Is Istanbul Safe for Solo Female Travelers?

Group travel

I felt moderately safe. Public transports you have to be very careful. Bosphorus Tour, blue mosque, Hagia Sophia and castle are a must visit. Try lahmacun, pide, eskender, Adana kebab for food. Istanbul is very expensive lately. Find good cheap hotels. I stayed in MLS ŞIŞLI hotel, booked from Agoda. Transport is very easy. Use public transport and use googled maps for it.

Solo travel

It was very nice experience in Istanbul, people were nice and friendly, food was amazing and their portions are crazy, the weather in may was perfect to walk, and also to take a ride on a boat, which is really cheap (1$) .

Solo travel

I felt safe in most areas. Using public transport was easy and safe. Some nice experiences are hidden from sight e.g photo experience in the Basilica cistern. Food is large in portion and tasty. The airport is far from the city but multiple bus options.

Solo travel

It was the first time that I went on a solo trip. It was a great learning experience and the people were quite hospitable. Although, late at night I would feel a bit unsafe thinking that I am a tourist who doesn't even speak the same language but I always found someone with whom I could communicate.

Solo travel

I transit in Istanbul for 13 hours which is enough time to go to the city and back, I took bus to the city and walked around, it was safe as I was in the touristy area, I spent around 180 sgd which more than I would like to but most of it went to local shops and local artists. So it’s good! Heart wrenching part was there are quite a few homeless kids. I could not walk past them without giving some donations. Overall I love it there, the culture and buildings was beautiful!!!

Solo travel

I don't recommend Turkey as a country for solo female travel. Turkish men believe foreign women are all whores and are persistent to a level of being scary. I know other women from different countries who have had similar experiences there.

Couple travel

I have been to Istanbul for many times, and never got disappointed. This city is always alive, the people are welcoming, eventhough the poor english skills, they try to help you anyhow. I recommened to try as many food as you can. The baked corn and the simit (with nutella) my favourites from the streets. I recommend to stay at Cihangir area, really cool vibes there, so many artists there. If you like techno/melodic-techno music, you should visit zoegarden, sumahan, klein garden…:)

Solo travel

Istanbul was a dream coming true for me Every day was a blast I felt super safe as a solo traveler and stayed in a pension in kadiköy Istanbul is expensive but I could eat for 7 euros in local restaurants

Solo travel

Hey ladies! I’ve been to turkey 4 times and I highly recommend, it is safe for travelers, tamales specifically. The food was amazing specially Kofte and iskander , am a huge fan ahah Transport is well organised and safe also

Group travel

Would absolutely recommend Istanbul as a destination to explore!! The only thing I would recommend is having a local and/or someone with you who can speak Turkish - you can get around fine without, but we were able to have a bit of a more “authentic” experience, especially when going out to eat.

You need to stay away from narrow streets and some neighbourhoods especially when its dark. When its dark if you need to use public transportation, stay close to other woman or safe people, bad people should think that you are not alone.

I would say Istanbul is overall safe for foreign visitors. I would recommend being careful as a tourist and watch out for pickpockets. I wouldn’t say Istanbul is as bad as Paris or Barcelona. However, incidents still happen.