Walking in Turkey: A Practical Safety Guide for Long Distances

Walking in Turkey over long distances is very possible, and for most of the country the main risks are practical rather than dramatic: traffic, heat, dogs and the occasional earthquake. Long-distance walkers who choose quiet roads with a usable shoulder, stay off motorways, finish every day before dark, carry identification and keep up with official travel advice usually find Turkey hospitable and rewarding. The important exception is the border area with Syria, where official UK advice is against all travel within 10 km of the border.

This guide sets out what anyone planning a long walk in Turkey should know, drawing on the expedition's own planning for the Turkish stage of the walk from the southern tip of Africa to Windsor.

Walking in Turkey by road: use the shoulder, not the motorway

Turkey's roads fall into broad classes, and they are not equally walkable.

• Motorways (otoyol). Toll motorways, numbered with an O, are closed to pedestrians. Never walk on them.
• State roads (devlet yolu). Numbered with a D, these carry heavy lorry traffic and are often dual carriageways. Some have a wide hard shoulder that can be walked with care; others have none, or are too fast and busy to be sensible on foot.
• Provincial and village roads. Usually quieter and more pleasant, though narrower, with less room to step aside.

The working rule is simple: use secondary roads with a shoulder or verge, and if a road is legal but has no safe margin, find a parallel route or take transport. Walk facing oncoming traffic where there is no pavement, wear something bright, and never walk after dark. Many walkers prefer Turkey's waymarked long-distance trails, such as the Lycian Way along the south-west coast, which run on footpaths and old tracks rather than roads.

Dogs: calm, distance and quick care after a bite

Dogs are part of everyday life in Turkey. Town and city dogs are often fed by residents, and many carry ear tags showing they have been vaccinated and neutered under municipal programmes. Most ignore walkers. In the countryside, large livestock guardian dogs protect flocks of sheep and goats, and they can be intimidating when they decide you are too close.

• Give flocks a wide berth and do not walk between dogs and their animals.
• Do not run. Slow down, face the dog calmly and keep moving steadily away.
• A walking pole held low, or the gesture of picking up a stone, is often enough to deter an approach. Call out to the shepherd, who can call the dogs off.
• Avoid packs, especially at dusk, on the outskirts of towns and near rubbish sites.

Rabies is present in Turkey. If a dog or other animal bites or scratches you, wash the wound thoroughly with soap and running water for several minutes and get medical care the same day, even if you were vaccinated before travel. Post-exposure treatment is available through Turkish hospitals and is far more important than finishing the day's distance.

Heat, wildfire and earthquakes

Summers in much of Turkey are hot, and in the interior and south-east temperatures can climb well above 35°C. Start early, carry more water than you think you need, use village fountains (çeşme) where the water is marked safe to drink, and rest through the hottest hours.

Wildfire is a serious seasonal hazard, broadly from spring to autumn. Provinces may close forests to the public during high-risk periods; respect closures, never light fires, and know your way out of wooded valleys. Report fires on 112, the national emergency number.

Turkey sits on active fault lines, including the North and East Anatolian faults. Major earthquakes, such as the 1999 İzmit earthquake and the February 2023 earthquakes in the south-east, caused great loss of life. For a walker, the practical steps are to know the drop, cover and hold on routine, notice the signs for emergency assembly areas (acil toplanma alanı) in towns, and be cautious about staying in visibly damaged buildings.

Identity, photography and the law

Carry photo identification at all times; police may ask to see it, and a passport or a good copy alongside it is sensible. Do not photograph military zones, police, or official and strategic sites such as bases and some bridges and ports, especially where signs prohibit it. Leave immediately if you come across a demonstration.

Turkish law makes it an offence to insult the Turkish nation, its state institutions, its flag or its president, and this can apply to social media posts as well as speech. Visitors should treat national symbols with respect. Buying or exporting antiquities, including small finds picked up at ancient sites, is tightly controlled.

Above all, check the latest UK travel advice for Turkey before and during any long walk. At the time of writing it advises against all travel within 10 km of the Syrian border, and conditions can change quickly.

Crossing the Bosphorus on foot

Istanbul is where many long walks across Turkey end, because the Bosphorus strait divides Asia from Europe. The catch is that the three suspension bridges across it are not open to pedestrians. The main exception is the annual Istanbul Marathon, when runners cross from Asia to Europe on the 15 July Martyrs Bridge.

For everyone else there are two good options. Public ferries run frequently between the Asian shore at Kadıköy and Üsküdar and the European side at Eminönü, Karaköy and Beşiktaş, and the crossing is one of the great short journeys in the world. The Marmaray rail tunnel, opened in 2013, runs beneath the strait between Üsküdar and Sirkeci. The Eurasia road tunnel is for vehicles only.

On the road through Turkey

Turkey comes later in the walk, as the route crosses Anatolia towards Istanbul and the edge of Europe. The expedition's approach there is the same as everywhere: daylight walking only, quiet roads with a safe margin, a pace planned around 30 to 35 km a day (you can read how far a person can walk in a day), and any section where transport replaces walking recorded openly rather than hidden. Locations are shared after Leon has moved on, not in advance.

Turkey also holds some of the oldest monuments on the route, including Göbekli Tepe. Follow the whole line on the route page, read Leon's updates in the journal once he is walking, see how the kindness ledger works, and back the walk if you want to help it reach Istanbul and beyond.

Frequently asked questions

Is it safe to walk in Turkey?

For most of the country, yes, with sensible precautions: avoid motorways and fast roads without a shoulder, walk only in daylight, manage heat and dogs, and follow official travel advice, which currently advises against all travel within 10 km of the Syrian border.

Can you walk across the Bosphorus Bridge?

No. Istanbul's Bosphorus bridges are closed to pedestrians except during special events such as the Istanbul Marathon. Walkers cross by public ferry or on the Marmaray rail tunnel.

What should I do if a dog bites me in Turkey?

Wash the wound with soap and running water for several minutes, then get medical care the same day for assessment and rabies post-exposure treatment.

Do I need to carry my passport in Turkey?

You should carry photo identification at all times, and police may ask to see it. Many travellers carry their passport or keep it secure while carrying a copy, according to current official advice.