Is it safe to travel to Turkey? UPDATED March 26, 2025.
Once again I am receiving messages from people asking if it’s safe to travel to Turkey and Istanbul. Once again I am updating this post I originally published in 2016.
First, to put things in perspective, Turkey covers 783,562 km² (297,156 sq. miles) while Istanbul is a city of 16 million people in 31 districts spread over 5461 km² (994.93 sq. miles). Istanbul is huge so even though I live here I can’t say for sure what’s happening elsewhere.
What I can say is that most of the tourist centres like Taksim and Sultanahmet always have a visible police presence. Most of the time my neighbours and friends here on the Asian side and other parts of the city go about our lives as normal. That said, I’m aware for people who don’t live here and have little or no experience of what Turkey is like, any newsworthy events often make them think twice about whether to go through with holiday plans in the place I call home.
Whatever the circumstances, I think what I wrote in 2016 in response to a woman who admires my writing and contacted me via a private message on Facebook message still applies. She had a reservation to come to Istanbul the week after a bombing in 2016, and wanted my advice on whether it was safe to travel to Turkey or not. It wasn’t her first visit here, so she knew the layout of the city, how crowded the streets can be, and that comparing security in Turkey with that on offer in other countries is pointless. After all, national security forces haven’t stop attacks elsewhere in the world.
I’m not a trite ‘I could get hit by a bus tomorrow so why worry? type. Even given how insane Istanbul traffic is at times, in that scenario, one has the choice to look both ways before crossing. A bombing doesn’t give you that option. However I can’t agree with the flipside which says it’s far too dangerous to travel to this part of the world at the moment so you shouldn’t come.
How to decide if it’s safe to travel to Turkey
As a start, check what your government says about whether it’s safe to travel to Turkey. I don’t monitor Australia’s travel warnings for Turkey regularly, but when I looked yesterday they seemed little different than they were a few years ago. They warn Australians to exercise a high degree of caution overall (sensible advice for many countries these days), to not travel within ten kilometres of the border with Syria (given how little is there, why would you?) and to reconsider your need to visit Hakkarı and Şırnak (neither of which have ever been tourist destinations to my knowledge).
Make sure you have travel insurance and be prepared (mentally and financially) to change your plans should the need arise. Additionally, register with your consulate so you can receive warnings about which places to avoid, and how to keep safe should something happen.
Some will say much the same as Australia and don’t explicitly say it is not safe to travel to Turkey.
This latter point is important in terms of the consequences if you do decide to cancel your holiday plans. At the moment, unless your travel insurance covers you for unexpected cancellations, you won’t get your money back if you decide not to come to Turkey. However if your government does change their warning and state that travel to Turkey is unsafe, then you would be entitled to a refund.
Should you happen to be Turkey when a terrorist event, natural disasters or other incident occurs, many social media platforms like Facebook, Youtube and so on may run slowly or temporarily be blocked completely.
In summary, if you’re after a definitive answer whether it’s safe to travel to Turkey, I can’t give you one. I live here. My feeling safe might be your it’s too dangerous and my comfort levels set at too much risk-taking for you. Only you know how you feel. That said, that woman on Facebook, the one who was travelling solo and asked me what I thought? She got back to me and thanked me for my kindness. After considering all the possibilities she made up her mind and came as planned.
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Here are my helpful tips for planning your trip to Istanbul and Turkey
For FLIGHTS I like to use Kiwi.com.
Don’t pay extra for an E-VISA. Here’s my post on everything to know before you take off.
However E-SIM are the way to go to stay connected with a local phone number and mobile data on the go. Airalo is easy to use and affordable.
I’m a big advocate of public transport, but know it’s not suitable for everyone all the time. When I need to be picked up from or get to Istanbul Airport or Sabiha Gokcen Airport, I use one of these GetYourGuide website AIRPORT TRANSFERS.
ACCOMMODATION: When I want to find a place to stay I use Booking.com.
CITY TOURS & DAY TRIPS: Let me guide you around Kadikoy with my audio walking tour Stepping back through Chalcedon or venture further afield with my bespoke guidebook Istanbul 50 Unsung Places. I know you’ll love visiting the lesser-known sites I’ve included. It’s based on using public transport as much as possible so you won’t be adding too much to your carbon footprint. Then read about what you’ve seen and experienced in my three essay collections and memoir about moving to Istanbul permanently.
Browse the GetYourGuide website or Viator to find even more ways to experience Istanbul and Turkey with food tours, visits to the old city, evening Bosphorus cruises and more!
However you travel, stay safe and have fun! Iyi yolculuklar.
Hi I am an Indian living here in Turkey and I am constantly asked the same question. My answer always is, there is no place in the world one can feel completely safe today so Turkey is as safe or unsafe as London, Paris, Mumbai or New York. But living here myself I often question my own safety in a country where the political situation is so unstable.