Do I need a visa to visit Mongolia?
Turkish citizens can travel to Mongolia without a visa for stays of up to 30 days, regardless of passport type. If you are planning a longer stay, it is worth checking the current visa requirements before you travel.
How do you get to Ulaanbaatar and get around?
I flew directly from Istanbul to Ulaanbaatar with Turkish Airlines. The flight took about eight hours. My flight left Istanbul in the evening and, with the five-hour time difference between Türkiye and Mongolia, I arrived in Ulaanbaatar early the next morning.
Chinggis Khaan International Airport is about 52 kilometres from central Ulaanbaatar. You can reach the city by bus or taxi. I took the bus and the journey to Sükhbaatar Square took more than two hours. The distance is not especially long, but Ulaanbaatar’s heavy traffic can make the journey surprisingly time-consuming. When I visited in the summer of 2026, the airport–Sükhbaatar Square bus fare was 15,000 Mongolian tögrög.
Public buses operate throughout the city. However, as much of the information at bus stops and on routes is in Mongolian and written in Cyrillic, I did not find the system particularly easy to use as a visitor. I therefore relied mostly on taxis.
Instead of Uber, Ulaanbaatar has a widely used local taxi app called UBCab, which you can use to call a car to your location.
I also noticed another way of getting around. I often saw people standing by the roadside and signalling to passing cars. At first I had no idea what they were doing. I later learned that, alongside official taxis, it is quite common for private drivers to pick up passengers from the street and take them to their destination for a fee, usually based on the distance travelled.
Where can I exchange money? Can I use credit cards?
Mongolia’s official currency is the Mongolian tögrög (MNT). You can exchange money at Chinggis Khaan International Airport. Banknotes are checked quite carefully, however, and even minor wear or damage may mean that a note is refused. You can also exchange money in the city centre.
Unlike in Buryatia, I was able to use my Turkish-issued credit cards in Mongolia. Even so, it is useful to carry some cash in tögrög for small businesses, markets and places outside the city.
What about mobile phones and internet access?
There is a shop at Chinggis Khaan International Airport where you can buy a physical SIM card. I bought mine there and used it without any problems in Ulaanbaatar and the surrounding area.
If you are planning to travel into rural Mongolia, however, it is worth checking the coverage of your chosen mobile network in advance.
When is the best time to visit Ulaanbaatar?
Mongolia has a harsh continental climate, with long, very cold winters and short summers. Ulaanbaatar is one of the coldest capital cities in the world and is often described as the coldest.
For a first visit, the summer months are therefore easier. Many of Mongolia’s major festivals and events also take place in June and July. The Tenger World Shaman Festival, which I attended, was held in June, while Naadam, Mongolia’s best-known festival, takes place in July.
Even in summer, there can be a noticeable difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures. Early mornings and evenings can be quite cool, so it is worth bringing something warm, such as a fleece.
Where to stay in Ulaanbaatar?
Ulaanbaatar has plenty of accommodation options, including hotels, serviced apartments and rental apartments. I stayed at Tanan Center Serviced Apartments in the city centre, about 600 metres from Sükhbaatar Square. The location was very central, and there was also a supermarket and a café downstairs.
My apartment was spacious and clean, with a kitchen, washing machine, iron and most of the things you might need for a longer stay. I did, however, have occasional problems with hot water. Ulaanbaatar uses a centralised hot-water system, and temporary interruptions can occur in some areas, particularly during summer maintenance.
The main reason for my visit to Ulaanbaatar was the Tenger World Shaman Festival. The festival was held at Chinggis Khaanii Khuree Tourist Complex, about 30 kilometres from the city centre. With Ulaanbaatar’s heavy traffic, travelling back and forth to the festival every day took quite a lot of time.
If you are coming specifically for the festival, another option is to stay in one of the traditional Mongolian gers at the festival site. The complex has basic facilities including a restaurant, showers and toilets. Even in summer the nights can be cold, and stoves can be used to heat the gers when needed.
For anyone who would like to experience a little more of traditional Mongolian life, staying in a ger could be an interesting alternative.
What to eat in Mongolia?
Meat and dairy products play an important role in Mongolian cuisine, reflecting the country’s long pastoral tradition. Vegetables are used more sparingly in traditional dishes.
One of Mongolia’s best-known foods is buuz, a steamed dumpling traditionally filled with meat, which I also encountered in Buryatia. Other common dishes include khuushuur, a fried pastry traditionally filled with meat, and tsuivan, a noodle dish.
Ulaanbaatar also has plenty of restaurants serving cuisines from other countries. I was particularly struck by the number of Korean restaurants. You can also find Russian-influenced dishes such as borscht.
If you are vegetarian like me, choices in traditional Mongolian cuisine can be somewhat limited. Fortunately, Ulaanbaatar has vegetarian and vegan restaurants, and you can even find vegetarian or vegan versions of traditional foods such as buuz and khuushuur. I went to Agnista Vegan Restaurant for vegetarian food.
Another thing you will see everywhere in Ulaanbaatar is CU, a chain of small convenience stores open 24 hours a day. They sell drinks and everyday essentials as well as ready-made meals and hot snacks. You can heat a prepared meal in the microwave and eat it in the seating area, which makes CU very convenient when you want something quick and easy.
Another thing that caught my attention was how common fast-food restaurants were. As I walked around Ulaanbaatar, I saw many international fast-food chains and noticed that they were also very popular with local people. The contrast between traditional Mongolian food and this rapidly growing fast-food culture was one of the interesting sides of the city for me.
What to buy in Ulaanbaatar?
Because livestock farming is so important in Mongolia, cashmere, wool and leather goods are particularly prominent. Cashmere sweaters, scarves, hats and gloves can be found at prices that are often lower than in Türkiye. Leather bags and shoes featuring traditional Mongolian designs are also attractive.
In the city centre, State Department Store has a wide selection of cashmere, wool and leather goods.
One of the most interesting places for shopping, for me, was Narantuul Market. This is not simply a tourist market; it is a huge market used by local people as well. You can find almost anything here, from shaman drums and other shamanic items to traditional clothing, leather bags and boots, and old Soviet-era objects.
Prices can be lower than in shops in the city centre, and bargaining is possible. Quality can vary, however, so it is worth taking a little care, particularly when buying cashmere or leather goods.
These notes are based mainly on my experiences in Ulaanbaatar. If you are planning to travel into rural Mongolia, transport, accommodation and communication conditions may be quite different. I have not yet explored Mongolia’s countryside, but I hope to do so in the near future. Perhaps then I will have some new Mongolian stories to tell.
For now, that is all for my notes from Mongolia. See you in the next travel story…
