Istanbul - stay away or safe enough?

[Burwood]

I can only assume people go to places like this because it's cheap. Boggles my mind anyone goes to any number of high risk places.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

Robertj21a said:

TwigtheWonderkid said:

Istanbul is the most dangerous city I've visited, not thru terrorism, but thru just ridiculous lack of the most basic H&S.
Shops with a staircase in the middle down to a basement, with no barrier around the drop to the ground floor on the three exposed sides, massive holes in the pavement, bits of sharp metal sticking out of all kinds of places, shops with the whole electrics running out of one socket with adaptors sticking out of adaptors sticking out of extension leads plugged into other extension leads. Not to mention billions of stray cats under your feet.

Every trip is a fking fatal accident waiting to happen.

If Istanbul is the most dangerous city that you've visited I guess you rarely leave the UK ? Having been to Istanbul on a number of occasions I don't recognise anything particularly different to many other cites all around the world.

I'm no Alan Wicker but I have been to some backwaters in Africa and Eastern Europe, but nowhere else have I seen stairs in the middle of a shop leading down to a basement, with the 3 exposed sides left with no type of barrier at all. I saw this is several shops in Istanbul. Just lethal.

[clarkey]

I stayed in Istanbul for 5 days this time last year. I thought it was safe, interesting, and friendly. I walked around by myself and went into various back street restaurants, and it was all fine.
Yes, a lot has happened since, but it was a great place to visit a year ago, and I would be happy to go back.

[wax lyrical]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

I'm no Alan Wicker but I have been to some backwaters in Africa and Eastern Europe, but nowhere else have I seen stairs in the middle of a shop leading down to a basement, with the 3 exposed sides left with no type of barrier at all. I saw this is several shops in Istanbul. Just lethal.

You seem to have a bit of a stair phobia!

[C997]

Had a week in Istanbul during second Eid last year, September if I remember right. I was a bit wary for about the first five minutes but apart from a few families (claiming to be Syrian refugees) begging and the aggressive kebab sellers on Taksim square, it was fantastic. Don't just stay on the European side, the Asian side is well worth spending time to see.

Don't worry about it, just go and do it and enjoy it!