Tourists around the world are trying to save on accommodation, meals, and tickets. Every country has its own life hacks that help to bypass the rigid system of the material world, so in Turkey there is an opportunity to significantly save on trips to museums, caves, ancient cities. The assistant will be a special museum map, which few tourists know about. With the help of this card, you can not overpay by buying expensive excursions from hotel guides, and go to explore the Turkish expanses yourself.
What is a museum card? Varieties
The Museum Card, or Müze Kart, is an official document in the form of a plastic card, with which you can visit paid tourist places and attractions for free or with a discount, depending on the type of card. This card will greatly facilitate the life of a traveler in Turkey and North Cyprus. The benefits in monetary terms will be discussed below.
The card can be purchased by citizens of the Republic of Turkey and Northern Cyprus, their residents (holders of residence permit cards, work permits) and ordinary travelers who entered on a simple tourist visa.
What are the types of cards:
- General action. It covers over 300 sites (museums, caves, archaeological sites, ancient cities, etc.). It operates both in Turkey and in the vastness of Northern Cyprus. You can get a discount on it in cafes, restaurants and various shops.
- Maps of individual regions - Istanbul (works not only within the city, but also in the Istanbul region), Cappadocia (free to visit - Ihlara Valley, underground cities of Derinkuyu, Ozkonak and Kaymakli, Goreme or an open-air museum, including its "Black Church", museums located in the city of Nevsehir, Hacibektash and Zelva Pashabaglar, as well as the Chavushin temple), Aegean region (all museum areas and places in Izmir, Aydin and Mugla, including their surrounding territories), Mediterranean region (the entire Antalya region, Mersin and Adana). When purchasing this type of museum card, the tourist is given a list with cities and places in which it will be valid. A very profitable option if the traveler does not plan to travel around all regions of the country.
- Card for students and teachers.
Which card is better to get? Issue price
For the cheapest, and even more profitable, it will be the registration of an annual museum card of general validity. Its cost is 50 TL (Turkish Lira). To purchase, you must present a passport + residence permit card or Kimlik (for Turkish citizens). The back of the card contains the owner's phone number, name and surname, as well as a photograph, which is usually scanned from the provided ID.
For travelers who decide to ride in different Turkish regions, it is advisable to issue a general valid card as well, only its validity period will be 15 days, and the cost is 210 TL. In terms of functions, it does not differ from the above and also applies to 2 countries - Turkey and Northern Cyprus. Registration takes place without the presentation of additional documents, that is, you just need to give money for it.
What price can you buy a card for?
Travelers and tourists wishing to explore a particular region will save a lot by issuing the appropriate card:
For Istanbul - the card is valid for 5 days, the cost is 125 TL
For Cappadocia - validity 72 hours, cost 75 TL
For the Aegean region - 7 days validity, cost 75 TL
For the Mediterranean region - validity 7 days, cost 60 TL
Where to buy a museum card
- The easiest way is to find any museum nearby and contact its ticket office.
- The next way is to go to the official website of the museum map www.müze.gov.tr >> go to the müzekart tab >> select the required map >> under it find the inscription Satın al >> click and follow the instructions by filling in all the fields: ADI - name, SOYADI - surname, ÜLKE - select the country where you are from, E-POSTA ADRESI - a valid email address. Then click on Sepete at and go to the shopping cart, following the further instructions of the site, fill in all the necessary forms, taking into account the address of residence (be it a rented apartment or a room in a hotel).
- Find a minibus labeled Müze Kart, they can mostly be found in Istanbul. These are the so-called moving offices.
The card takes effect after the first pass through the turnstile of any museum location.
Demonstrable financial benefit
An excellent example will show us the cost of the main attractions of Istanbul. In order to visit the famous Hagia Sophia Cathedral, the tourist must give 40 Turkish liras at the box office, next to the Topkapi Palace + Harem = 40TL and 25 TL, the Archeology Museum - 20 Turkish Lira, the Chora Church and Monastery - 30 TL. The total is 155TL, and this is taking into account the fact that all the listed sights can be visited in one day! The entrance to most of the ancient cities (Antik Kent) costs 25 TL, tickets to many museums are sold for 20 TL.
