Is Istanbul Safe For Solo Female Travellers?
Türkiye is a world class country. There is no denying this very fact.
At the same time, the largest city which is Istanbul can be a little bit challenging for women.
This blog is a full honesty women safety guide.
It’s time for an honest talk based on all the things I’ve noticed from my many visits in Istanbul. I will talk about my frustrations along with the challenges I have had to deal with.
Is Istanbul safe to visit?
Istanbul is generally safe to visit.
The area can also be volatile so proceed at your own risk and do your due diligence before your trip.
Make sure there isn’t any major political uprisings happening and get a pulse on current vibe of the place before you go.
Is it safe to go out at night?
It depends!
Istanbul is generally safe in touristy area to go out. As in, you can go have dinner, stroll around. It is generally busy and well lit.
When I tell women to be careful about going out at night, I am referring to clubbing activities and partying.
I generally don’t go partying at night when I travel solo. I only partake in festive social scenes if I am part of a trusted group.
Solo female tourist first trip to Istanbul
Yes of course you can travel to Istanbul as a solo woman.
That said, would I recommend Istanbul for your very first solo adventure as a woman?
Absolutely NOT!
Istanbul was one of my first trips as a woman traveling all by herself.
And looking back, it was a major culture shock. I did find it intense that first time.
But if you really want to go, you should also be fine by following some of my guidelines and tips I give you.
And also making sure you avoid staying in shady areas.
Is it safe for a girls trip?
As long as you follow common sense tips it is relatively safe for a girls trip or two women traveling together.
My last trip in Istanbul was with my bestie and we had a blast. I have listed some of our best tips in this current Türkiye blog that you’re reading right now.
Most importantly, don’t let fear hold you back as I really think Istanbul makes for a great girls city trip.
For example, my bestie and I had so much fun testing out some of the best breakfast restaurants in Istanbul.
She is a TikTok girlie and we take our food very seriously. 🤭
Rules you must follow on your First Trip to Turkey
For my video girlies, I am linking my Youtube video. I believe it is such a great resource in helping you prepare and be as safe as possible, especially as a woman traveling alone.
Things you should obviously know
It goes without saying that Turkey is a muslim country. While it is true that they are quite modernized, they are still on the traditional side of things.
Keep this in mind and make sure you are always respectful of local customs, especially if you are traveling during major holidays or Ramadan.
What I am trying to say is that Türkiye is a big country. And each area has their own local customs.
While the coastal towns can be a bit more laidback due to the beach culture, that doesn’t mean that you should go and walk with a bikini top in Istanbul.
The devil’s in the detail and nuance is everything.
More things to know before traveling to Istanbul
- driving is a crazy sport. So embrace yourself mentally for the fast and furious hectic driving
- People smoke. There will be smokes everywhere you go
- Now put these two together and you have ” taxi drivers smocking” is a norm.
Tips for solo women traveler
Of course you should still go to Istanbul. Us women cannot let the world stop us from living our lives.
On that note, here are some tips I recommend :
- Pre-book a transfer to get you from the IST or SAW airports to your accommodation. This will avoid frustration. After a few bad travel experiences, I’ve gotten better at narrowing it down for a seamless experience. Trust me on this one
- Use a taxi app. Never hail a cab in the streets. I personally love to use Uber or Bolt every where I go. Even if that means sitting in traffic. Check with yourself to see if being comfortable is something that you highly value. For this spoiled girlie ,it’s a massive yes 💅🌸🎀.
- Mind your personal belongings. Yes I am very aware that the metro is the recommended transport in Istanbul. That said, I still prefer to taxi comfortably. But if you want to take the metro, do mind your personal belongings.
- Have cash on you for those times when you can’t use your card
- Also never use your credit cards in places that seem dodgy. ( see prior cash tip). The point is to protect yourself from credit card fraud and also ruining your trip with unnecessary bank calls.
- Avoid going out at night by yourself. Prioritize day time activities. unless you are with a safe group and you know how you will get back home.
- Carefully select your neighbourhood. Again, trust me on this one. And nope, it is not worth the “savings”.
