My cousin Sarah was supposed to fly to Istanbul in March. Two weeks before, her mom called me, freaking out. “Have you seen the news? Tell her not to go.”
The exact question she kept asking was, “Is it dangerous to travel to Turkey?” as if the whole country was suddenly on fire. I said, “Hang on.” Let me actually look at what’s happening there instead of panicking over headlines.
What’s Actually Going On
Is it dangerous to travel to Turkey? Straight up, 52.6 million tourists showed up in 2024. Record number. Turkey is the fourth most-visited country on the planet.
2025 is looking even bigger. They’re gonna hit maybe 65 million visitors. Made $50 billion just through September on tourism.
Those aren’t the numbers for a place people think is a death trap.
The US State Department gives Turkey a Level 2 rating. That’s “be careful.” Not Level 4, which means “don’t go.” Level 2 is what France gets. Germany. The UK. Places Americans fly to constantly.
The Parts You Actually Shouldn’t Visit
Yeah, there are sketchy areas. Southeastern provinces near Syria and Iraq? Stay away. Sirnak, Hakkari, anything within six miles of the Syrian border gets a Level 4. Real danger there.
But Turkey’s massive. Istanbul’s a thousand miles from Syria. That’s like refusing to visit New York because there’s cartel stuff in Mexico.
Tourist spots like Istanbul, Antalya, Bodrum, and Cappadocia? Running normal. 4.4 million British tourists went in 2024. Consular staff logged 56 sexual assault cases. That’s awful. But do the math. That’s 0.001% of visitors.
Your hometown probably has worse crime stats.
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What Actually Happens To Tourists
Not terrorism. People think that because of news coverage, but Turkey’s been pretty calm since 2017.
What you get is pickpockets. Taxi scams. Restaurants charging you $200 for a beer because you’re obviously a tourist. Standard city nonsense.
Sexual assault’s real, though. Mostly in coastal resorts during summer. Sometimes hotel staff, spa workers. One woman was attacked by someone she met earlier that day.
It’s bad. But Paris has this problem. Rome does. Barcelona does. Every tourist spot has predators. You gotta be smart. Don’t wander off alone with people you just met. Use actual tour companies, not random guys on the street. Keep your guard up.
Earthquakes Are A Thing
Turkey sits on fault lines. The 2023 Kahramanmaras quake killed tens of thousands. In April 2025, a 6.2 hit the Sea of Marmara. People in Istanbul felt it strongly.
There’s a big fault 20 km south of Istanbul. Scientists say a major earthquake’s coming eventually. It could be next year. Could be 2050. Nobody knows.
Does that mean don’t go? California’s got the San Andreas. Tokyo’s in an earthquake zone. Japan gets millions of tourists anyway.
New buildings since 1999 supposedly meet better codes. Older ones? Who knows.
Stuff That Went Down This Year
In March 2025, Istanbul’s mayor was arrested. Protests happened. Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir. Some got rough. Police came down hard.
Most tourists never saw any of it. Protests happened in specific neighborhoods. You avoid those like you would anywhere.
Iran and Israel had tensions spike in June 2025. Turkey’s not in that fight. But some flights between Istanbul and Tehran got cancelled. Israeli airspace was closed briefly. Messed with travel logistics, didn’t make Turkey itself more dangerous.
Tourism dipped a bit early in 2025. The first seven months saw 2.1% fewer foreign visitors. Germany sent fewer people. Everything got more expensive.
Then October, 5.68 million visitors. Up 4.3% from October 2024. People started going again.
The Government Situation
Turkey arrests people sometimes for dumb reasons. Say the wrong thing about the government or the flag, and you could get detained. Press freedom’s not great. Tens of thousands have been locked up, including Americans.
That’s real. But regular tourists taking photos at the Blue Mosque? You’d have to work pretty hard to get in that kind of trouble.
People Who Actually Live There
I know Americans and Brits who’ve lived in Istanbul for years. They all say daily life feels safer than big US cities. Less violent crime. Less random aggressive stuff.
One writer’s been there 50 years. Says she’s never felt physically in danger, even when US and Turkey relations got tense. People might argue politics with you but nobody’s attacking tourists.
Facebook groups for Turkey travelers are packed with people who just gotten back. Most had zero problems. Some got scammed by cabs. One guy got food poisoning. Normal travel stuff.
So, Is It Dangerous To Travel To Turkey?
Istanbul, Antalya, Cappadocia, and the beaches? Probably safer than walking around parts of LA or Chicago at night.
Near the Syrian border? Yeah, that’s actually dangerous. Don’t go there.
Regular tourist spots? The biggest risks are the same everywhere. Pickpockets. Scammers. Maybe an earthquake if you’re really unlucky, but that’s true for California, too.
Turkey gets a bad reputation partly because it’s next to rough areas. That doesn’t make Sultanahmet Square dangerous.
My cousin Sarah went. Had a blast. Zero problems. Came back with like 500 photos and won’t shut up about the food.
How To Not Be Dumb About It
Stay away from protests. Dress modestly outside big cities. Don’t wear flashy jewelry. Use hotel safes. Don’t take drinks from strangers. Watch your bag in crowds.
Check travel advisories before you go. Americans should sign up for STEP. Other countries have similar things. You get alerts if something happens.
Get travel insurance that covers evacuation. Not because you’ll need it. Just because it’s smart.
Don’t go to the southeastern provinces. There’s nothing for tourists there anyway.
Real Talk
59 million people went last year. Most had great trips. Hospitals are good. Tourist areas have plenty of police. Hotels and restaurants know how to deal with foreigners.
Is Turkey perfectly safe? Nowhere is. Could something happen? Sure. Could something happen in London or New York? Also yes.
The real question is whether Turkey is actually more dangerous than other places you’d visit without worrying.
And it’s not. Sarah’s already planning trip number two for next year. Make of that what you will.
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