Turkey and Current Security Issues?

Türkiye is a big country - where exactly are you travelling? I was is Istanbul recently, and my daughter is at university there, and I don't have any concerns. It's a very friendly country, and I felt welcome.

The level of government travel advice is unchanged since the war began - it advises not to travel near the border with Syria or Iran.

I'm assuming also that you wont need to fly across the Middle East to get there like we do, so no concerns in terms of flight problems either.

"How soon will we be notified"

Obviously keep an eye on government travel warnings, but also monitor the news.

You will feel much more relaxed when you get there!

Are you meeting up with a tour? Who do think would notify you?

Are you both registered with the State Dept yet? You can set the calendar for alerts to whatever you want. When I traveled to Chile and Argentina in January, I received alerts before departure (for protests, to of course avoid the area) as well as one "alert" during (another protest). Now it's even more important, because it's how "they" know where you are.
Do you use WhatsApp? It's very common overseas and so handy for communication.
I have also always kept a few hundred US $ in cash in a money belt.
At least for me, thinking proactively offers some level of reassurance. Most of all, the grim reality is that awful things can happen even in your familiar home town- not sure that's reassuring, exactly, but for me is a travel "plus"!

When I begin planning a trip, I check https://travel.state.gov/content/travel.html to learn how safe it is. Select International Travel > type in tur in the Select a Destination field then click on Turkey; select Go. Turkey is as safe to travel to as the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain...
DO enroll in STEP: https://mytravel.state.gov/s/step. This way you'll receive alerts when there are changes.

My violin teacher is from Turkey and her parents live in the western part of the country. She said they aren't worried - it's a big country and the only travel warnings are at the eastern end, near the Syrian border. I'm booked for a trip in 3 weeks, and I'm going. Do sign up for the STEP program from the Dept of State to keep up with the latest

There’s always a real reason for concern with this administration. You need to make a choice if you want to travel and where to based on your comfort zone. Right now Turkey has not been pulled into the conflict. I’m not sure who you are asking to notify you or what of?

I've been in Istanbul for the past several weeks. There is literally nothing going on here. It is very safe.

I Just returned from RS Best of Turkiye on 3/28/26 and we had no problems at all. Turkey is bigger than Texas and the tour does not go anywhere near the border. If you are worried, you can sign up for the US State dept STEP program which will send you security updates. People in Turkiye are not fond of our president but are warm to Americans in general. I think the Rick Steves organization would not put customers in harms way to make a buck. It is a wonderous country full of ancient sites,different but tasty food, beautiful scenery. I am happy I went. A life ruled by worry is a life ruined. Be alert, but be open. After you have babaganoush and a glass of raki, you'll thanks me. Jim

I am in Türkiye now as a tourist. I arrived in Istanbul on March 19 and will be in country until April 9. I feel completely safe. Honestly and ironically, the war seems farther away here than it did in the US in the days before I left home.

Our small group of three, post-60 women, are currently in Kaş on the Mediterranean. We left Istanbul on an organized tour on March 27, and since our arrival, we have felt no anxiety related to our personal safety here. It was, however, a cause of apprehension before we left, and three of our friends who were to join us cancelled as a result.

Of course, everyone here is aware of the war, and fellow newshounds like me follow its progress daily—wondering how and when it will eventually end, and how much additional suffering it will cause.

My sense, however, is the Turkish people feel they are, themselves, in no imminent danger and neither are we. Everyone with whom we have discussed the political realities seems to commiserate with our mutual plight.

We also have a trip to Turkey planned for the first half of May. Only you can determine under what conditions you'll feel safe or not. We're from the US and always register our trips with the US State Dept STEP program, so that we get any alerts before and while we're traveling. Currently, Turkey is at a Level 2 travel advisory. Most of Europe is at a Level 2, if that gives any context. There is an increased advisory around the Syrian and Iran borders, to the south and east. Iran is targeting US and Israel targets in the region. Look up where those military bases, embassies and consulates are, and compare them to where you'll be. For comparison, the distance from Istanbul to the US military base on the eastern side of the country is like the distance from New York City to Miami. We always carry the phone numbers and addresses to the US embassy/consulate offices for the countries we're traveling in.

We specifically booked our itinerary with a tour operator in Turkey, so that we have someone else monitoring the situation while we're traveling and can contact if we're concerned. We've been closely monitoring the news from international sources and local Turkey news sources. We had a recent discussion to set our go/no-go criteria of what we feel comfortable with. Our no-go criteria are: 1) the state department (or the British agency that's similar) raise the overall travel advisor to the highest level for the country or areas we're planning to travel to, 2) the US orders evacuation of all the embassy/consulate offices (there are 3 offices, only the one near the eastern boarder has been evacuated), because then we have no support if we should need it, and 3) we see an increase in targeting US or Israel targets on Turkey soil or Turkey gets dragged into an active conflict instead of the mediation position they've taken so far.

