‘I’m a travel expert - 7 simple things you should never do in Turkey’

It's every holidaymaker's worst nightmare to land themselves in hot water whilst on what should be a relaxing trip away in the sunshine. Turkey, a popular hotspot with Brits, saw a 9.8% increase in tourist arrivals in 2024 compared to the previous year, reaching 62.3 million visitors.

But tourists are being warned by a travel expert of strict laws in Turkey that carry a large fine or prison sentence for simple actions. From tough rules around smoking and drugs to laws concerning the nation and flag that may be unfamiliar to UK visitors, there are several actions that could see you needing to deal with law enforcement - ruining your holiday and potentially having long-term consequences.

But in addition to needing to deal with the local police, she also highlighted things that are considered rude by natives - and therefore to avoid.

Talking on TikTok Sabrina Escapes, who helps tourists travel affordably, alerted her quarter of a million followers of the seven regulations you must follow.

You could face “six months to three years imprisonment for saying something offensive about the Turkish nationality, the flag, or even posting something negative on social media”, Sabrina warned.

It is also a criminal offence to deface Turkish lira or tear it up. Writing on money, which some do to keep track of when counting could land you in trouble.

When taking pictures, it is vital to respect people’s privacy and not take pictures without their explicit permission.

Sabrina said: “Don’t take pics of people without their permission, especially the elderly. “They don’t like cameras and they consider it an evil eye."

It is considered rude to stand with your hands on your hips, to put your hands in your pockets, doing the ok sign with your fingers and pointing at someone.

Sabrina said: “Public displays of affection might be frowned upon."

The travel expert warns tourists to “avoid getting into taxis without a cab sign on them”.

“There are drivers who aren’t licensed taxi drivers who will give you a lower fare to entice you to get in with them and then when it comes to the ride they’ll come up with a much higher price”, said Sabrina.

In Istanbul the taxis are yellow and have a taxi sign on the roof and have a meter built in.

For people who don’t know Turkey it is easy to be scammed. Taxi scams can range from being overcharged and longer routes to broken meters and fake bills.

She said: “If there’s a meter in the taxi and they refuse to turn it on or they say its broken just get out of that car and find another taxi.”