Due to the recent events happening in the Middle East, we are receiving overwhelming amount of "Is Turkey safe?" questions again. Please view the threads below, or use this thread to ask your questions.
Before posting your question here please use the search function to scan previous post here and try not to repeat similar question. Here are some of the most commonly asked questions on this sub:
- Is Turkey safe?
Yes. Turkey receives millions of visitors every year and the tourism industry seems immune to all social upheavals. During major protests, terror attacks and even the pandemic, all transport and accommodations for visitors functioned as usual. If you act with general common sense and avoid certain areas where you don't have any business as a visitor anyway, you'll be as safe as anywhere in the world.
- How do I get around Turkey?
Most public transport in Turkey is by bus. You can go to a nearest "otobüs terminali" and figure out how you get to your destination or just book your tickets online (1, 2, 3)
Flights can be cheaper than bus rides on long distances. The Turkish LCCs are AJet and Pegasus.
Although the railway grid is not very extensive, it still gives you the opportunity to cross the country in comfort. There's even an Oriental Express from Istanbul to Tehran. You need to book in advance though.
The road quality is very good in Turkey though some highways and bridges are very expensive. You can easily rent a car and drive around with general common sense. Just be mindful of the aggressive driving around big cities.
Metropolitan areas normally have good public transport which can usually be used with a local transport card. In Istanbul, for example, the Istanbulcard will get you on busses, trams, subways, boats, funiculars, cable-cars as well as help you with car parks, some museums and more.
It's common sense to avoid yellow taxis which are known to rip tourists off. Instead you can try apps like BiTaksi, Martı or Uber (different to international Uber though) which give you a prior price estimate.
- How much money will I need? Cash or card?
With one of the highest levels of inflation worldwide for many years, it's not easy to estimate costs in Turkey even for local residents. This also depends very greatly on your habits while traveling. So if you still want to learn about costs of certain things for a certain time, just be as specific as you can regarding your preferences (public transport/rent a car, 5-star hotels/camping, Blue Voyage boat tours/hiking, etc.). Credit card use is very common in Turkey but in smaller establishments you can get a discount if you pay in cash. Paying by mobile apps is also getting more common.
- Where should I visit in Turkey? What's not to miss?
There are so many websites that will give you extensive lists of best places to visit and things to do in Turkey. Please post here only if you need advice regarding a specific place or a route.
- I'm scratched by a stray cat. Do I need rabies shots?
Probably not. Turkey is the native home of the domestic cat and we have them everywhere. We also do get scratched and playfully bitten by them time to time. We do not have any incidents of cats transmitting rabies in Turkey.
It's another story about stray dogs though. If you have a problem with those, first try to find out if anyone around is taking care of them and ask if they are vaccinated (many strays are regularly checked in Turkey) and then visit the nearest clinic.
- Is Turkey a backwards muslim country? Will I have issues because I'm gay, have tattoos, etc.?
No. Turkey is a very diverse secular country to say the least (not a muslim country but a country with a majority muslim population). Don't be fooled by the number of mosques everywhere, in metropolitan areas you'll find all sorts of people, some with tattoos or turbans, some women in conservative clothes or in minis. In the countryside people can be more conservative but they are still tolerant towards tourist, as long as they maintain general respect. This may include not being too loud, putting on some clothes entering mosques and tombs, and not making fun of Atatürk or islam. The Mediterranean coastline is very progressive and you can bathe in a bikini or topless on many beaches. Islamism is a political issue but it shouldn't affect the visitors unless they advertise being israeli or anti-islam in the wrong places.
- How can I learn Turkish?
Turkish language is not related to Arabic or Middle Eastern languages; it is of Central Asian origin and is quite interesting to learn. There are several subreddits where you can meet others like you and some Turkish speaking people to help you out with the language such as r/turkishlearning/, r/turkish/ and r/learnturkish/
- Will I be able to eat the food there? Any vegetarian or vegan options?
Traditionally most Turkish food contains some meat but there is a whole class of cold dishes called "zeytinyağlılar" (olive-oiled) which do not have any meat. Also most baked dishes like böreks do not have meat but cheese. Vegan food is more difficult because all baked food has eggs and/or milk inside, and perhaps cheese, and some zeytinyağlı's have yoghurt on them and/or cheese in them. You'll have to ask before you eat most times. Even a simple lentil soup may contain some chicken or meat broth inside or melted butter on top. But Turkey is one of the richest countries on earth when it comes to the choice of vegetables and fruits. So if you're into preparing your own food, you're in luck, just ask for the weekly fresh markets around you and buy what you want the cheapest way.
