Istanbul ...

Status
Not open for further replies.
Never felt even remotely threatened, and that was when when the protest in Taksim were just coming to an end. Will definitely be going back.
 


dangermows said:
Never felt even remotely threatened, and that was when when the protest in Taksim were just coming to an end. Will definitely be going back.
Click to expand...

Like I said, I was there when the initial unreported riots were happening in Taksim, about two weeks after one of the bombs went off, and it was seriously not nice and a terrible atmosphere everywhere. You have to be switched on in that place at the best of times and to advise anybody to the contrary is naive. If you get away with it then it is purely through luck.

I just thought of something else; If you have kids, or even any adults who are unsteady on their feet with you, you have to really watch out for them. The pavements are terribly unpredictable. I have also noticed that the hotels follow some interesting safety standards. I stayed in Hotel Titanic, just off of Taksim Square, and the main staircase in the centre of the building had bannisters with a massive gap between the floor and where the bannister actually starts that a toddler could easily fit through, and that would be very easy for an adult to slip and fall through. I am a relatively fit man in my 30s and I was struggling to get in and out of the bath onto the polished floor without slipping.

Also, pick a shop where you are going to buy your water, and if it does not make you sick, buy all of your water from there. Check the seal is intact and if you are susceptible to upset stomachs,, consider pouring it into a Bobble bottle to filter it again before drinking it. Never ever buy water from any street vendor or those who walk down the middle of the street when you are stuck in traffic.
 
Last edited:
JumpingAnaconda said:
Like I said, I was there when the initial unreported riots were happening in Taksim, about two weeks after one of the bombs went off, and it was seriously not nice and a terrible atmosphere everywhere. You have to be switched on in that place at the best of times and to advise anybody to the contrary is naive. If you get away with it then it is purely through luck.

I just thought of something else; If you have kids, or even any adults who are unsteady on their feet with you, you have to really watch out for them. The pavements are terribly unpredictable. I have also noticed that the hotels follow some interesting safety standards. I stayed in Hotel Titanic, just off of Taksim Square, and the main staircase in the centre of the building had bannisters with a massive gap between the floor and where the bannister actually starts that a toddler could easily fit through, and that would be very easy for an adult to slip and fall through. I am a relatively fit man in my 30s and I was struggling to get in and out of the bath onto the polished floor without slipping.

Also, pick a shop where you are going to buy your water, and if it does not make you sick, buy all of your water from there. Check the seal is intact and if you are susceptible to upset stomachs,, consider pouring it into a Bobble bottle to filter it again before drinking it. Never ever buy water from any street vendor or those who walk down the middle of the street when you are stuck in traffic.
Click to expand...

Are you Mr Bean?
 
It seems there are 2 Istanbul's going by this thread. One is a great city with loads to see and plenty of nightlife, the other is a hell hole full of robbers and con men where you can't get a drink to save your life. No middle-ground whatsoever, haha.
 
Never fancied Turkey at all.

I eat a kebab now and again after a night out here though, so nobody can call me a racist.
 
air asia said:
It seems there are 2 Istanbul's going by this thread. One is a great city with loads to see and plenty of nightlife, the other is a hell hole full of robbers and con men where you can't get a drink to save your life. No middle-ground whatsoever, haha.
Click to expand...
I think the difference is in the tourist, not the city - the well-travelled off the beaten track mob versus, well, those that aren't.

Istanbul or Manila, which is the more exciting/dangerous to you? ;)
 
air asia said:
It seems there are 2 Istanbul's going by this thread. One is a great city with loads to see and plenty of nightlife, the other is a hell hole full of robbers and con men where you can't get a drink to save your life. No middle-ground whatsoever, haha.
Click to expand...

The negative comments could apply to any major city:
London has had riots
London has pickpockets
London has muggers who use knives
London has people scamming tourists
London has restaurants that hike prices up for tourists
London has areas that you should avoid at night

I have never been to Istanbul but it sounds great
I thought Marrakech was fantastic (sounds quite similar) but I can see that some people would be intimidated by the difference in culture/behaviour.
 
