Safety & PracticalitiesBy Clever Tourists · Published
Istanbul's main tourist scams are the dropped shoe-shine brush, the friendly stranger who takes you to a bar and leaves you the bill, taxi drivers who skip the meter or swap notes, and carpet or leather shops that hide the real price. Most are about money, not violence, and they are concentrated in Sultanahmet, Eminonu, Taksim and Istiklal Avenue. Our Turkey safety guide has the advisory levels. We spent about 16 days in Istanbul in total, in October and November 2023, split between a long stay at the start of the Turkey leg and a return visit before flying to England, so the city is one of the best-covered on our route. This guide gives the scams, the places they cluster, and the practical fix for each. The tactics come from the UK Foreign Office (FCDO) advice and well-documented traveler reports; we do not describe being scammed ourselves.
The FCDO says street robbery and pickpocketing are common in the major tourist areas of Istanbul. It warns that food and drink offered by strangers could be spiked, advises buying your own drinks and keeping them in sight, and tells visitors to be wary of strangers who approach to exchange money or suggest a restaurant or nightclub. Banks and exchanges may refuse 50 or 100 US dollar bills because of a reported rise in counterfeits.
On taxis it says accepting lifts from drivers of unofficial taxis is highly risky; use a registered taxi, note its registration number, and make sure the fare is metered. App-based and pre-booked taxis are also available. It says illegally produced and counterfeit alcohol has caused deaths from methanol in Ankara and Istanbul. Dial 112 for police in Turkey.
A man carrying a shoe-shine box walks ahead of you and drops a brush. If you pick it up, he thanks you warmly, insists on cleaning your shoes as a gift and then demands payment, sometimes with a friend standing nearby. It is reported around Sultanahmet, the Galata Bridge approaches and Istiklal.
The fix is simple: if something falls in front of you from a stranger with a box, let it lie and keep walking. If you do end up with a shine, agree that you are not paying before he starts, and offer a small amount at most. Do not argue in a quiet side street; walk toward a busy road or a tea house.
This is the costly one. A pleasant stranger, often alone or with a friend, offers to show you a bar, a club or a restaurant, usually near Taksim or Istiklal or the back streets of Beyoglu. Drinks arrive, sometimes with company at the table, and the bill is far larger than you expected, with staff blocking the door. Sources put typical bills at a few hundred euros, and some reports go higher, but the exact figures vary and come mostly from travel sites, so read this as a warning about scale.
The FCDO describes the basis: be wary of strangers who suggest a restaurant or nightclub, and keep your drinks in sight. Choose your own venue from a map app, ask to see a price list before ordering and never go with someone who is steering you to a specific place. If you are presented with an enormous bill, do not pay in cash; ask for an itemized bill and call 112, because the police can attend. Report it afterwards to your embassy.
Common taxi tricks are a 'broken' meter, a longer route, a swap of a large note for a smaller one (you hand over 200 lira, the driver shows you a 20), and quoting a high flat fare for a short trip. Use the meter, or a taxi app, and carry small notes so you do not have to hand over a large one. Know the destination and view it on your own map. Our Istanbul Airport transfer guide gives the Havaist bus, metro and taxi options with typical costs.
Pay attention at Sultanahmet and Taksim, where taxis wait for tourists. Walk a few streets away and hail one on a main road. If a driver refuses the meter, step out. For the neighborhood to stay in, see where to stay in Istanbul, and our cash or card guide explains the lira and ATMs.
A friendly 'student' or a man outside a bazaar says the shop he works for is special, or invites you to apple tea. Tea is hospitality, and sitting for it is not an obligation to buy, but pressure in a carpet shop is real. Our Turkey tips page says to agree carpet prices in writing. Ask for the price per square meter, whether it is wool or silk, and whether shipping is included. Be cautious about shipping a carpet home on the seller's word, and check that tax-free paperwork is part of the deal; see tax-free shopping in Turkey.
Leather jackets and 'Turkish delight' stands can run similar tricks: a free sample, a weighed box at a tourist price. Ask the price per kilo before they weigh it. In restaurants near the main sights, check the menu has prices and read the bill for extras such as bread and 'cover' charges. The tipping norms are in our tipping guide.
The FCDO says exchanges may refuse 50 and 100 US dollar bills because of counterfeits, so avoid accepting those notes where you can. Change money at a bank or an exchange office, not with a stranger who approaches you. Count Turkish lira twice; high inflation means large denominations, and mistakes cost real money.
At the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia area, unofficial guides and ticket sellers appear in the queue. Entry rules and prices change, so check the official channel for the day you go; our Blue Mosque guide has dress rules and what to expect at the door.
In Turkey the general emergency number is 112 (police, ambulance and fire), as the FCDO states. Tourist-police contact details vary by source, and we could not confirm a single current number from an official page, so ask your hotel to ring the tourist police office in Sultanahmet if you need to report a scam in person. Keep the receipt, the venue name and the taxi plate number.
Contact your card issuer immediately if you paid by card, and your embassy if you lost a passport. Your travel insurance will ask for a police report; see our travel insurance guide. The overall picture is still reassuring: for most visitors, the worst outcome is overpaying for a shine, a carpet or a cocktail.
The dropped shoe-shine brush, where a man drops a brush, then insists on a free shine and demands payment. The friendly-stranger bar bill is the costlier one.
A stranger suggests a bar or club, usually around Taksim or Istiklal, and the bill is far higher than expected. The FCDO advises being wary of strangers who suggest a restaurant or nightclub and keeping your drinks in sight.
Registered, metered taxis and apps are the safe choice. The FCDO says accepting lifts from unofficial taxis is highly risky and to note the registration number and check the meter is running.
112. The UK Foreign Office gives 112 for police in Turkey. Ask your hotel to help reach the tourist police in Sultanahmet.
You can exchange them, but the FCDO says banks and exchanges may refuse 50 and 100 dollar bills because of counterfeits, so bring smaller, newer notes or use cards and ATMs.
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