- First time, I visited Istanbul, I ended up staying in Fatih. Big mistake. I had no idea but what I can say is that the area was seedy AF. I kept having men trying to talk to me and trying to get my number. 🤬 (FFS can a girl just exist at all? )
- WTF ! It’s only afterwards, while complaining to a Turkish acquaintance that they educated me and told me to never stay there again as it is heavily known for various illegal activities.
- So I found out that the area where my apartment was well knows for seedy night time activities if you know what I mean. I was so traumatized that I ended up moving right away to the most lovely area. Lesson learned and after this incident, I always research my neighbourhoods extensively.
- So much that on my next visit to Istanbul, I stayed right away in the beautiful Galata tower area.
- Get an E-sim card before you arrive.
- Give yourself some down time as the city can be chaotic and frustrating at time. ( see my extremely raw “Istanbul travel diary” entry below for more details)
- Educate yourself on the most common scams. As the first to prevention is awareness 🙂 These scams get so creative.
- And I had one taxi driver try to pull one on me. But I was able to hold myself fine only because I had done my research. So I was able to know exactly what was happening.
- I tell the whole story in my youtube video and tell you more valuable tips to avoid falling for those common scams.
How should women dress?
I want you to proceed with caution. But Istanbul is also not a Saudi Arabia of the past.
Still, I would recommend to dress with “modesty”. Let’s go with what is generally accepted to be modest dressing.
I usually love my crop tops and super short shorts. I have no problem wearing them in Italy and even here in the UAE. That said, I do not recommend wearing them in Istanbul .
I do notice that compared to the first time I visited back in 2018, the general attitude is much more relax. There was a drastic difference when I went on my last trip in 2024.
This time around, I saw so many more women wearing shorts and tank top.
That said, I would still recommend wearing sensitive clothes. Sadly as women, we are targets in this world and we need to worry about our safety.
Is it fair? No!
But it is what it is!
I recommend dressing on the more conservative side. Summer dresses are ok.
If you are planning to be on the premises of mosques and other religious sights, make sure to cover your shoulders, arms, legs and no cleavages.
No that doesn’t mean you have to wear a full on abaya or a niqab.
Any jeans, long skirts or linen pants with a cute blouse would do the job and keep you covered- pun intended.
Is Istanbul safe for women ? ( my honest opinion)
I want to say that it is generally safe as long as you apply common safe and those women safety aspect that I pointed out in this guide.
That said, Istanbul is big, it’s noisy and can be frustrating at time.
Here is a live journal diary entry I wrote on my phone on one of those morning I felt really frustrated 🤭 .
I wrote this during my last travel to Istanbul, so the emotions are as raw as they get. I am including it in this women safety blog because I really wanted to be transparent.
Review from my last girl trip in Istanbul
( My personal Türkiye travel Diary entry)
“I don’t know but I stil don’t like Istanbul that much
*tbh Idk , yeah I dnt mind going to turkey but also if I never go again, I wouldn’t mind. Its not my worst experience but also not fond or I don’t particularly care.
Stef Barti travel Diary
Reasons why I travel solo as a woman
I travel for a city soul and I don’t know for me Istanbul feels so transactional. Shitty wifi everywhere you go. At the airport, on the way back, I sat at a coffee shop then I asked them for the wifi.
I’m already over paying for that coffee but the waiter told me that for the wifi password, the minimum order is 900 Turkish lira ( 28 USD) . Like wtf man?
Stef Barti travel Diary
People trying to take advantage/ opportunistic
Yes I can afford it but it just feels so cheap and nickel and diming everywhere.
I still have a very sour taste from my last visit when the taxi tried to scam me to the airport with the classic bill switching.
You would give them a bill then they would take it, shuffle around and then tell you you’re short of let’s say x amount. Thank goodness, I read about it last time so I threatened to call the police.
Stef Barti travel Diary
But this time around, I still had the lingering bad taste so this time around I used the Uber app everywhere in order to avoid my mood from being ruined by scammers.
