Cash and Cards: The Short Answer

Dalyan runs happily on a mix of both, and the trick is simply knowing which is which. Think of it as a two-pocket system: carry a decent wedge of Turkish lira in one and keep a card ready in the other. The town's bigger restaurants, the supermarkets out towards the main road and most hotels will happily take a card, often by tap. But the Tuesday market, the little riverside cafes away from the main strip, the dolmuş to İztuzu beach and the family-run boat trips are still very much cash affairs.

If you arrive with nothing but plastic, you will not starve. If you arrive with nothing but cash, you will not struggle either. Get the balance roughly right and you will breeze through the week.

Getting Lira: ATMs and Exchange Bureaux

There are several cashpoints in the centre of Dalyan, clustered around the main square and the streets behind the market area. They are convenient, but they are not all equal — a few charge a flat fee to foreign cards, and the fee varies from machine to machine. If you are taking out a large amount, it is worth walking to a second machine to compare, or simply withdrawing more at once so the fee stings less.

• Always choose lira. If the machine offers to convert your withdrawal into pounds "for your convenience", decline it. The rate will be poor and your own bank will do a better job.
• Take bigger, less often. Two or three withdrawals across a fortnight beats a daily drip-feed of fees.
• Know your limit. Many machines cap a single withdrawal, so you may need two transactions for a larger sum.

There are also exchange bureaux in town and at the airport. Rates in Dalyan are usually reasonable for sterling, euros and dollars, and a bureau can be a good option if you want a chunk of cash without touching an ATM. Bring clean, untorn notes — battered ones are sometimes refused.

Where Your Card Is Welcome

You will find card payment far more common than you might expect. In practice, reach for your card at:

• Larger riverside and town-centre restaurants, particularly those used to British visitors
• Supermarkets and mini-markets on the edge of town
• Hotels, and most excursions booked through a proper office
• Petrol stations and larger shops

Contactless has spread widely, and a phone wallet works in most of the same places. Do ask before you sit down if you are planning to pay by card — a quick "kart?" with a raised eyebrow is universally understood, and it saves any awkwardness at the end of a meal.

One word of warning: a handful of places add a small surcharge for card payments, and a very few quote prices in euros or pounds. Politely ask to pay in lira instead. It is nearly always cheaper.

Where You Genuinely Need Cash

This is the list that catches people out. Keep notes on you for:

• The Tuesday market — stalls selling fruit, spices, textiles and souvenirs are overwhelmingly cash-only
• Small cafes, tea gardens and lokantas where locals eat
• The dolmuş minibus to the beach, and river taxis
• Boat trips, especially those arranged on the day at the jetty
• Entry fees at smaller sites, and the mud baths and sulphur springs
• Tips, and the occasional stall selling cold water or gözleme on the beach

Aim for a mix of denominations. Large notes can be a nuisance in small establishments early in the day, when change is thin. Keep a stack of smaller notes and coins for transport and snacks, and save the big ones for restaurants and supermarkets.

Tipping and Everyday Habits

Tipping is appreciated but not obligatory. In restaurants, rounding up or leaving around five to ten per cent is generous and well received, particularly if you have had good service. For boat crews, a modest amount collected at the end of the day goes down well. Taxi drivers are generally happy with the fare rounded up. Hand over tips in cash, even if you paid the bill by card.

It also pays to think about what you are carrying day to day. There is no need to walk around with your whole holiday budget. Leave the bulk in your room safe or split it between two places, and take out only what you expect to spend. Photograph your cards and keep the images somewhere secure but separate, so you have the numbers to hand if anything goes missing.

Before You Fly Home

Spend your lira down rather than converting it back at a poor rate at the airport. Fuel up on Turkish delight, olive oil, spices or a last few meals out, and use the leftover coins for a final round of drinks. If you do end up with a note or two, they make a nice surprise for a future trip — or an easy gift for someone at home.

Finally, tell your bank you are travelling if it still asks. A card that gets frozen on your first evening in Dalyan is an irritating start to an otherwise effortless holiday, and a phone call from a sunny riverside is nobody's idea of fun.