By the time I arrived in Istanbul on my very delayed flight, I was exhausted and it was already dark out. I had planned to explore on foot in the afternoon to get my bearings, but that window had closed. Still, I was hungry and eager to see the landmarks I could spy from my hotel window. Since I was visiting Istanbul as a solo female traveler, I was a bit nervous about wandering around alone at night but willing to use my street smarts and not be deterred.
The TL;DR is that I was surprised at how safe I felt walking around by myself at night in Istanbul, at least in the touristy Sultanahmet area. Granted, I did have plenty of guys saying stuff to me, but they were primarily either trying to get me to eat at their restaurant or selling me something. And, I was back at the hotel and in bed by 10:00 p.m. each night, but I’d still recommend Istanbul as a destination for solo female travelers.
Istanbul Travel Tips for Solo Female Travelers
I spent six nights total in Istanbul, both to attend a work conference and explore on my own. Based on my experience, these are the tips I’d suggest for female solo travelers visiting Istanbul:
Stay Central
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Istanbul is a major city with over 15 million residents. After all, it does straddle two continents! If you have visited Istanbul before, you may want to dedicate your time to some of its lesser-visited neighborhoods. But as a solo traveler, especially if this is your first visit, I’d suggest staying in the Sultanahmet neighborhood. This is where you will find all the main tourist sights like the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, Basilica Cisterns, Spice Market, and the Grand Bazaar.
Not only will you be within walking distance of all of these attractions, but you can easily hop on public transportation, like the tram, to get around the city. This is important because Istanbul’s traffic is notoriously awful. On a couple of days, it took me an hour and a half on a bus to get from the Old City to the Besiktas neighborhood, about three miles away! After that, I just walked or took the tram.
Since this is such a busy area, there are always people around, which meant I wasn’t walking down any empty streets on my own. Of course, touristy areas can also be a target for petty crime, but we will talk about that later.
I stayed in three different neighborhoods during my visit and the Sultanahmet was the best for solo travelers. I loved my stay at the Hagia Sofia Mansions, a Curio Collection by Hilton Hotel. It is located in historic buildings (and has one of the oldest hammams in the country) and offers so much character, style, and excellent service. I used Hilton Honors points for my stay, but if you are looking for something that is budget-friendly with a great location, my friends have also recommended the White House Hotel Istanbul. Both are close to all the main sights and plenty of restaurants.
Watch the Meter
Throughout my visit to Istanbul, I ran across a few shady cab drivers who didn’t start the meter and then tried to charge more than they should have. To avoid any issues on arrival and departure, I booked a private transfer with Welcome Pickups (I have used them in tons of cities in Europe.) The pricing was reasonable and they have always been on time and easy to find, with clean cars and professional drivers.
When you get in a cab in Istanbul, make sure they start the meter. It also helps to ask at your hotel what a typical fare should be for where you are going. Also, not every cab is equipped to take credit card payments so make sure you have enough cash for the fare and tip.
However, this is not the case with Uber. I was chatting with one woman on a tour and she said her Uber driver told her that they couldn’t take credit card payments through the app in Türkiye and she had to pay cash. This is NOT true! Don’t let cab or Uber drivers scam you.
Beware of High-Pressure Sales
When I came back from Istanbul, I commented that anyone who wants to learn sales techniques and closing skills should visit Türkiye. The salespeople (primarily men) certainly live by the ABS (Always Be Selling) mantra. Walking down the street, guys will try to sell you trinkets, ice cream (that’s a whole thing, just look on TikTok), grilled corn, and other street food. Outside of most restaurants, there are guys posted to recruit diners to come inside. And in the markets, these guys could teach a master class.
On the street, just walk with purpose, stay impassive, don’t engage, and give a small headshake if needed. They will quickly size you up to try to guess your nationality and then speak to you in your native language, ask you where you are from, and engage you in conversation. You can always pretend you don’t speak English too!