Idk , I get it life is hard but it’s just that constant feeling that people are waiting to scam you any second they get.
Stef Barti travel Diary
Wifi difficulties
Then no wifi at the Nevsehir airport. Wifi at ISt airport requiring a local phone number to send a code. Which makes no sense at all. hello, If I am traveling , I most certainly don’t have a local number for you to send the code to.
Stef Barti travel Diary
And then SAb airport which I already experienced people s rudeness on my last trip. But again, wifi being so freaking hard to access, with the same code thing again.
Travel disappointment
Like this is such a disappointment. We’re talking ex Constantinople and a world class metropolis here. Turkey ain’t some 3rd world country.
Mediocrity & Expensive
Anyways rant over. Omg lets not even talk about the most mediocre breakfast I had recently but still crazy expensive AF.
Like ok they had a nice view but come on, can you at least try to make the meal half decent? 🤦🏽♀️
Stef Barti travel Diary
Do I still recommend solo Women travel to Istanbul?
Yes, I do!
Perhaps not as a first solo travel trip. Istanbul has a lot of history and culture.
I really think it is one of those places that you appreciate the more you go.
For me, even as a history geek, Istanbul is an acquired taste. Something that gets better with time and the more I go.
Although last time, I said that I’ll never go back to Istanbul.
Now that I know what to expect and have all my travel tips for a smoother solo female time, I am already anticipating my next visit.
I still need to go visit the cisterns.
Alternatives
Women Group Travel/ Solo Female group travel
As you can see, Istanbul can be really frustrating. And that’s why sometimes it can be really fun to join a group of likeminded travellers.
I am planning a women group travel to Türkiye. So stay in touch to be in the known.
For now, I am taking a small group of amazing women to Iceland where we will have the best adventure of our lives.
This luxury solo ladies travel tour will have us chasing glorious Icelandic waterfalls, hiking the most beautiful glaciers. And diving into viking culinary delicacies.
Women Embodiment Retreat
This is for my wellness girlies. I am so excited to have the most magical moment with a very intimate group of women ( max 10). We will be staying in the most beautiful luxury villa in Malta.
The goal is to reconnect with ourselves through various somatic movements and dance.
I have carefully crafted the schedule. Also making sure that we get lots of time to lounge in our private pool, have fun with a cooking class with our own Villa private chef.
This one is a labour of love and putting my wildest dreams to life. I hope to see you beautiful ladies.
And most importantly, don’t ever stop living your wildest dreams and adventure.
More resources for your Istanbul travel
- One Day in Cappadocia
- Best Breakfast places in Istanbul for the ultimate Turkish breakfast experience
Solo Female Travel Resources
Women Self Love Wellness Retreat
I am so passionate about women empowerment. Everything I do is based on this.
I want to see more women embrace their authentic selves.
Trust me life gets so much better. That’s the main focus of my self love women retreat. In this Wellness retreat, we go deep. I really love to connect with my fellow sisters.
That’s why I only do small groups of 10-12 women.
This retreat is an invitation to embody your feminine and to dive into radical self love. Growth and shedding past limiting beliefs is the focal point.
We do this through various workshops, wellness practices such as breath work and lots of somatic movement.
As a dance teacher, of course we will also be using the power of dance and music to process, release and shed things that are holding us back so we can be born again.
Welcome to our transformational retreat where the focus is all on YOU.
Not only that, but we do it in style and comfort.
Our next retreat is in a breathtaking villa on the beautiful island of Gozo Malta. We will be staying in our own private villa. And did I mention our own private chef? with our own private pool 🤭.
It is the perfect time to slow down and prioritize yourself.
Also, don’t forget to stay in touch for my Bali self love women wellness retreat, for pure feminine embodiment and lots of dancing also.
My Women Self Improvement & Travel Podcast
There is a whole world waiting for you to discover.
Cheers to your next adventure
On that note, I am leaving you with this popular episode from my women podcast “She thrives” with Stef Barti
Keep being awesome 🙂
Join me on Socials
- My Instagram for Women Self Love & Dance: @stefbarti
- TikTok: @stefbarti_