Turkey: Should I stay or should I go?

I was in Istanbul in both May and June and felt extremely safe. No matter where you are you cannot have perfect safety as you point out - most people would think due to the bombs in Bangalore and Ahmadabad that India is too dangerous to travel to - but from your perspective Madurai is safe. The same logic applies elsewhere. No one can predict when bad things happen - it is a matter of your comfort level.

I happened to be in London a few years ago when the bombs went off. However, I was not affected by it and continue to go there whenever I have the chance. I would not miss out on seeing places because of the slight chance of something happening.

Great song by The Clash...but more to the point...if you are traveling from India to Europe, you really should go to Istanbul and other parts of Turkey if you are so inclined...Istanbul is one of Rick's favorite cities. He wouldn't make such a comment if he felt it was in any way more dangerous than the other recommended destinations on his hit parade. He has recently reaffirmed his belief that Turkey is a safe destination (can't remember if it was in a news letter or on TV).

I was in Istanbul when there was shooting at the American embassy. It scared me a bit, but I never thought of going home. Some of my fellow travelers were definitely in favor of leaving. We were with a NATO group, which had the advantage of more security but the disadvantage of more visibility.

I think that if you have felt safe in India, you will feel safe in Turkey.

The west coast of Turkey (Bodrum to Istanbul) is probably the safest and most liberal part of Turkey. We went during the last election and never felt unsafe, even though there was a impassioned political debate going on at the time. I do have to admit that the latest bombing in Istanbul scared me but for what it's worth, if I was planning a trip to Turkey right now, I'd still go.

That said, one month for multiple countries and Bodrum to Istanbul doesn't seem like enough time. We had more than two weeks for Troy to Antalya and we felt like we were rushing the whole time.

We were planning on going to bodrum for two nights, selcuk for 1 night, bergama for 1 night and istanbul for 3 nights. Is that too little of time? What do you think?

Dorothy - Things are further apart than you think in Tureky, so travelling from one city to another takes a while. In addition to the normal time that it takes to check in and out of a hotel, pack and unpack, etc. Thus, I would add 1 night to Selcuk. Haven't been to Bergama, so I can't comment there. I would also add 1 night to Istanbul. And if you find that you've allocated too much time for a city, you can always soak up the time by going to a hamam.

Check Rick's blog (link on home page). He was filming in Istanbul at time of recent bombing and wrote about the very question you are asking.

Hi,
I have to say that, You shouldn't to stop any of you from visiting Turkey becasue of bombing...
Be sure your will be in almost same secure while you will be in Europe (Spain, England, France, Holland, ..) + you can't compare extreamly good hospitality in Turkey vs Europeam countries.
But I have to say that too 4-5 days from Bodrum to Istanbul couldn't be enough.. :) You got the details already in my privite mail..
Regards,
GY

Hi Dorothy,

Admittedly, what one hears on the news can be scary, but in reality (though no place is entirely safe) the chances of something happening are ridiculously low. I am visiting Turkey in October. I hesitated for about 5 minutes after news of the bombing then went right back to reading my guidebook in anticipation of my trip. We all take far greater risks everyday and don't even realize it.

I live in New Jersey, close enough to New York city that I make several trips into the city each month. Never have I felt the least bit unsafe. It would have been a shame to have missed all I've seen and done in New York because I let attacks that happened 7 years ago scare me off.

Go and Enjoy!

Thank you everyone for you replies! You all have convinced me!