Booking.com is one of the largest online reservation sites, and it is also popular in Turkey. However, when you visit booking.com while in Turkey, you will notice that you cannot find any Turkish hotels in your searches.
If you want to schedule your Turkey trip through booking.com, this restriction will undoubtedly bother you. Who wants to spend their time looking for a new agency instead of exploring Turkey’s wonders? Fortunately, there is an easy way to circumvent the restriction imposed on booking.com.
In this article, I’ll show you how to change your virtual location with a reliable VPN service. This way, you can get around the restrictions imposed on booking.com in Turkey and make your Turkish hotel reservations without a problem.
To get around this restriction, we’ll use a VPN service to change our Turkish IP address to a foreign one. As a result, the system will recognize us as foreign users, allowing us to book Turkish hotels through booking.com.
How to use booking.com in Turkey with a VPN
- Visit VeePN’s official website. VeePN will satisfy you with its high price/performance ratio.
- Select the plan that best suits you and click the “Continue” button.
- Add the additional features offered to your package or choose to decline the offer.
- Enter your email address and pay using your preferred method.
- Check your email to get the login information VeePN sent to you.
- Return to the VeePN official website and select the “VPN Apps” tab to download the VeePN app that is compatible with your device.
- Start the installation by double-clicking the downloaded file and following the on-screen instructions.
- Open the app and sign in with your email and password.
- Navigate to the “VPN” tab and select “Netherlands” from the server list.
Note: Please keep in mind that any IP address other than a Turkish IP address will allow us to circumvent Booking.com‘s geo-restrictions in Turkey. However, for speed and server performance, I recommend connecting to the to the Netherlands or the UK servers.
That’s all! Your Turkish IP address will be replaced with a Dutch IP address once the connection is established. As a result, when you enter booking.com, the system will recognize you as a user from the Netherlands, and you will be able to make your Turkey reservations without limitations.
The search results recommended by Booking.com for my one-week Antalya vacation are shown above.
I demonstrated how to circumvent Booking.com’s geo-restriction in Turkey. However, I understand that all of the technical details may appear complicated to someone unfamiliar with VPN services. That is why I encourage those who are interested in the working principles of VPNs, the reasons for the booking.com restriction in Turkey, and the specifics of the subject to read the rest of this article.
Let’s begin by learning why Booking.com is not available for Turkish reservations.
Why I can’t use booking.com for Turkish hotels?
Turkey is a popular tourist destination for both domestic and international visitors. When big money is involved, it is unavoidable that some conflicts will arise. The lawsuit filed by the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB) against booking.com “to prevent unfair competition against union member travel agencies” is an example of this.
Booking.com was blocked in Turkey in 2017 as a result of this lawsuit, on the grounds that it does not pay taxes in Turkey and is unfairly competing with local agencies. Despite numerous reports that this restriction will be lifted once Booking.com opens an office in Turkey and agrees to pay taxes, as of 2023, no progress has been made.
Leaving aside the court decision and whether or not it was justified, let’s see how the situation affects us using an example. Assume you are already on holiday in Turkey and want to extend your stay. When you try to make a new reservation on booking.com, however, you will see the following message:
- “Unfortunately, it’s only possible for our customers in Turkey to book international properties with us right now. We’re working on resolving the issues that have prevented us from offering you our full range of services…”
Actually, this message summarizes the situation perfectly. If you ignore this warning and search for the location you want to visit, you will get a result similar to the one below.
Fine, but how does Booking.com know where a user is from and who to block? Our IP address is the answer. When we connect to the internet, our device is assigned an IP address that allows us to communicate online. This IP address can be used to determine the general geographic location of the device. To put it another way, when booking.com detects a user with a Turkish IP address, domestic hotels are automatically excluded from its catalog.
So, how can VPN services help us with this?
How to use Booking.com in Turkey with a VPN
Because the problem is with our IP address, we can use booking.com freely in Turkey by changing our IP address. This is where VPN services will come in handy.
