Useful apps for Turkey: transport, maps, translation

Set the phone up before departure, not at the airport. Download offline Google Maps for the regions you will drive or hike, save your hotel address in Turkish, and add a translation app with the Turkish offline pack. Turkish keyboards and menus are easy to navigate once you know the four apps below.

For taxis, BiTaksi and Uber both call licensed yellow taxis rather than private cars, so the meter runs and you pay the driver. This matters in Istanbul, where hailing on the street is normal but app dispatch removes the language barrier and the fare argument. Keep small notes for the driver; cards are accepted in cities but not always in a cab.

For intercity travel, Obilet is the standard place to compare coach times and buy seats; the big operators run comfortable overnight services between most cities. For rail, use TCDD Taşımacılık for YHT high-speed tickets and reservations. Buy early on Bayram weeks, when both buses and trains sell out.

In Istanbul, the Istanbulkart app handles balance top-ups for the card you tap on metro, tram, ferry and bus. Transit apps such as Moovit give live routing and stop names. Outside Istanbul, Google Maps plus the local dolmuş (shared minibus) is usually enough; ask at your hotel for the dolmuş stop.

WhatsApp is how hotels, guides, drivers and small shops communicate, so install it and give your number at check-in. For emergencies, AFAD Acil Çağrı is the official disaster and emergency app and can share your location. If you need a local number, see the SIM and eSIM page: airport tourist SIMs cost more than town shops, and a foreign eSIM sidesteps the IMEI rule.