But we're also considering how much we may worry while we're on the trip. It may be worth considering postponing if worrying will end up ruining your experience. For us, I feel like we're doing our due diligence and we're probably in as much of a risk anywhere we travel in the US right now.

I'm hoping-- fingers crossed-- we'll hit Turkey later this year on the way to India. A frequent poster on this forum gave a great trip report recommending a tour that really captured our imagination and the poster combined it with a multi-day stop in turkey. (We can't pull the trigger yet out of fear of an upcoming wedding invitation. I wish all fears were like that.)

Right now the war is over. It may start up again tomorrow. Or we may be at war with Denmark or Cuba or the Cleveland Guardians may be on the way to a winning season. Who knows.

I understand everyone's concerns. Things seem a bit out of sorts-- and the hitting for Guardians this year doesn't seem up to snuff so, what, I guess just play it by ear.

Good luck and happy travels.

I am following this wonderful forum quite a long time.And whenever I check , I am trying to understand people’s perspectives to my beloved country. Of course , it is very understandable that people have some worries about current situation. But things are going on well at western Turkey and at major touristic sites such as Istanbul,Cappadocia and Ephesus area. One exception is about Southeast of Turkey. Well .. Actually it is also safe there but it is understandable the warnings there.

Here is the something I just realized ;
The latest U.S. Department of State travel advisory status (2026) for both Rome (Italy) and Turkey:

Italy (including Rome)

Current level: Level 2 – Exercise Increased Caution
• This applies to all major cities including Rome
• Main concerns:
• Petty crime (pickpocketing, scams) in crowded tourist areas
• Terrorism risk in public places (common across Europe)
• No restriction on travel — tourism continues normally
• Occasional strikes or transport disruptions can affect travel plans

Turkey

Current level: Level 2 – Exercise Increased Caution
• Applies to most tourist areas like:
• Istanbul
• Izmir
• Kusadasi
• Main concerns:
• Terrorism risk
• Arbitrary detentions (legal/political issues)
• Important exception:
• Do NOT travel to southeastern Turkey (near Syria/Iraq borders)

Both Countries are LEVEL 2 !!!

Isn’t it interesting???

If you wait for the right and peaceful time of the world to travel , I am sorry but you will wait for ever !! Because there is crime and murder since the beginning of human beings!!! Cain killed Abel !! He killed 25% of the world population!!! he is first murder of the world !!

Keep on traveling!!!

BTW.. DONT GET CARRIED AWAY AND TRY TO GO TO IRAN 😂😂😂

My husband and I are currently traveling through Turkey independently with a car. We are currently in Cappadocia. We have not felt any impact from the conflict and have felt as safe as we felt in Greece (which we visited first). The places we stayed were Ephesus, pamukkale, Antalya, one night in Konya, and now Cappadocia. Nest stop will be Istanbul before flying home.

Hello all,
My wife and I have two weeks in Turkey planned beginning May 9 and are very interested in the experiences of visitors, especially Americans. We are in our seventies, experienced travelers, and touring on our own -- no tour. We will be visiting the main tourist areas - Istanbul, Cappadocia, Turquoise Coast, and Ephesus, the later two by rental car. We are pretty committed to going but nervous nonetheless and happy to hear that postings on this forum are both recent and encouraging. Keep the reports coming....

In addition, we have read that you should carry your passport with you at all times. Has this been Your experience? What about a paper copy or photo—is it sufficient?

I believe the law requires you to carry it, but check me on that. If you are going you should know.

Given the world situation I think its a good idea in a location like Istanbul. If you had been walking by the Israeli consulate in Istanbul a few days ago, when the gun battle started, and if you had been hit, or picked up by the police with everyone else on the street, that passport might have been useful to getting you a quicker release.

Yes, we were ID checked on a recent trip - approached by uniformed police at Bursa ferry terminal and asked for our passports. My daughter was on university exchange, and was told to carry her passport until her ikamet (residency card) was issued. It is a legal requirement.

So definitely carry them with you - on a previous trip we ended up in hospital, and rhey wanted passport before conducting treatment.

Be advised...the US State Department has issued a Level 4, Do Not Travel, advisory for southeast Turkey. The rest of the country is still at Level 2.

Since most tourists don't go to southeast Turkey, it's not something to worry about.