- Is my medication available there?
Check out this website to find out if your medicine can be found in pharmacies in Turkey.
Hi! I’m from Italy and i genuinely don’t know what to do. i deeply want two magazines but they only distributed em in Turkey and the resellers are way too expensive, considering the original price at €5/6!
I was wondering if someone could make me a favor and buy em for me and ship em here. Obviously i would pay everything, the magazines price and all the shipping costs.
Merhabalar ingilizcesi en az b2 olan 10. Sınıfa geçmekte olan biriyim. İstanbul ya da İzmir'de çalışmak istiyorum. Garson bellboy tarzı işlerde. Japonca öğreneceğim, gerekli motivasyonum var. İngilizcem de iyi dediğim gibi. Abim istanbulda 5+ yıldızlı yerde çalıştı (ismini veremiyorum ama galatasaray oyuncularının kalmışlığı var o otelde.) Dediğim gibi iş bulmam mümkün mü? Japonca öğrenebilirsem maaş olarak en az asgari beklentim var. Abartı mı? 10. Sınıf bitince işe girmeyi planlıyorum.
Hi all! I am planning a trip to south eastern Turkey (My itinerary will probably be Gaziantep-Sanliurfa-Mardin-Van-Dogubayazit-Erzurum) and I have three questions if some of you can help
I have travelled the north and northeast of Turkey before and I know it's easy to get to most places by bus but this time I am considering driving, using different comparison websites hiring a car from Gaziantep and returning it in Erzurum quotes me prices of over 600 euros. I know returning cars to diff airports makes it more expensive but even returning it in Gaziantep is extremely expensive, is this the case of not many companies in these areas being in registered online? Can it be cheaper to do it with a local rental company even if it's for just a part of the trip? For comparison hiring a car from Antalya airport can be as cheap as 70 euros for the same dates.
I found Obilet is the best website to check bus schedules but I can't find any going from Van to Dogubayazit, surely some will be running that route, any that you may know?
I want to visit the lake Van area and doesn't necessarily need to be the Van city, is this the best city to base myself for a couple of days or are there any better towns to visit that are easily reachable by public transport?
merhaba 6 aylık doğduğum için sağ gözümde doğuştan tembelliğim mevcut sol gözüm ise uzak göremiyorum gözlük taktığım zaman sağ gözüme numara vermiyorlar nasıl olsa görmüyorsun diye askerlikten muaf olabiliyor muyum
Herkese merhaba bi konuda yardımınız lazım. Geçen hafta bir şirketin fabrika denetim yerinde işe girdim. Girerken baya bir kalın sözleşme imzaladım her sayfasına imza attım. Fakat zamanım kısıtlı ve eğitim alacağım için vakit yok diyip hızlı hızlı imzalattılar. Daha sonra fotokopisini talep edebilirsin dediler. İşi sevmedim ve çıkmak istiyorum. Yeni başladıgım için ceza vs. Olurmu. Para alma hakları var mı. Sözleşmede beni çok kötü etkileyecek bir madde yer almış olabilirmi koyabilirlermi. Yoksa bir standardı varmı. Sözleşmeyi talep ettim hala alamadım. Fikriniz ve görüşlerinizi bekliyorum
Bizim çamaşır makinesi kaç gündür kendisini memur sanıyor.Sabahları çalışıp akşamları çalışmıyor. Bugün gelen siemens görevlileri makinede bir sorun olmadığını,akşamları ilçede voltaj düştüğü için çalışmadığını söyledi.Sırf bunu söylemeye de 900 lira aldı tabi.Bizim tahminimiz herkes akşamları klimaya yüklendiği için oluyor bu.Böyle bir şey nasıl olabilir anlamıyorum, hayatımda ne başka birisinden böyle bir şikayet duydum ne başka bir makinede bunu gördüm.Böyle bir sistem nasıl ahenk içinde çalışmaz anlamıyorum yani.Burada bilgili olanlar ne yapacağım konusunda tavsiye verebilirse çok memnun olurum 186yı arayıp alık sesli bir operatöre kayıt açtırdık zaten ama bilmiyorum ne kadar umursanırız
hi, I'm from Tbilisi, and I'd like to ask the locals if there are any testosterone gels available in local pharmacies. There are no such gels in Georgia, and I can't use anything else. I'm not sure how to search for online pharmacies or where to find them. I want to go after him myself, but I don't know where to go or where he is. Thank you for any information you can provide.