Last edited:
Mainze said:
Never fancied Turkey at all.

I eat a kebab now and again after a night out here though, so nobody can call me a racist.
Click to expand...

You're missing out.

Been to lots of places in Turkey (mainly beach resorts TBH) but the places were clean & tidy & the people very friendly
 
ANonnyMoose said:
I think the difference is in the tourist, not the city - the well-travelled off the beaten track mob versus, well, those that aren't.

Istanbul or Manila, which is the more exciting/dangerous to you? ;)
Click to expand...
After 18+ years of Murton Bank Holiday weekends, nowhere feels particularly dangerous, haha.

I think it comes down to individual experiences in the end. I just never had any bother in Istanbul and the group I was with were out every night going their ends and they had no bother either, even in the shadier areas.
 
Womble Don said:
The negative comments could apply to any major city:
London has had riots
London has pickpockets
London has muggers who use knives
London has people scamming tourists
London has restaurants that hike prices up for tourists
London has areas that you should avoid at night

I have never been to Istanbul but it sounds great
I thought Marrakech was fantastic (sounds quite similar) but I can see that some people would be intimidated by the difference in culture/behaviour.
Click to expand...
I'd love to visit Marrakech like, always wanted to go. That there London sounds shite like ;)
 
JumpingAnaconda said:
Like I said, I was there when the initial unreported riots were happening in Taksim, about two weeks after one of the bombs went off, and it was seriously not nice and a terrible atmosphere everywhere. You have to be switched on in that place at the best of times and to advise anybody to the contrary is naive. If you get away with it then it is purely through luck.

I just thought of something else; If you have kids, or even any adults who are unsteady on their feet with you, you have to really watch out for them. The pavements are terribly unpredictable. I have also noticed that the hotels follow some interesting safety standards. I stayed in Hotel Titanic, just off of Taksim Square, and the main staircase in the centre of the building had bannisters with a massive gap between the floor and where the bannister actually starts that a toddler could easily fit through, and that would be very easy for an adult to slip and fall through. I am a relatively fit man in my 30s and I was struggling to get in and out of the bath onto the polished floor without slipping.

Also, pick a shop where you are going to buy your water, and if it does not make you sick, buy all of your water from there. Check the seal is intact and if you are susceptible to upset stomachs,, consider pouring it into a Bobble bottle to filter it again before drinking it. Never ever buy water from any street vendor or those who walk down the middle of the street when you are stuck in traffic.
Click to expand...

You sound like an American or someone who wants all his home comforts. I'm completely the opposite.
 
dangermows said:
You sound like an American or someone who wants all his home comforts. I'm completely the opposite.
Click to expand...

What of what I said in that post was a 'home comfort'!? Like I say, if you go to that city and are naive enough to think it is just another tourist destination, avoiding getting conned is pure luck. It is definitely not a fun place for anyone with any problems walking or with small children. Trust me, I saw a lot of everything on that trip, including going to Galatasary's private artificial island restaurant, so it not like I did not see the best and the worst of it.
 
JumpingAnaconda said:
What of what I said in that post was a 'home comfort'!? Like I say, if you go to that city and are naive enough to think it is just another tourist destination, avoiding getting conned is pure luck. It is definitely not a fun place for anyone with any problems walking or with small children. Trust me, I saw a lot of everything on that trip, including going to Galatasary's private artificial island restaurant, so it not like I did not see the best and the worst of it.
Click to expand...
Apologies if I've misunderstood your last sentence there, but are you suggesting that Galatasaray's private artificial island restaurant is the "best" of Istanbul? Or the worst of it?
 
Womble Don said:
The negative comments could apply to any major city:
London has had riots
London has pickpockets
London has muggers who use knives
London has people scamming tourists
London has restaurants that hike prices up for tourists
London has areas that you should avoid at night

I have never been to Istanbul but it sounds great
I thought Marrakech was fantastic (sounds quite similar) but I can see that some people would be intimidated by the difference in culture/behaviour.
Click to expand...

