for 4 nights |
| Accommodation in Cappadocia | 202 | Prices are based on 2 people sharing 6 nights |
| Feeding for 10 days | 336 | Can be cheaper. See notes above |
| Tours | 20 | Entrances to the valleys & underground cities |
| Photoshoots: Galerie Ikman, Studio Istanbul | 45 | I had to! |
| Hot Air Balloon Flight | 112 | with Voyager Balloons |
| Transportation: Airport transfers, transfers within the city | 149 | Rental car, fuel, IstanbulKart and airport Ubers |
| Covid-19 PCR Test โ Nairobi | 60 | Home service |
| Covid-19 PCR Test โ Istanbul | 30 | Hotel service |
| Total costs for 1 person (x10 days) | 2,080 |
PS: The prices for the accommodation are based on two people sharing a room. Usually, there is a single supplement to be paid if you travel alone.
I hope you find this Nigeria to Turkey cost breakdown useful. Please leave me a comment to let me know what you think / if you have any questions!
And donโt forget to share (on Twitter) and follow my adventures onย Instagram
