turkey - current state
 

Hi all,

I would like to travel to Turkey this spring and it's not really sure whats going on there exactly (political changes, Kurds conflict,..).
Also, the Austrian foreign ministerium mentions that there have been problems to enter the country.

Does anyone have some information about this or any advice which area should be avoided?

kind regards

I to intend to return to Turkey in June this year, I have lived there and visited many times. It really depends on where you are going. The boarder area's of Syria and Armainia are always full of tension, I was there last year riding off road near Mount Ararat and they arrested me and sent me back the way I came. But in the west and Anatolia it will be ok. I avoid the tourist area's anyway and will spend this trip high in the Taurus mountains. I am guessing if you can get an electronic visa then you'll be allowed in. Avoid the main crossing because they can be hell.

Avoid Syrian border areas. With operations going on and random missile attacks to villages in Turkey from other side of the border, it is not safe.

Armenian border is militarized zone for a very long time.

There is state of emergency in effect for a while.

People are more tense than usual, things are a bit more chaotic than usual. People in big cities drive more aggressively.

Other than that, take your normal precautions as your other trips and it would be enough.

Cheers,
Ozgur

Türkiye is a safe country, only need to be more careful around Syrian border
like Gaziantep and Antakya... That's all...

Hi Sammy,

If you know Turkish, you can make a google search to find that even 2 days ago, people got arrested and released in Armenian border. (for having a picnic, or catching fish according to news outlets). These happened to Turkish people and Armenians and people from other nationalities. It is a tense region.

As captainktm told, you can get arrested by either side. (and probably released.) But DO YOU want to spend your holiday or your visit dealing with these kind of risks?

You are really living in Turkey??? I see police or military presence in every city entrance. I live in Ankara, I was born in Ankara and lived here for here for all of my life and I can tell you that it is very different than 5,10,15 years ago but it is off-topic:offtopic:. Even if it is not off-topic, as many people in Turkey, i am afraid of telling what I think and feel on internet.

I can assure you at least in Ankara, people were much more respectful to each other on traffic. People obeyed the most of the traffic rules. Nowadays, nobody obeys the traffic lights, one way streets, nobody uses turn signals, respects no parking zones, pedestrians, speed limits. (including me). Many people does not get any fine. A few weeks ago, school service drivers did get into gunfight with each other in traffic.

I could tell you the reasons why people are more tense but i still think it is :offtopic: off-topic.

I don't know whether you are a Turk or foreigner living in Turkey but how people react to a foreigner (even tough you are living in Turkey for a while) and to Turkish citizen is totally different.

So, in my opinion, everyone should ride / drive more carefully as people are more reckless and tense and aggressive on the roads. It is not bad advice to tell people to be more careful on the roads in Turkey.

As of state of emergency, it is Turkey-wide and you can find many articles about it and its effects on Turkey by googling.

Cheers,
Ozgur

That is sad as Turkey is my favorite country, I am not a fan of the bureaucracy, or the boarder crossing or the police for that matter, I stop living here because it's expensive now and almost impossible to run a business as a foreigner. But I'll be back this year as I know I will get no trouble in the mountains. Last year I did see many people at all, around Ararat they were mainly Kurds.

Hı Ozgur,

As you mentioned most of the things you said are :offtopic:

Original thread and question was safety and the places to avoid ın Turkiye.

If you don't feel safe in Ankara may be you have some special situation. I am Turkish origin, born and raised in Turkiye. Was in Erzurum, Ardahan and Kars last week. Haven't met any securiy problems. Haven't met any security forces, even at the Armenian border.

May be in some areas security is tighter as it should be. Conflict continues within Syria along the border. So just stay away and you are all safe.

By the way planning a trip with my family to Gaziantep, Hatay, Şanlıurfa, Mardin, Midyat, Cizre and Diyarbakır which you may find "dangereous".
Life of my family and kids are not less important than any others nor I am not stupid.

Obeying rules while driving is an attitude and shows the cultural and educational level of a person and is not related to safety or the places to be avoided.

Samy

Hi Samy,

I am sorry but I don't agree. I tried to avoid :offtopic: in my both posts. My first post was about safety and which places to avoid. My second post is still about the border, state of emergency and replies to your questions you asked after my post. So, in my opinion it is on-topic.



I don't have any special situation but I still don't feel safe.

There is a state of emergency Turkey-wide. It is a fact.

And by definition, in many constitutions, during state of emergency, your basics rights and freedoms can be restricted by state. It is same in Turkish constitution. I told him about this fact.

Yep, I told to avoid Syrian border area and Armenian border.

Personally, I would avoid places near the Syrian border after the missile attacks to Kilis and Reyhanli.

