Marmara
Istanbul
Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar and a strait that separates two continents. Museum passes and ferry times are both handled online now.
Turkey eSIM
Land in Turkey already connected
Order before you fly and your eSIM is waiting in your inbox. Scan the QR code, land at Istanbul or Antalya, and your phone finds a Turkish network on its own — and you'll avoid the handset registration rule that catches visitors out.
Turkey isn't in the Europe bundle
This catches people out every year, so it's worth stating plainly: our 33-country Europe plan does not include Turkey. If you're combining Istanbul with Greece or Bulgaria you need both plans, or this one for the Turkish leg. Buy the right one and it's straightforward; assume Turkey counts as Europe and you'll land without data.
TurkeyTürk TelekomVodafone
Turkey plans
Pick the length of your trip
Every plan below covers Turkey. Choose the number of days you're away — the price is fixed, you pay once, and nothing renews afterwards.
Where to go
Two continents, and a lot of coastline
Istanbul straddles the Bosphorus; the rest of the country runs east into Asia for another 1,500km.
Cappadocia
Göreme & the valleys
Rock-cut churches, underground cities and the balloon flights at dawn. Flights cancel on wind at short notice, and rebooking happens by phone that morning.
Aegean coast
Ephesus & Bodrum
One of the best-preserved classical cities anywhere, and a coastline of gulets and beach towns running south from İzmir.
Mediterranean
Antalya & the Lycian Way
Resort towns, Roman ruins at Aspendos and Perge, and a 540km waymarked coastal trail behind them.
Pamukkale
The travertines
White mineral terraces above the ruins of Hierapolis. Small, mobbed at midday, and much better early.
East
Mount Nemrut & the southeast
Colossal stone heads on a mountaintop, and Göbekli Tepe near Şanlıurfa — the oldest monumental site yet found anywhere.
On the ground
What you'll actually use it for
Getting around
Istanbul's ferries, trams and funiculars all run to timetables that live online, and the intercity bus network is booked the same way.
Reading the menu
Turkish uses the Latin alphabet, which helps, but a lokanta counter is still much easier with camera translation than without.
Staying in touch
WhatsApp, FaceTime and Signal all run over data, so calls home cost nothing beyond the plan you've already paid for.
Backing up photos
Let a fortnight of pictures sync as you travel rather than praying your phone survives the trip home. This is the one that eats data, so save it for the evening.
When plans go wrong
A cancelled train, a closed road or a hotel that can't find your booking. All of it is easier to fix with a working connection than without one.
How it works
Set it up before you leave home
The whole thing takes about as long as printing a boarding pass, and it's far easier done on your own Wi-Fi than in an airport queue.
1
Choose your dates
Pick the plan that matches how long you're in Turkey. Note that a Europe plan will not cover you here — Turkey needs this one.
2
Scan the QR code
It arrives by email as soon as you pay. Open your phone's mobile settings, add an eSIM, scan — done in under a minute, over Wi-Fi at home.
3
Switch it on in Turkey
Your plan starts when the eSIM first finds a network in Turkey, not when you bought it. Turn roaming off on your UK line and you're set.
FAQs
Before you book
Which networks does a Turkey eSIM use?
Our Turkey plans roam onto Türk Telekom and Vodafone. These are established Turkish networks, so you get the same coverage a local customer would — across Istanbul, the coasts and the main routes inland.
Isn't Turkey covered by your Europe plan?
No, and this is the single most common mistake we see. Turkey sits outside the EU roaming arrangements that shape most “Europe” eSIM bundles, ours included. The 33-country Europe plan will not connect in Turkey — you need this plan instead.
What does “unlimited” actually mean?
You get 1GB of full-speed data every day. After that the connection carries on at a reduced 512kbps for the rest of that day, then resets the next morning. There's no hard cut-off and no overage charge, so you can't run up a bill.
What about the Turkish handset registration rule?
Turkey requires foreign handsets used with a Turkish SIM to be registered, and blocks them after around 120 days otherwise. An eSIM roaming onto a Turkish network is not a Turkish SIM, so ordinary tourist trips aren't affected. If you're staying for months, look into the rules properly.
Isn't roaming with my UK network easier?
Easier, sometimes. Cheaper, almost never. Turkey sits outside most UK networks' inclusive roaming zones, so you're usually looking at a daily charge or per-megabyte rates that add up fast. Check your provider's rate for Turkey before you travel and compare it with a fixed one-off price.
Can I keep my UK number?
Yes. The eSIM runs alongside your existing SIM, so calls and texts still arrive on your UK number while your data goes over the local networks. Turn data roaming off on your UK line so nothing lands on your normal bill.
How much data do I need for a week?
For maps, messaging, translation and social media, most travellers use somewhere between 500MB and 1GB a day. These plans give you 1GB a day at full speed, which comfortably covers normal sightseeing. Streaming video or tethering a laptop will get through it faster.
Do I get a Turkish phone number?
No, these are data-only plans. That covers maps, email, messaging and calls through WhatsApp, FaceTime or Signal. If you need a number that takes ordinary calls and texts, keep your UK SIM active alongside the eSIM.
Will my phone take an eSIM?
Most handsets released since 2018 will, including iPhone XR/XS and newer, Google Pixel 3 and newer, and Samsung Galaxy S20 and newer — as long as it isn't network locked. Look for “Add eSIM” or “Add data plan” in your mobile settings to check.
İyi yolculuklar
Sort your connection tonight and forget about it. One scan now, and Turkey is just somewhere your phone already works.