Istanbul is one of the safer major cities for tourists, but like any destination that welcomes tens of millions of visitors a year, it has its share of scams and petty crime aimed specifically at travelers. Knowing what to watch for takes most of the risk out of a trip.
The most persistent scam in Istanbul's tourist areas is the shoe-shine trick: a shiner "accidentally" drops a brush near Sultanahmet or Taksim, a passerby picks it up and returns it, and the shiner insists on a free shine as thanks before demanding payment afterward. Politely declining and walking on is the easiest response. A second scam involves overly friendly locals steering solo travelers toward a specific bar for a drink, only for the bill to arrive with wildly inflated prices; if a stranger is unusually insistent about a particular venue, it is worth being cautious.
Unmetered or "broken meter" taxis are a genuine risk at busy tourist spots and outside both airports, where a driver may quote a flat fare well above the metered rate or claim the meter is not working. Insisting on the meter, or booking a fixed-price transfer in advance through your hotel or a transfer company before you land, avoids the negotiation entirely, particularly for the ride in from Istanbul Airport or Sabiha Gokcen Airport, where the distance into the city makes an inflated fare expensive rather than just annoying.
Crowded spots, the tram between Sultanahmet and Kabatas, the Grand Bazaar, and Istiklal Avenue chief among them, see the usual pickpocketing risk of any major tourist city. Keeping bags zipped and worn to the front, and avoiding back pockets for phones and wallets, covers most of the risk. Violent crime against tourists is rare in the areas visitors typically stay in.
Tap water in Istanbul is treated but most residents and visitors still drink bottled or filtered water as a matter of taste rather than safety. Travel insurance that covers medical treatment is strongly recommended, since private hospital care, which most travelers end up using, is not free. The general emergency number in Turkey is 112, which covers police, ambulance, and fire, and most operators can transfer to an English-speaking line.
Istanbul sits in an active seismic zone, and periodic minor tremors are normal. Hotels and modern buildings are built to current earthquake codes, and no special preparation is needed for a short visit beyond knowing that if a stronger quake does occur, moving away from windows and heavy furniture and following hotel staff instructions is the standard guidance.
Keeping a photo or scanned copy of your passport and visa stored separately from the original, in cloud storage or emailed to yourself, makes replacing a lost or stolen document far faster at your consulate. The same goes for travel insurance details and emergency contact numbers, worth having accessible even if your phone is the one that goes missing. None of this should overshadow the trip: Istanbul's tourist police, reachable at 155, specifically handle complaints and disputes involving visitors, and stepping into any shop or hotel lobby to ask for help is rarely refused.
Comments (2)
Is the tram between Sultanahmet and Kabataş really that risky for theft? I was planning to use it a lot to get around.
It's one of the busiest tourist routes in the city, so yes, it does attract pickpockets during peak hours. That said, it's still perfectly usable — most visitors ride it daily without any issue as long as bags are zipped and kept in front of you in the crowded stretches, same as any busy metro system.
I keep reading about unmetered taxis overcharging tourists near the airport. Is it really that common, and what's the safest way to avoid it?
It happens often enough that we'd steer you away from hailing a cold taxi right outside the terminal. If you do take one, insist the driver starts the meter before you leave the curb. The simplest fix, though, is to arrange your transfer in advance so the price is fixed before you even land — that removes the whole negotiation.