VPN services are online privacy and security tools. When we connect to a VPN server, our online traffic is encrypted and routed through a tunnel. Our local IP address is hidden as a result of this redirection, and we get a new IP address from the location of the server to which we connect. In other words, once connected, our virtual location is moved to the location of the VPN server we chose.
For more information, see our “What is a VPN?” article.
Using the working principles of VPNs, we can easily unblock booking.com’s restrictions. Furthermore, VPN apps are entirely legal. Will, however, a VPN service chosen at random suffice?
Choosing the right VPN for Booking.com
The market is flooded with both paid and free VPN services. However, when booking a room, you will be required to provide personal information such as your address, contact information, credit card number, etc. To protect your security and privacy, I recommend using a reputable and professional VPN service.
Because all we need to do is change our Turkish IP address, we don’t require extensive coverage or a specific VPN server location. As I’ve already mentioned, I prefer to use a VPN with Netherlands or United Kingdom servers for speed and server performance. Other important factors to consider when selecting a VPN service include pricing policy, service support, and a money-back guarantee.
When I compared VPN services on the market using the criteria I mentioned above, I chose VeePN to bypass booking.com restrictions in Turkey. VeePN is one of the most affordable options on the market with its introductory price, and I will show you how to use VPN through VeePN.
VeePN is a Panama-based company that operates over 2,500 servers in 60+ countries. The download speed of 545.96 Mbps I got during my speed test by connecting to VeePN’s Dutch server will be more than adequate for your booking.com reservations.
Acquiring the VPN
To use VeePN, please follow these steps:
- Go to VeePN’s official website.
- Choose the plan that best fits your budget and click the “Continue” button. Remember that choosing a longer-term plan will allow you to receive discounts.
- Accept or reject the additional features offered by VeePN based on your requirements.
- Enter your email address and complete the payment using your preferred method.
When the process is completed, VeePN will send an email with your login information to the email address you provided.
VPN app installation
After purchasing our VeePN account, we can download and install the VeePN application on our device. To do so, navigate to VeePN’s official website and download the VPN application that is compatible with our device.
- Go back to VeePN’s official website.
- Find and download the VPN app that is compatible with your device from the “VPN Apps” tab.
- Start the installation by double-clicking the downloaded file and following the prompts.
Here’s another piece of good news. VeePN allows for 10 simultaneous connections on a single account. This means you can use VeePN across all of your devices. VeePN supports the devices listed below.
Connecting to the Netherlands server
In the final step, we will locate the server we want to connect to and change our IP address.
- Launch the VeePN app that you’ve installed.
- Log in to the application using the login information sent to your email address.
- Enter “Netherlands” into the search bar and connect to the listed server.
Once your connection is established, the power button will turn green. This indicates that you now have a Dutch IP address. VeePN will also request permission for configurations before connecting for the first time. You must allow these permissions to avoid connection issues.
Using Booking.com in Turkey
Let’s go back to booking.com using our new Dutch IP address and try to book a hotel in Turkey.
- Verify that you’re connected to the VeePN’s Netherlands server.
- Visit booking.com at https://www.booking.com/.
As you can see, we can now make hotel reservations in Turkey using booking.com.
VPNs for Booking.com in Turkey (3 Alternatives)
Because of the benefits it provides, I chose VeePN to unblock booking.com in Turkey. However, this does not rule out the possibility of using other VPN services. I compiled a list for our readers who want to learn about other VPN services they can use and why I think VeePN is superior.
Furthermore, if VeePN ever goes down due to server maintenance or another reason, it is a good idea to be aware of other viable options. The key features of three alternative VPN services for unblocking Booking.com are listed below.
1. Surfshark
Surfshark is the second VPN service I would consider after TotalVPN. This VPN provider, based in the British Virgin Islands, offers service through 3200 servers in 100 countries. Furthermore, SurfShark distinguishes itself with its lightning-fast servers, which are active in all of the countries to which we may wish to connect in order to use booking.com in Turkey.
When I tested its performance, I received a download speed of 295.46 Mbps from SurfShark’s Netherlands servers. This performance, combined with the privacy and security advantages offered by SurfShark, would satisfy us.