London has nothing like the level of scamming Istanbul has. There is no comparison. And to compare the riots in London, which always make big news, to those that were happening in Taksim well before they were making the news is simply ignorant. I saw police armed with rifles, and what appeared to be automatic weapons and mobile light artillery goading protestors into attacking them, and then when they did not bite actually going after them with force for what in the UK would be regarded a peaceful protest.
 
JumpingAnaconda said:
Like I said, I was there when the initial unreported riots were happening in Taksim, about two weeks after one of the bombs went off, and it was seriously not nice and a terrible atmosphere everywhere. You have to be switched on in that place at the best of times and to advise anybody to the contrary is naive. If you get away with it then it is purely through luck.

I just thought of something else; If you have kids, or even any adults who are unsteady on their feet with you, you have to really watch out for them. The pavements are terribly unpredictable. I have also noticed that the hotels follow some interesting safety standards. I stayed in Hotel Titanic, just off of Taksim Square, and the main staircase in the centre of the building had bannisters with a massive gap between the floor and where the bannister actually starts that a toddler could easily fit through, and that would be very easy for an adult to slip and fall through. I am a relatively fit man in my 30s and I was struggling to get in and out of the bath onto the polished floor without slipping.

Also, pick a shop where you are going to buy your water, and if it does not make you sick, buy all of your water from there. Check the seal is intact and if you are susceptible to upset stomachs,, consider pouring it into a Bobble bottle to filter it again before drinking it. Never ever buy water from any street vendor or those who walk down the middle of the street when you are stuck in traffic.
Click to expand...

Slow day in the office? :lol:
 
HellsBells said:
Apologies if I've misunderstood your last sentence there, but are you suggesting that Galatasaray's private artificial island restaurant is the "best" of Istanbul? Or the worst of it?
Click to expand...

In terms of restaurant standards etc. it is among the best, and I would say it is very good, certainly for fish food. It does not change me thinking for a second that Istanbul is not a place for naive tourists or business travelers, and that you absolutely have to be right on the ball all the time you are there. Make no mistake, you can get good food over there, there are nice places to go and thing things to see, but the scamming and shilling is of epic proportions.

The thing that impressed me the most about Istanbul was that everybody seemed to be working. The beggars also looked like beggars. Apart from the usual Roma sorts, with one arm out cradling a drugged baby, the other out asking for money, the beggars were people that had hands for feet and feet for hands. These are the sort of people that would be protected by the State over here, but what you did not see was drunken bums or drug addicts begging for money. I think that is because they just will not stand for it over there, and I like that.

UaeExile said:
Slow day in the office? :lol:
Click to expand...

Thank you for your considered contribution.
 
JumpingAnaconda said:
London has nothing like the level of scamming Istanbul has. There is no comparison. And to compare the riots in London, which always make big news, to those that were happening in Taksim well before they were making the news is simply ignorant. I saw police armed with rifles, and what appeared to be automatic weapons and mobile light artillery goading protestors into attacking them, and then when they did not bite actually going after them with force for what in the UK would be regarded a peaceful protest.
Click to expand...

You talk like yours is the only experience that counts? It's like someone being in London for the riots a couple of years ago and telling everyone to not go now because of it.

Your comments about the banister, bath and water.... And being a fit man....FFS :lol::lol:
 
UaeExile said:
You talk like yours is the only experience that counts? It's like someone being in London for the riots a couple of years ago and telling everyone to not go now because of it.

Your comments about the banister, bath and water.... And being a fit man....FFS :lol::lol:
Click to expand...

No, I don't think that it is the only experience that counts, I am just giving a different point of view, and I think that some of the people who have offered theirs have been remiss in leaving out some of them murkier details.

Do you think that is spurious to mention things that might be concerning for people thinking about taking kids there? The way some people have talked about Istanbul you would think it was the ideal place to go on a family holiday, which it plainly is not.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Back
Top