budget travelling in IRAN & TURKEY
 

Hi People

Am Planning A Low-budget Trip Thro Turkey & Iran . Can Anybody Give Me An Idea Of The cost/availability Of Low Budget Accommodation In These Countries? Are These Countries Comparable To India In This Respect?

Any Help/info/experience Would Gratefully Received.
Cheers

Wayne

Only spent about one week in Turkey, and less than 2 weeks in Iran, so mostly just rode through them using highways... (Izmir-Konya-Cappadocia-Bingöl-Tatvan-Dogubayazit-Tabriz-Tehran-Qom-Esfahan-Yazd-Bam-Zahedan-Mirjaveh)
this is why I probably don´t know these countries very thoroughly. And this was in Oct/Nov 2007, so things may have changed.

But appeared to me, that Iran was generally almost as cheap as India (which is dirt cheap, especially food & accommodation!), but the cheapest places to stay in Iran were sometimes real ratholes (often the case also in India), so for us, it was better to pay a little more.

And Turkey was more expensive. Fuel in Turkey was in fact more expensive than in Western Europe, so that is something!! And at least those roadside hotels & guesthouses we popped into, werent very cheap, somewhere around 40-60 euros per room. In Cappadocia, where there was lots of places to stay, was much cheaper. Food in Turkey was cheap by European standards, but not like Iran and definitely not like India.

In Turkey, It depends on where you go, the season and your bargaining skills. You can find rooms for 10 euros even in high season and in touristy places but you really look for it and bargain for it. Mostly it is around 20-25 euros. Food is cheap. As Waynemartin said, most expensive budget item in Turkey is fuel which is not around 3,5 Liras/Liter.

Cheers,
Ozgur

Thanx for the info guys.

Ozgur: I'll be travelling along the Black Sea then via Lake Van into Iran in April. Do you have any info specifically re these areas with regards to accommodation? Thanx alot in advance.
Wayne

Hi, i spent a month in Turkey during the summer and we averaged about £40 a day inc fuel (250miles each day), accomodation, food & drink.
if you are travelling along the coast i recommend you take the route from Of (just past Trabzon) to Uzungol ( we were given free camping about 1/2 mile past the lake) then on to Bayburt, this is mainly a gravel road. From there go to the Road of Stone beside kemalye.
I visited 23 counties last summer and Turkey has the friendliest people of them all. Andy B