Istanbul is a city known for its large population. Turkey’s population is about 85 million. The population of Istanbul alone is around 15-20 million. In addition, Istanbul hosts millions of tourists every year. Considering the area of Istanbul, these numbers are actually incredibly high.
For this reason, it is possible to say that there are some problems in terms of security. The city of Istanbul is doing everything it can to solve these security problems. The city is monitored by 7/24 cameras. There are police patrolling all over the city and at all hours. However, if you are going to be a tourist in Istanbul, you need to know everything about your security. Here is everything about Istanbul and security.
How to Spot and Avoid Common İstanbul Tourist Scams?
It is possible to say that tourists are defrauded at specific points in Istanbul. As a currency, Turkey uses the Turkish Lira, not Euro. It is possible to say that some people are trying to abuse this situation due to the exchange rate difference. But if you know where you can be fooled, it will be much easier to get rid of this situation. Here are the places where you can be tricked, and we will explain how to get rid of these situations.
Taxis
Taxis are generally one of the places where tourists are scammed the most. Because while traveling from one place to another, taxi drivers usually prefer the long route, as tourists do not know the way exactly. Even in places that may be very close, there is a possibility of scamming from far away. To avoid such a situation, first of all, look at the place you want to go from the navigation. Build the shortest route. And tell the taxi driver that you want to go that route. Check your route along the way. In this way, the possibility of being scammed will be eliminated. Check the price from the opened taximeter. The most logical thing to do in order not to be defrauded over the exchange rate would be to convert some of your money into Turkish Lira.
Restaurants
Restaurants are another place in Istanbul where tourists are often scammed. In such places, some restaurants may apply different price tariffs for tourists. For example, while a meal is 50 Turkish liras, it can be sold to tourists for a price of 8 Euros. To avoid such situations, examine the menu of the restaurants you enter beforehand. They will probably charge you more if they give you a tourist menu. If there is only one menu, you should compare prices. If it’s the same price as the rate, the restaurant won’t try to scam you. But let’s say you come across such a situation and they give you a tourist menu. In this case, ask for the Turkish menu and compare the prices. If you are asked to pay more, please state this politely. They will likely be understanding.
Street Vendors
You will likely encounter street vendors in many parts of Istanbul. Street vendors who understand that you are a tourist have the potential to try to scam you. If they’re asking a large amount of money for something ridiculous, politely decline and walk away. In some cases, they may also try to do pocket work. While one tries to sell it to you, the other can steal your wallet or phone. To avoid such situations, politely reject the street vendors who bother you and walk away.
Istanbul Pedestrian Tips to Keep You Safe on the Road
You can go anywhere you want in Istanbul, mostly by car. But some meaningful and special places are closed to car traffic. Of course, we recommend you see such places to say that you have visited Istanbul thoroughly. Areas such as İstiklal Street and Sultan Ahmet Square are the most important areas of Istanbul. But there are some difficulties and disadvantages of being a pedestrian in these regions. You may encounter things like pickpocketing and fraud. But of course, there are ways to avoid them. We will try to tell you about these types.
Use Popular Locations
There is life almost everywhere in Istanbul. But some districts of Istanbul are more dangerous than others. And while you are visiting Istanbul as a pedestrian, you may accidentally go to these districts. For this reason, we do not recommend you to enter the streets where you see that there are not many people in some districts such as Esenyurt and Tarlabaşı. Because it is more likely that you will have problems with your safety on such streets. For this reason, we recommend you spend your time on the streets where there are as many people as possible and not to enter the streets that seem secluded.
Be Careful on Traffic
Being a pedestrian in Istanbul can sometimes be challenging regarding traffic rules. Many car owners do not obey the traffic rules in Istanbul. This makes it even more challenging to be a pedestrian in Istanbul. For this reason, we advise you to be careful when crossing the road in traffic. Even if the light turns green, waiting two or three more seconds is better. Because the number of people who have accidents on foot is high in Turkey. One of the reasons for this is the car drivers who do not obey the traffic rules. To avoid such situations, we recommend imagining a scenario where the traffic rules are not adequately enforced. This will keep you much safer and prevent you from having an accident.
Pickpocketing
As we mentioned at the beginning of our article, pickpocketing incidents can be observed frequently in Istanbul. It can be observed that pickpocketing is done in many different ways. If you have come to Istanbul and read this article, you have taken your first precaution. Because being aware will take you one step ahead. For this reason, you can start by not carrying your valuables, such as your wallet or phone, in your pockets. It would be much more logical to carry such items in places such as bags that cannot be taken at once. Because your phone can be stolen while walking on the road without realizing it. But if you put it in a bag-like place, you won’t be able to be unaware. As a Pedestrian, we advise you to be careful and take precautions while walking.
