Anyone been to Turkey recently..?
 

I am in the process of hopefully booking a tour of western Turkey for sometime this spring, and was wondering what the situation is in regards to safety? Did anyone who has been there recently feel at all unwelcomed, or harassed? My family seems to think that the political climate in islamic countries right now is not conducive to american tourists. Help me prove them wrong. Thanks!

T-bone, check the Europe site and do a search for Turkey. There is a thread right now - someone who is planning a trip. <BR><BR>You'll love Turkey!

T-bone -<BR><BR>I haven't been to Turkey recently, but I have some American friends that lived there for a year.<BR><BR>They loved the place and the people - they were mostly in Ankara but travelled all over. You are correct that most islamic countries are extremely hostile to Americans and Europeans right now, and in fact citizens of Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and the Palestinian territories held celebrations in the street, partying because thousands of innocent civilians were murdered in terror attacks on Sept. 11.<BR><BR>However, the government of Turkey is secular, and the people, althought muslim, are also in general secular, tolerant, and non-violent. Turkey is rather like Jordan in this respect - Islamic people but also very decent - not backward, fanatic, and violent as in many other places.<BR><BR>From what I heard you'll love Turkey - and it will be *much* safer than places like Egypt and Pakistan, IMO.<BR>

I arrived in Turkey on September 13th with my husband, two daughters, parents, and another family of four with youger children. We all (including the children) agreed that it was the best vacation we had ever had. The Turkish people are very warm and welcoming.<BR><BR>By the way, you may want to tell your family that they are wrong about the political climate in Islamic countries not being conducive to American tourists. I live in Jordan and have traveled to Syria, Turkey and Egypt in the last six months without any problems. The best part is that since so many Americans are scared to come to the Middle East, there are absolutely no crowds. We're having a great time really seeing the sights without any other tourists walking through our photos.

Thanks everyone for your replies and encouragement. I went ahead and booked my trip for mid April for a total of three weeks. Turkey seems like such a fascinating country steeped in history and culture that I feel that I would be a fool not to experience it first hand due to unfounded fears and speculations.<BR>

T-bone - you will not regret it. I travelled alone all around Turkey a couple of years ago for 5 weeks and had the best holiday of my life. The people are wonderful, the food is great, the historic sites are jaw-dropping - what can I tell you?

T-Bone. We love Turkey. We have a write-up for the first time visitor to Istanbul. However,there is a charge for it. You have to share your trip report with us when you return! You will love the country, the history, and the people.

T-bone. My husband is pressing for us to do a Turkey/Greece trip this year & I'm wondering how you found Turkey. I have the same concerns that you wrote about post-911 especially.<BR><BR>Thanks!

We just returned on June 2 from Turkey, and I can report that Turks consider us their friends. They are extremely nice, warm people, and we were treated well everywhere. They only regret that more of us are not coming right now! Turkey is a great place to visit.

Several different friends of mine recently returned from Turkey and all announced that it was one of their best trips. Absolutely no problems with safety or any other kind of harrassment. The Turks remain kind, helpful and friendly and the country is fantastic. They stayed in the Western half of the country. The Eastern half might be a different story. Ellen

Haven't been there, but my friend's son recently returned from a 3-week trip on his own. He said it was wonderful (and cheap), and he urged his 60-year-old mother to GO! So--GO!

Been to about scores of different countries on I don't know how many trips. Turkey was the best trip of all. Loved everything about it from the sites to the people and food. GO

Hi,<BR>I was in Turkey in February 2002 and experienced no difficulty at all. I was there on business dealing with human rights which is a fairly touchy subject, but still was warmly greeted. Remember that Turkey is the most westernized of the Muslim countries and it has a very European flavour. Great food, fabulous fashions, just mind your p's and q's as in any other culture, but no special concerns.