To ask you about Istanbul?

The Princes Islands are worth a visit, but they horse-drawn carriages are no more. They have been outlawed for animal rights reasons.

Istanbul will be getting hot and humid by the end of June. It is also worth taking some mosquito repellent.

I would advise going to the Grand Bazaar on a weekday, as it gets very crowded at weekends.
Basilica Cistern as someone has said upthread is also great on a hot day.

There is an aquarium, but it is out of the centre in Florya. I went when it was brand new, and thought it was well done. I don't know how it has aged. There are a zillion shopping malls and some of them will have some kids' entertainment. Enjoy yourself!

It is entirely possible to boycott Turkiye whilst not being anti-Muslim. Erdoğan is a strong arm leader with much in common with Putin. I wouldn't go to Russia either.

Turkiye has an awful human rights record. More journalists in prison than almost anywhere else.
An unforgivable history of oppressing their Kurdish minority. Attempting to destroy Kurdish language and culture, labelling them Mountain Turks and attempting to assimilate them against their will. When the Kurds were the people having most success against Islamic State in Syria, the Turkish state was attacking them from behind.
Turkiye has never accepted that the mass murder of the Armenian people during WW1 constituted War Crimes at best and genocide at worst.

I would love to see Istanbul but not while Erdoğan or his like are in power.

Love love love Istanbul! Very safe and so much to do. Might be worth popping by istanbul aquarium for the kids if they like that sort of thing., the grand bazar is insane, be sure to haggle ! Have the best time :)

Just out of interest is there a best time to go so it is not too hot to sightsee? I love Turkey and have been to coastal resorts a lot but would like to plan a break with DD for the history.

I loved Istanbul and felt very safe there. Lots of families with children walking around late in the evening. I recommend taking a boat to Princes islands. Gorgeous. I felt safer in Istanbul than I do in Paris.

I was thinking the same, they’re hardly going to miss her or care.

Incredibly gorgeous city with so much to see, do and explore. Have travelled all over Turkey on my own and felt perfectly safe.

I lived there for 10 years. It's a fabulous and lively city with so much to see. You will be perfectly safe, especially with kids, much more so than in many other countries. It may be VERY hot.

Oh you lucky thing! It's one of the most beautiful cities in the world in my opinion- history upon history, art upon art, just wonderful!

All the normal recs- the haga Sophia, the cisterns, the bazaar, topkapi palace, the cable car over the bosphorus at night. But it's also just the most wonderful city for a few free afternoons, wandering, bookshops, art galleries, baklava with bitter tea or a steaming cup of sahlep.... Take me with you!!!

Lots of loose, long floaty items and definitely hats ehwn walking about. We went in October and it was mid/high 20s then so June will be hotter.

Do museums/galleries & indoor activities during the hottest parts of the day so you're put of the sun.

Pre book a lot of the activities before you go so you avoid the long ticket queues & definitely book the hamaam in between the aya Sophia and the blue mosque.

I was there (again) around a month ago. Id say make sure you avoid Taksim square. I really like Istanbul and it's v vibrant but when I was there, around 40 buses of riot police, Inc down every side street. Men in black with their faces covered . Be v careful about protests.

Hagia Sophia is lovely. The Grand Bazaar is fab. Go to the little fishing boats under the bridge over the Bosporus for a brilliant sandwich. I had a great time in Istanbul.

The cistern is fantastic, definitely do that. We saw all the major sights and had a great time, we were caught out though by needing cash to pay in restaurants a couple of times - we assumed everywhere would take card and it’s the only place I’ve been to in the last couple of years where this has not been true.

@Swiftie1878 what? My dh is turkish. We spend a lot of time in turkey. I am blonde and blue eyed as are 2 of our 4 kids. Apart from a bit of admiration, there's no more danger than any other country.

At most the will call your kids mavi gözlü Which means blue eyes and will coo over them.

I’m in Istanbul at the moment for a long weekend, first time here and we’ve loved it. So vibrant and interesting, great food, easy to get around. I’ve not felt unsafe at all. Some places are busy like the grand bazaar but there’s loads of kids. I think my niece would have sensory overload taking it all in - parrots, cats, colourful ornaments, sweets 😂. Dress code wise - it is warm in the day so we’ve been wearing shorts and t-shirts. I would say wear what you would in any European city (I generally wouldn’t feel comfortable at home in London going out in hot pants or a super short skirt either). We went to the mosque today and they provide you with coverings/headscarves. Public transport is very easy with Citymapper app - taxis are more likely to rip you off as we have learnt! Enjoy your trip ☺️

It is a cosmopolitan city and you’ll see a lot of people in Westernised clothing.

To go in the mosques, both sexes, not just women, need to be dressed modestly. I saw one man who was wearing shorts being asked to cover his knees. The headscarf for women is symbolic - you don’t need to tuck in every strand of hair. I wore loose trousers and a top with elbow length sleeves and sensible neckline.

You have to take your shoes off before you step on the carpets in the mosques so I’d recommend wearing socks and having shoes you can get on and off easily whilst standing.

I would restrict answering unless you have actually been to Instanbul. Its a fantastic city and one of my favourite places in the world.

There really aren’t loads of Turks in Paris. Or at least not compared to Istanbul. They are clearly a minority group (and that’s actual Turks, not French people of Turkish heritage.)

But the poster said you have an issue with going to Muslim countries.

To counter that by saying you have no issue with going to France, decidedly NOT a muslim country is just….odd!

Not really, because there are a lot of Turkish people living in Paris. The pp was insinuating i was a racist. If I hadn't have taken the bait, I wouldn't have used any (lived) example.

There maybe a fair few muslim French people in France (like the UK) but France is far from a “Muslim country!”

(I know you did not say that but weird to use Paris in this context).

Istanbul is high on my list places to see, though with vigilance (I have a friend who had an “interesting” experience travelling there years ago - but that was as a solo traveller:
black and female. You are travelling differentIy so should be fine.)

I don’t know about attire - it’s not Saudi Arabia but the current regime and social set-up seems to be going in a more conservative direction. I would probably just be similar to how I was in Jerusalem: lite modest.

I probably would not wear hotpants but shorts and vests maybe ok? And of course covered up when visiting mosques.

In fact I would suggest making sure to research online!

Been to Turkey once and will never return.
If your kids (especially the little one) have blonde hair and/or blue eyes, keep a firm eye and grip on them.

Yes, dogs too! The ones I saw were quite big but placid, and ignored people. They are also fed by locals and treated medically by some specialised unit, so no need to be afraid or rabies and such.

There were also street dogs when I went there, especially on the Asian side. They looked like they were well-fed and cared for too, like the cats. They had little tags on their ears which I found out meant they had received medical attention

My absolute favourite was Camlica mosque on the Asian side. It’s the biggest mosque in Turkey and quite a sight to behold. It sits on top of a hill in pretty surroundings, overlooking the Bosporus and the city. On the way up, there is a playground (maybe more?) which your children could enjoy.
Turks are very friendly and welcoming people, Istanbul is safe, always lots of tourists, so ignore the naysayers. It’s not like you are travelling to Yemen or Syria lol!
The traffic is insane, never seen so many cars on the bigger roads.
Lots of cats everywhere and they are treated like royalty, and fed by the locals. I played with small kittens in a mosque yard 😍
I think it will be super hot in July..
Also a terrible warning: Turks have a divine dessert called soğuc baklava. Try it at your own peril! You’ve been warned! 😃
Lots of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice from street vendors, yum!
I’m not sure it’s a place geared towards child entertainment, and you’ll use lots of transport for your little ones, as it’s a sprawling city.