Türkiye 2025: Dream vacation despite travel warnings – How to stay safe!

Türkiye 2025: Dream vacation despite travel warnings – How to stay safe!

Turkey will remain one of the preferred travel destinations for many Germans in 2025, despite existing partial travel warnings. In 2024, over 6.6 million Germans traveled to the country. This shows the great interest in the diverse offers, especially the popular all-inclusive options. The tourism industry is experiencing a boom in visitors to the classic holiday regions on the Turkish Riviera, especially in Antalya. Loud fr.de 81% of all overnight stays by German guests are in Antalya and 85% in the five most important tourism cities.

However, the Foreign Office strongly warns against traveling to the southeastern provinces of Turkey, especially to the border regions with Syria and Iraq, such as Şanlıurfa, Mardin, Sırnak and Hakkâri. These areas are classified as dangerous amid security concerns and an increased risk of violence and political unrest. The travel warnings from the Foreign Office often allow free cancellations for package holidays.

Political unrest and security situation

Particular attention should also be paid to political protests in larger cities such as Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir. These can lead to arrests and bans on leaving the country. Loud auswaertiges-amt.de German citizens can be arbitrarily arrested in Turkey or prevented from entering the country, especially if there is suspicion that they have supported terrorist organizations. It is advised to avoid politically sensitive topics and discussions on social media to avoid problems upon entry.

In addition, reports of counterfeiting, particularly of banknotes, are increasing, especially in Istanbul. Although violent crime is rare overall, pickpocketing and fraud are on the rise in tourist areas. Travelers should be particularly careful and ensure that they only book excursions from licensed operators. It is also advisable to take out international health insurance and find out about the current travel advice.

Important tips for holidaymakers in Turkey

• Aktuelle Hinweise des Auswärtigen Amts regelmäßig prüfen.
• Reisen in die südöstlichen Grenzregionen vermeiden.
• Politische Diskussionen und Äußerungen in sozialen Medien meiden.
• Ausflüge nur über lizenzierten Anbieter buchen.
• Einen ausreichenden Krankenversicherungsschutz sicherstellen.
• Empfehlungen von Hotels und Reiseveranstaltern beachten.

Turkey is physically active, which brings with it some risk of earthquakes. There are also bush and forest fires in the summer months, which require travelers to be particularly careful. Driving after dark should be avoided and it should be noted that the German driving license is recognized.

Overall, Turkey remains an attractive travel destination, but thorough preparation and caution are essential for a safe stay.