Is Istanbul Safe for Solo Female Travelers?

Solo travel

It was amazing I googled the best places to go and I have been to all locations! The places were very beautiful and I enjoyed a lot. I visited galata tower, Osmanli palace, the colorful stairs, the historical other places.

Solo travel

I’ve traveled solo in Istanbul and I felt incredibly safe. Common sense and street smarts. Using the tram is easy. There’s so much to do. Not knowing Turkish is fine.

Solo travel

I felt safe but sometimes cat called by some people. Or at night street get too empty with no police around. Overall very late at night it's not super safe to be around shady places. Generally i had nice experience amd i enjoyed it

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…:)

Some quarters like Tarlabasi in Taksim are quite dangerous so particularly women should prevent to stay in this kind of quarters but if you are not too late and in a safe quarter you are okay. Especially if you will be late on Friday and Saturday, it won’t be that much dangerous compared to the other days since these days the metro line is open 7/24 and a lot of people are in the outside.

First thing is can say about Istanbul's safety is: It's hard to say a specific thing. Because mostly it depends on where you are. When we compare European and Asian side, Asian side is safer but European side is much more enjoyable. For example Beşiktaş, Bebek, Sarıyer. And for Asian part Kadıköy is enjoyable and fun. If you're going crowded places during night i suggest you to go with a friend. I think Istanbul is better for group travelling, not for solo travelling.