Istanbul alone with 4 year old?

[anotherbusymama]

Hi all,

We’ve got ticket to Istanbul however my partner had an accident and is unable to fly. Tried contacting the airline and they do not offer refunds.

I've been considering going alone with a 4 year old but I am a bit unsure. Is it safe? Would you consider going alone with a small child?

Thanks!

I spent a week there on my own and felt perfectly safe.

@GCAcademic thanks for sharing that!

I really loved Istanbul - I would say I wouldn’t necessarily pick it if ‘on my own’ not because it felt unsafe but I wouldn’t pick Turkey at all on my own - I would just say , be aware you might get a bit of attention, but fuck off is international , although not easy with a 4 year old around. Stick to the main areas and be really careful crossing roads etc - they drive like lunatics - metro is very good! And food was some of the best I’ve had in the world.

@Crikeyalmighty ahhh same here! Because originally it was 3 of us going I felt 100% about it, but it would not be on my list for a solo/with small child trip. And now since it’s two of us I’ve been debating if I should go or not..

@anotherbusymama I think you should - there isa great long drag in the centre - down towards river - that’s quite businessy and a good area to be around- it never felt unsafe in the way say Egypt did to me . Just has a bit more hassle than somewhere like say Spain - you know the ‘hey pretty lady come in my restaurant’ kind of thing - however fir me the good outweighed the bad , the spice market was amazing and I loved the bit with the bobbing flotillas and over the river

They were fantastic with our son though!!

I took my then 5 year old a couple of years ago. It was just me and him. Perfectly safe, son was adored and spoken to by local people, lots of little parks etc for him, cats everywhere and a river cruise. Istanbul is very hilly so just be prepared for that.