I've been in Sakarya, Turkey, for 2 weeks now for an internship, I would like to go fishing in the Mallakoy ponds, do I need a government issued license to do so?
and what's the quota on the number of fish and minimum size I can keep?
Bir arkadaşım var, redditi yok o ama kendi sormak istiyor. Bizim de bilgimiz yok ve arkadaşa yardımcı olmak istedik. O yüzden onun mesajı kopyalayıp yapıştırıyorum:
"Selamlar, ilk olarak kendime zarar verme gibi bir planım yok ve istemiyorum. Arkadaşlarımı, hayatımı, olduğum noktayı seviyorum.
Uzun süredir terapi alıyorum ve bunu hiç paylaşmadım terapistimle ama içimde intihar duygusu hisseden bir parça var. Duyguyu gömerek geçiştiriyorum ama artık geçiştirmemeliyim sanırsam.
Bunu terapistime nasıl paylaşırsam hayatım etkilenmez? Çalışıyorum vs.
Kendime zarar verme planım yok veya aksiyonum da olmayacak ama bu duygu bazen geliyor. Geldiğinde sakinleştiriyorum duygumu. Terapiste bunu söylersem bir yere bildirim geçer mi? Bildirim olmadan destek almaya devam etmek istiyorum sadece. Hayatım etkilenecekse, hastaneye yatacaksam paylaşmayacağım. Teşekkürler."
This socket and another socket in my apartment don't work when I connected my hair dryer and washing machine in each of them. How much should I expect to pay for the repairs?
Hey everyone, I’m going to Turkey in August snd I want to go somewhere on the coast with nice beaches. However, My friends who have been Turkey in August to Antalya genuinely warned me so much about the heat so Im thinking of scrapping Antalya all together and going another area. Is there any area that isnt so hot and humid so I can actually enjoy the evenings?
I’m going to the Lamb of God concert at Bonus Parkorman this Friday and want to grab dinner nearby beforehand. Any recommendations for good restaurants in Maslak? Local Turkish food would be great, but I’m open to anything.
I land in Istanbul and before we fly out to visit family in the country side I would like to do a comprehensive medical check up.
Specifically I would like to do a MRI (Minimum targeting the organs), Comprehensive blood work and any other tests that can help give me a picture of my health (VO2 max) or anything that can raise conserns (cancer markers)
I understand I have to do this privately. How much would it cost and is the tests worth it?
I opened a Ziraat Katilim account recently and am not 100% sure about the methods of buying gold. Am I right in thinking there are 2 gold buying accounts you can use? One is a katilim account, where you have to put gold in and then get profits after a certain amount of time? Another is simple gold account, where you buy gold the same way you buy a foreign currency? In other words, a XAU account, which you simply pay for with TRY/USD or any other currency.
Appreciate any help, I understood the online guide to some extent but wanted to make sure as I may not missed some details. Thanks.
Türk Edebiyatında LGBT haklarını destekleyen bir yazar ya da LGBT kimliğini kitaplarında işleyen bir sanatçı var mı? Erkek çocuklarına şiir yazan Divan şairleri hariç.
I'm working on my vacation plans for this year (10 days in October) - I'm from Ireland but I got into the dizis when I was teaching in the Middle East. This year I want to be influenced by the TV dramas who make a point of setting their shows in various parts of Türkiye to increase tourism. Well, it's working. Taşacak Bu Deniz been working overtime to convince me to spend my holiday in Trabzon. I was thinking of spending 5 days of my trip there, and visiting the monastery, maybe some of the beach villages, getting into the mountains.
For those of you who are either familiar with the area or have had their IG's go wild with Trabzon related content since they started watching the show, are there any particular places to stay/eat/visit you'd like to throw out or recommend? I know this isn't directly related to the show, but I think it's great to be able to say that a show has directly persuaded a foreigner to go there!
(My other option is Mardin, because Kan Çiçekleri and Uzak Şehir or Istanbul because...all of 'em, but I've left too many tears in that city)
