based on 121 experiences from female travelers
Meruyert
Slovakia
Istanbul was stunning—views, mosques, food—but I didn’t always feel safe. Daytime felt fine; at night around Taksim/Istiklal I met pushy touts, catcalling, and a taxi scam attempt. Keep valuables close, stick to lit streets, and use taxi apps. I’d still recommend it, just use big-city caution.
Posted: October 25, 2025I was in Istanbul for over a month. It's was a little bit expensive, compared to my last year trip, but totally worth it. Amazing food, nice people that are always trying to help if you need something. Definitely my soul place.
Posted: October 16, 2025I started the trip by meeting a guy someone I met in couch surfing recommended me. He walked me to my booked hostel and talked to the guy in his language, I went to my shared room where I met a girl who was staying there for some time, a fellow latina and there were a lot of empty beds. I then went to ask to extend my stay a couple of days and the giy said they didnt have capacity, when my fellow latina asked though, they did have space. This seemed suspicious to me as the one I have met insisted that I should stay with him and meet hia friends. The next bad expefience was going out with thw latina girl and suddenly everything changed for me there, she was showing a lot of skin and men went crazy and talked to us in spanish, some of them grabbed me trying to pull me to the back of their shops..horrible. I was not showing much skin, but since I was with someone who was and we were speaking spanish I got tagged as a hooker?
Posted: October 14, 2025Experienced: June, 2018Widad
Algeria
Istanbul was magical. I had a blast there! It was my first time traveling abroad and I did it alone, no regrets🥰 Met amazing people and i felt safe there the whole time I didn’t do many activity since the trip was poorely planned yet i had so much fun. The public transportation is greaatt, didn’t have to use a taxi once. I mostly used buses,public ferries and metros/tram
Posted: August 14, 2025Istanbul was quite a safe and easy going place for a solo female traveler. I mostly moved around the Taksim, Kadikoy, Eminonu and Kumkoy areas which are very touristic, so there was always this sense that you’re not alone. Especially around Taksim things are very busy during night time. The sites are quite expensive, so since i was travelling on a budget I couldn’t see all of them. The food is average priced compared to Greece but not a lot of vegetarian options are available. Transportation is quite cheap.
Posted: August 11, 2025Based on 382 local experiences
Based on 382 local experiences
simay
I would say it is pretty safe, especially in touristic areas. Pickpocketing and so are not a big problem in istanbul like in other cities, but people might try to scam you. So do not communicate with „funny“ looking strangers. If you need to ask something to someone, always approach female students. Do not use taxi!!! Public transport is very safe and always crowded. Enjoy a ferry ride :)
Posted: November 14, 2025Simay
In fact, it's safe to say that the crime rate isn't very high, and tourists should be careful in historical places. There are many scammers there, and other places are also safe.Because there are so many immigrants, they might make you uncomfortable. So, try not to talk to them too much. Find people of Turkish descent in general, and you'll feel safer when you interact with them.
Posted: November 14, 2025İstanbul is generally very safe because it is a constantly vibrant metropolis that welcomes millions of tourists. Security measures are high in the touristic areas. The only thing you need to watch out for is being alert to pickpocketing and scams in crowded places (markets, public transport). As long as you maintain basic city awareness, you can have a comfortable and enjoyable trip. Serious crimes are rare.
Posted: November 8, 2025It’s safer some areas but you should research your area. Also I wouldn’t recommend being alone at night. Always be aware of yourself and surroundings. And I would recommend not being very nice to the men. If they see you’re very nice they can be very demanding.
Posted: November 6, 2025Generally Asian side of İstanbul is much safer than European side. You should be careful to pickpocket at crowded squares and maybe even in trams and metros (if it's crowded). Also be careful to some robber kids too (their parents teaches them to how to steal)
Posted: November 5, 2025