Know the Conversion Rate
In the Spice Market, be very clear about what you want, and don’t be like me and get suckered into buying a kilo of tea. Tea is sold by the weight so it is hard to judge how much you need (even 1/4 kilo is probably more than you want.) It is hard to figure out how much things are going to cost until you are handing over your credit card. Plus, the sales guys are good at convincing you that you need tea for everything (from your sex life to your stomach).
It is important to ask about pricing early on and be able to do some quick math in your head by knowing the current conversion rate. And don’t be too timid to say no.
Be Prepared to Negotiate
I didn’t find haggling as much of a national sport as it is in places like Morocco, but it never hurts to try to negotiate a better price. Undoubtedly, if you offer cash you will get a discount. When shopping at places like the Grand Bazaar, have a good idea of what you are willing to spend and be prepared to shop around. Whether you are looking for Turkish towels, designer handbag knockoffs, or gold jewelry, you will have plenty of options.
Just a note about the Grand Bazaar – I found it very disappointing. While there are hundreds of shops in this covered bazaar, most of them sell either jewelry or knock-off designer goods including shoes, clothes, and bags. There are some shops selling carpets or linens and plenty selling souvenirs, but even the pottery seemed to be the same in every store (so likely not locally produced). I was hoping for a lot more artisans and local goods.
I found that by not engaging, walking quickly, and not smiling the salespeople pretty much left me alone in the Grand Bazaar.
Watch for Pickpockets
The streets around the Spice Bazaar and Grand Bazaar can get uncomfortably crowded. It is a prime opportunity for pickpockets and petty theft. It can also get very crowded near the Hagia Sofia, shuffling through the Basilica Cisterns, and the Topkapı Palace.
I always use an anti-theft, locking travel bag when I visit crowded places such as this one. I also use a strong lanyard strap for my phone case, keeping it safe yet accessible for easy photo-taking like this one.
Look Up Cruise Times
Istanbul receives over 1.5 million cruise passengers a year. That volume adds thousands of visitors every day, but only for a portion of the day. If you look up when cruise ships will be in port while planning your itinerary, you can plan your tours and sightseeing outside of those prime cruise passenger windows. This information is widely available on sites like Cruise Mapper.
Join Group Tours
One of my favorite things to do when I travel solo is to join group tours. I usually enjoy getting to know some people from other parts of the world and having conversations that may or may not lead to a longer-term acquaintance. Plus, I find guided tours helpful when visiting historical sites to learn more than I’d get on my own or through an audio guide.
Of course, my favorites are always food tours and I usually try to schedule them during dinnertime so that I don’t need to navigate at least one solo dinner. A few tours I’d recommend in Istanbul are:
- Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia – I took this tour and it was a perfect introduction on my first morning. Plus, the guide helps navigate when you are allowed to enter the Blue Mosque as it is sometimes closed to visitors for prayer.
- Bosphorus Sunset Cruise – I ended up canceling this tour because the weather was looking iffy but in better weather, I’d love to do this to see the city by the water and watch the sunset. I picked this one because of its convenient location not far from a tram stop.
- Skip the line Basilica Cistern tickets – I took a guided tour of the Cistern and I didn’t think it was necessary and it was hard to stay with the group in the crowd. I’d still suggest booking skip-the-line tickets though because the ticket line was so long.
- Turkish Food Night and Rooftop Experience – as I mentioned, this is a fun way to have dinner and drinks with “new friends”
Bonus tip: bring or buy cat treats to give out to the many, many cats you will meet throughout your visit! You can at least make cat friends!
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Tamara Gruber is an award-winning travel writer and the founder of Your Time to Fly. With more than a decade of professional writing experience across two travel publications and hundreds of destination guides, she specializes in crafting practical, detailed itineraries that help travelers explore the world with confidence. Her work reflects years of on-the-ground research across the globe. Tamara is a member of SATW and serves on the Board of Directors of the Family Travel Association.
