GBP → TRY converter
Indicative rate1 GBP = 42.85 TRY · 100 GBP = 4,285 TRY
Mid-market rate from the European Central Bank via Frankfurter. Bank cards, ATMs and bureaux add a 1–4% spread on top of this rate.
How much is one pound in Turkish lira right now?
Use the live converter above for the current European Central Bank mid-market rate, updated each working day. As an indicative reference, in early 2026 one pound buys roughly 42-43 lira; in 2024 the rate was nearer 41 lira and in 2022 around 21 lira. The Turkish lira has weakened against the pound by more than 50 percent over the last four years which is why a UK family of four can now eat well in a seafront restaurant for around twenty-five pounds.
The best way to spend money in Turkey as a UK visitor
Card terminals are universal in hotels, restaurants and shops on the coast and in major cities. We pay for almost everything on a fee-free travel card (Chase, Starling, Revolut, Wise or the First Direct debit card) which gives you the same mid-market rate the converter above shows, with a thin 0-0.5% spread. Avoid using a standard high-street debit card abroad: Barclays, Lloyds, NatWest and HSBC typically charge 2.75-2.99% per transaction.
Cash, ATMs and currency exchange
Carry the equivalent of one or two days of cash in lira for taxis, tips, small bazaar shops and water taxis. The cleanest place to get cash is a bank ATM (Akbank, Garanti, Yapi Kredi, Is Bankasi) using a Chase or Starling card, ideally choosing the lira side of the screen and declining the ATM dynamic conversion offer. Bureaux marked Doviz on Istiklal Caddesi and in Antalya old town typically beat airport rates by 3-5 percent; airport bureaux are the worst rate in the country.
Tipping British travellers should know
Restaurants: 10 percent if service is not already included (the receipt will say servis dahil if it is). Hotel housekeeping: 50-100 lira per stay. Spa or hammam attendant: 100-200 lira. Private transfer driver: 100-200 lira at the end of the journey. Local guide on a private tour: 200-500 lira per family per day. Boat captain on a day cruise: 200-300 lira split among the crew. Tipping in pounds, euros or dollars is also welcome but lira is preferred.
How to take money out of Turkey on the way home
You can leave Turkey with up to 10,000 USD (or equivalent) of foreign currency without declaration. Most departing British travellers either spend down their lira at the duty-free shop or change small amounts back to pounds at the international Doviz bureaux landside before security; rates are middling but acceptable. Larger lira balances are best converted before you reach the airport.