As about Armenian border, I hosted many people in Ankara from different countries during their motorcycle trips and some of them had problems on Armenian border as captainktm. So, I advise avoiding Armenian border, not Kars, Erzurum or Ardahan. I will visit those places hopefully this summer by motorcycle but I will avoid Armenian Border.

May be I did not express myself well. I hope this is much more clear and this is my advise.

Do not camp, have picnic etc. somewhere in the vicinity of the Armenian Border. Do not go off-road around the border or do similar activities near the actual Armenian border. There is a higher chance of getting arrested instead of military, telling you that "this is a restricted area, so leave."

I never said or implied you are stupid or you don't feel concerns about the safety of your loved ones. If you felt something like that from what I wrote, I am sorry.

Have a safe trip.

I am sorry but I don't agree. It is very much related with safety. Traffic is a big safety issue. At least for me it is a big safety issue while riding my bike. I still stand behind my words. These days drivers are more reckless, aggressive, tense and it would be better to more careful and ride more defensively.

These are my opinions. You might not agree. I respect that and I am sorry if I offended you in any personal sense, it was not my intention.

Then we can agree to disagree on these matters.

Cheers,
Ozgur

Hi All,

thanks for your replies and the discussion, I will try to avoid the mentioned areas.
As kobald mentioned I also think that there is a state of emergency Turkey-wide.

I just want you to ask a personal question:
Do Turkish people ask foreign travels what they think about current political regime or situation?
If so, should you answer such a question?
Or how can you be polite and don't get everyone mad near to you?

I totally understand that for Turkish people such questions/discussions can cause problems.
Feel free to answer this or send me a PM.

kind regards
Lukas

If someone ask that question, simply tell them: "I am visiting Turkiye for touristic purposes. War is not good though Turkiye has right to defend itself. But I am not into politics. So I try to enjoy my trip as much as possible".

So, no problem and enjoy your ride.

Hi Ozgur,

I respect people as far as they respect me in return. No need to feel sorry, I don't feel offended.

We all know Turkiye is not a steady country now. Having difficult times. This politics and not so nice to discuss here and sure we can't persuade each other. We all have our own thinking and the way of life. I am more on the people who say the half of the glass is full; let's say more optimistic.
Pessimism is like cancer, widens very fast and dangereous.

Infact whole world facing with serious problems. For me it is like pain for the birth of new baby.

I believe after some time, everything will be better.

:scooter:

Hi Lukas,

Usually people do not ask about those things but if they ask, if you want to be on the safe side, say you don’t know much about the situation and you don’t have an opinion and change the subject.

If your route passes through Ankara, I would like to buy you beer and meal.

Cheers,
Ozgur

Don't know if you're here, or have long gone, but the most common questions are...

1. How much does the bike cost?
2. How fast does it go?

:rofl:

If you do get asked about politics and don't want to answer then just think of a way to swerve the conversation...tell them you love the country, people, kebabs etc.. Say some choice words in Turkish like 'Turkiye cok (chock) guzel' (Turkey is beautiful) locals love it when foreigners have a crack at the lingo. I'm sure you'll work it out.

I'm in Istanbul, gimme a heads up if you need anything ;)

travellers asked for opinion
 

This thread has taken a slight twist that probably will interest all travellers.

How do you deal with locals who pointedly ask your opinion about their country and politics?

I have several times realised that the conversation was not as innocent as I thought to begin with, and when authorities paranoia for foriegners seeps down to street level securityforces you can be in real trouble.

One young lady I met in Syria '09 said
"The only place you open your mouth in Syria is at the dentist"
She was right, I kept on being "interviewed" by ham-fisted security people, part of their action is to try to discourage you from talking to locals by making you suspicious of everyone. I have experienced this in several countries,

Ha ha DK, how many times have I heard


1. How much does the bike cost?
2. How fast does it go?

But it is a good opener for talking to people, which can lead to so many good experiences.

Safe travels

Peter, in Oslo

I crossed Turkey last summer, entered from Greece in Ipsala and traveled all the way East to Georgia in Vale. I haven't had the slightest issue.

Most people are friendly and tolerant - more than what I'm used to. Maybe one or 2 incidents where the guy looked down at me and asked why I don't speak Turkish. However, let's be honest, a Turkish rider would probably have more incidents while traveling across Europe... We are certainly not a model of tolerance in those times of extreme right-wing revival all across Europe.

Unless you're gifted with foreign languages, I doubt you'll ever get involved in a talk about politics. I indeed found English little useful in Turkey, I had to reactivate my basic German in order to be able to communicate.

Otherwise my rule is I don't talk about politics (and sensitive topics) with people I don't know. If someone asks, I just say I'm a traveler and I'm not into politics.

Roads in Turkey are very good, traffic can be a bit chaotic but that's nothing compared to Georgia :D

Have a great trip!