One of the destinations on my want to go to list is the old town in Istanbul.
The bombings do scare me but maybe I am just getting a bit too paranoid about terrorism. Afterall the constant thread of terrorism did not stop me visiting N. Ireland or living in London during the years the IRA were still in operation. I dont think I ever gave the bombs a second thought in those days, appart from a feeling of exasperation that there is still no peace after I heard yet another bomb report.
Reply to this We depart for Istanbul on Friday. I think there are fewer bombings than car accidents.... I'll take my chances.... but I'm not driving in Turkey!
Reply to this We were in Istanbul when the bombs went off - we actually heard them in the distance as we were walking to dinner, but didn't know for sure what they were. If you stick to the major tourist sights; Sultanahmet area - Blue Mosque, Aya Sofia you should be ok. These fundamentalists are politically motivated and aren't going to risk destroying their most important Islamic monuments. As the previous guy said, there's more chance of getting hurt in a cab from the airport (they drive like they're in Formula 1) than in a bomb blast.
Reply to this I'm off to turkey in September - no plans to change my plans.
Reply to this Hi,
I am a turkish citizen and a tourist guide at the same time and I can assure you that istanbul is safe. I and my family live in this beautiful city more than 4 years and we did not get hurt. You know terror can be anywhere but Istanbul is ok now. As for taxi drivers,they are more dangerous than terror. Be careful about them .Here are some useful info about taxi drivers.
1.Write down their car number before you get in.
2.Check the taximeter ;if it is showing 0,or not.
3.Check the scheduler of taximeter:1 is daytime and 2 is night
4.It should start with 2 ytl and it should go up by 0,15 ytl every 100 meters.If not ,tell him there is something wrong with his taximeter and you are gonna call th cops.dial number 155 for the cops and they would help you.
anyway,sometimes they try to cheat me as well so I am trying to use public transportation as much as I can.
good luck
Reply to this It is totally safe in Turkey. You would not believe how hospitalbe Turkish people. I have spent 2 weeks in Turkey for training. Wonderfull.
Staying in Blue Mosque area is better and convenient to all cultural sights. you need to spend some time in Taksim Area. Taste the restaurants in Tunnel area. Very cosmopolitic cafees.
Very nice pedestarian road full of local shops restaurants. There is one very nice and least popular museum I would recommend. Chora Museum. It is full of mosaics and spirit. I would recommend eating the crowded places since good chief has many customers as usual.
<snip>Also baselica cistern museum. very interesting to see. www.yerebatan.com
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