Finally, let us discuss Surfshark’s pricing policy. While not the cheapest option on our list, SurfShark’s pricing is quite reasonable. The monthly fee of SurfShark’s basic plan starts at $2.29 and includes unlimited simultaneous connections as well as a 30-day money-back guarantee.
2. ExpressVPN
If you need a VPN service for whatever reason, ExpressVPN is a company you can put your trust in. ExpressVPN is one of the market’s largest, with over thirteen years of experience and thousands of servers in 94 countries. Of course, ExpressVPN’s server coverage includes the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
My speed test with ExpressVPN’s Netherlands servers yielded a download speed of 638.02 Mbps. With such speed, you can do everything on the Internet, such as streaming, downloading torrent files, etc. without any issues. However, there is a reason why ExpressVPN is at the bottom of my list.
We don’t want to pay a lot of money for a VPN because we need it to make a reservation on Booking.com. In this regard, we can’t say ExpressVPN is a cost-effective choice for us, because it is the most expensive option on our list, costing $6.67 per month. In addition, ExpressVPN supports up to 8 simultaneous connections in a single account and offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
3. Planet VPN
Last on our list is Planet VPN, a Romania-based VPN provider that offers a reliable solution in both free and premium versions. Planet VPN has over 1200 servers in more than 60 countries, with five of them, including France, the Netherlands, and Germany, offering free lifetime access.
When it comes to performance, Planet VPN trails the competition by one click. In my speed test with Planet VPN’s Netherlands server, I received a download speed of 64.32 Mbps. Although this speed lags behind its competitors, it will suffice for your booking.com reservations.
In terms of price, you can begin using Planet VPN’s premium version, which allows you to connect to over 60 locations at maximum speed, for $1.99 per month. Furthermore, you can use your Planet VPN account on up to ten devices at once.
*The test results presented in this article were obtained on April 18, 2024, with a basic connection speed of 808.47 Mbps.
The availability of VPN services in Turkey is subject to frequent change. Our article “5 VPNs that work in Turkey” contains the most up-to-date and accurate information on the subject.
FAQs about using booking.com for reservations in Turkey
In this section, we’ll answer frequently asked questions about booking hotels in Turkey through Booking.com.
Is Booking.com banned in Turkey?
Booking.com is not banned in Turkey, but it has been restricted by a court decision. While in Turkey, you can book hotel reservations in other countries. However, you cannot use the website to make Turkish hotel reservations.
How do I use Booking.com to make Turkish hotel reservations while in Turkey?
We know that Booking.com does not display Turkish hotels for users with Turkish IP addresses. You can get around this restriction by connecting to a VPN server in another country. After using a VPN connection to change your Turkish IP address, you can book Turkish hotels on booking.com without limitations.
How can I book a hotel in Turkey?
All you have to do is connect to a remote VPN server (for example, in the Netherlands) using one of the VPN services recommended in our list and go to booking.com. Then enter your destination (e.g., Antalya), length of stay, and desired room features. Booking.com will show you the top domestic hotel options.
Summing up the article
In this article, I demonstrated how to use VPN services to unblock booking.com, which you cannot use for Turkey reservations due to a court decision.
Booking.com, which can be used without issue for Turkish reservations outside of Turkey, is unfortunately restricted to users with Turkish IP addresses. To circumvent these restrictions, users in Turkey only need to connect to VPN servers in countries such as the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and others and change their virtual location.
Because of its advantageous prices and stellar performance, I preferred VeePN to bypass Booking.com’s restrictions. However, SurfShark, ExpressVPN, and Planet VPN are other VPN services that will work just fine for the same purpose.
I’m a part-time traveler on a mission: to explore the world and uncover the intricate demands of VPN usage. Fueled by curiosity, I meticulously navigate the realms of privacy, streaming, and unblocking needs in every destination I visit. With a keen eye, I analyze the local and global VPN demands of each country, translating my findings into informative articles about VPN-related topics.