Destinations · Russia
From Russia to Türkiye — including the part about money.
Three hours, no time change, no visa. But how you pay for things here has changed, and nobody explains it properly. We will.
The short version
Russia to Türkiye at a glance
| Visa | Russian citizens travel to Türkiye visa-free for tourism. Stays are limited per entry and per 180-day period, and the limits have been adjusted more than once in recent years — send us your passport and planned dates and we confirm the current rule in writing before you book. |
|---|---|
| Flight time | Moscow 3h 05 · Kazan 3h 00 · Sochi 2h 00 · Yekaterinburg 4h 30 · St Petersburg 3h 45 to İstanbul. |
| Direct flights from | Moscow, St Petersburg, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Sochi, Ufa, Samara and others — to İstanbul, Antalya and Bodrum. |
| Time difference | None. Moscow and İstanbul are on the same clock. No jet lag, no adjusting, no missed morning appointments. |
| Currency | Turkish lira (TRY). See the payment section below — this is the part that matters most. |
| Language | Russian is spoken widely in Antalya and in many İstanbul hotels and private hospitals. We arrange Russian-speaking guides, drivers and interpreters. |
| Best months | May–June and September–October for the coast without the peak crowds. April and October are excellent for İstanbul. |
Payment — read this one
Assume your bank card will not work.
This is the single most common problem Russian visitors have in Türkiye, and it is entirely avoidable if you plan for it before you leave.
Russian-issued cards
Visa and Mastercard issued by Russian banks do not work outside Russia. Mir acceptance in Türkiye has been unreliable and varies by bank and by merchant. Do not build a trip around it working.
Bring cash
Euro or US dollars, exchanged in Türkiye — the rate here is better than at home or at the airport. Budget for the whole trip, not just spending money.
Pay us in advance
Hotel, transfers and tours can be settled before you travel, so the large amounts are already handled and you only carry cash for meals and shopping.
Why this matters more than it sounds: a hotel that will not accept your card at check-in becomes a real problem at 23:00 in a foreign city. Paying the big items through an agency in advance removes that entire category of risk.
Where people go
Three trips that work from Russia
Antalya and the coast
The classic. Direct flights from many Russian cities, Russian spoken everywhere, and a beach season that runs from May well into October.
İstanbul, city break
Three hours, no time change, and a city that rewards three days as much as ten. Increasingly popular for shopping and long weekends.
Treatment
Planned procedures with the travel built around the medical dates, and a Russian-speaking interpreter at appointments. See how that works.
Questions
Before you write
How long can I stay?
There is a limit per entry and a separate limit per 180 days, and these have changed in recent years. Overstaying carries fines and entry bans, so it is worth getting right. Tell us your dates and we confirm the current rule in writing.
Can I pay you in roubles?
Tell us what payment method you have available and we will tell you honestly whether we can work with it. We would rather solve this before you fly than at the hotel desk.
Is Russian really spoken there?
In Antalya, widely — hotels, restaurants, shops. In İstanbul, less so outside hotels and private hospitals, which is why we arrange interpreters when it matters.
Will my phone work?
Roaming works but can be expensive. A Turkish SIM is inexpensive; we can have one ready for you on arrival.
Can you help with travel insurance?
We are not insurance brokers and will not sell you a policy. We will tell you plainly that you should have one, and what it needs to cover.
Start here
Which city are you flying from?
Send that, your dates, and how you plan to pay. We will handle the rest.
MOC Health Sağlık Turizm — A-group Travel Agency Operating Licence no. 13801
(Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Law no. 1618, held since 2022).
Verify at online.tursab.org.tr
Şirinevler Mah. Meriç Sok. Toyak İş Merkezi No: 11 / 612, Bahçelievler / İstanbul · +90 533 813 89 77
Operated by Bookinhospital.com Danışmanlık ve Ticaret Ltd. Şti. · MERSİS 0179135604700001
Visa, payment and entry information is general guidance and can change. We confirm the
current rules for your passport and dates in writing before any booking is made.