7 days in Istanbul and western toilets

I haven't done the RS Istanbul tour, but I spent a few days in Istanbul during a two week tour around Turkey with a different small group tour in (I think) 2016.. Every toilet that I encountered during those two weeks, including those in cafés, hotels, homes, and coffee shops, were all "western" except for one time when, in desperation, I used the public toilet in a market area. The toilet was quite clean, but yes, it was the "hole in the floor" type.

I spent three weeks in Turkey in 2015 and had no problem finding western toilets. I recall a few places around Cappadocia that offered both types, but I never encountered a place where there wasn't a western option.

I almost have no business answering this because I have not been Turkey. I used the bathroom, which was unisex and only for one person at a time, at a fancy looking restaurant in Italy, that had the hole in the floor style flush toilet, and the toilet in the men's room at one or more bus stations in Greece, had the hole-in-the-floor flush style toilet too.

This site gives you more about toilets in other countries:

https://toilet-guru.com/

In Turkey and Greece and certain other countries, the older hole-in-the-floor toilet use to be the only kind installed. Many have been replaced with "western" style toilets.

The closest thing to an answer you can probably get is: In many of the bathrooms you are likely to use, the toilets will be "western" style, the kind you can sit on. There is a non-zero chance that some bathrooms you will visit will have the older, hole-in-the-floor style toilet. Which ones you will encounter will be unknowable until you actually arrive at the bathroom. Be prepared for either one.

I spent over two weeks in Istanbul on my own and don't remember the toilets being an issue anywhere (I can't remember enountering a squat model except in smaller villages well outside the city). I think the guides are well aware of their groups' ages and limitations, so they would stay clear of anything that might cause falls or injuries. The hills and the uneven pavement in some areas will probably be more of a concern, so it's best to be prepared and bring a walking stick or whatever helps maintain balance.

Assuming that SRM Travel is the local tour operator, I think it will be a great tour.

Most toilets are Western in Istanbul. On the ferry and in the mosque complex there will be squat toilets as well. My advice-if there is a line for the Western toilets, use the squat toilets as most tourists don't like them. Also, the cleanest toilets I encountered as a woman were in the mosques. Definitely use them.

thanks for all the great responses. Wishing you all Safe and Happy Travels

I took the 7-day Istanbul tour and also spent a few days on my own. I don’t think I ever encountered a squat toilet - every place we went seemed to have western toilets.

One trick I learned while traveling in China and SE Asia multiple times is to look for a “handicapped” or “elderly” stall. These were often available even in places that otherwise had only squat toilets, and they were generally western style.

Keep in mind that in Istanbul, and probably all of Turkey, you do not flush paper down the toilet. The toilets have butt washers. After using those, you dry yourself off with the toilet paper and put it in the receptacle next to the toilet.

The first place you will find these is the airport. There's a handle that you turn that shoots the water up a tube to your butt. You turn it off when you're done.

It's much more sanitary than in Greece where you're also not supposed to flush paper, but where I found not a single toilet with the butt washing feature. Needless to say, the used paper needs to be removed from the receptacle daily.

And yes, the cleanest women's toilets are at the mosques.

Another trick when looking for western style toilets in an area with hole in the floor facilities is to look for the handicapped signs on toilets. They are western style.