Is it safe to travel to Turkey? This is the latest UK Foreign Office advice
While tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate, it remains business as usual in Turkey’s main tourist hubs.
With historic cities and spectacular coastlines, the West Asian country remains one of the most popular holiday destinations for European travellers.
In 2025, it welcomed 63.4 million visitors, with Russia, Germany and the UK the top markets for inbound travel.
But as geopolitical tensions flare across the region, and given Turkey’s eastern land border with Iran, some may be reconsidering trips to the country during the busy Easter and summer seasons.
If you’re still weighing up plans, here’s everything you should know.
Is it safe to travel to Turkey? Latest FCDO advice
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The Foreign Office continues to advise against ‘all travel to parts of Turkey’. This specifically refers to travel within 10km of the border between Turkey and Syria, in light of the terrorism risk.
As is stands, there is no travel warning for popular holiday destinations such as Istanbul, Cappadocia and Antalya.
For other parts of the country, the Foreign Office last updated its travel guidance on March 1, when it changed its advice on entering across the land border from Iran.
This means British nationals are required to request support from the British Embassy in Ankara before travelling to the border.
The guidance continued: ‘If you intend to leave Iran overland, you do so at your own risk.
‘In Iran, holding a British passport or having perceived connections to the UK can be reason enough for the Iranian authorities to detain you.’
Have flights to Turkey been cancelled?
Flights from European cities to major Turkish airports, including Istanbul’s two main commercial airports and Antalya Airport, continue to operate on schedule.
Flag carrier Turkish Airlines has only cancelled services to select locations across the Middle East and the Gulf.
British Airways, AJet, and Pegasus all run daily routes from London to Istanbul.
British Airways said it is closely monitoring the situation, and that it’s cancelled a ‘number’ of flights to the Middle East.
‘Safety is always our top priority and we would never operate a flight unless it was safe to do so,’ the guidance, posted on the BA website, reads.
BA gave passengers flying between Heathrow and Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai and Tel Aviv before March 15 the option to change their flight, free of charge, until March 29.
How close is Turkey to Iran?
Turkey and Iran are connected by land, and Tehran and Istanbul are between 2,000 and 2,050 kilometres away from one another by air.
The border between the two countries stretches for around 300 miles.
According to Alaraybiya English, day-trip crossings at the border between Turkey and Iran have been halted at all three customs gates.
However, Turkey’s trade minister, Omer Bolat, said Iran is allowing its own citizens to enter Iran via Turkey, and Turkey is allowing its own citizens to come back to Turkey from Iran.
Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city and its major tourism gateway, lies in the northwest of the country, thousands of kilometres from areas currently experiencing tensions.
The Turkish Riviera – which includes well-known holiday resorts such as Antalya, Bodrum and Marmaris – is located along the Mediterranean and Aegean coasts in the southwest.
What if I don’t want to travel to Turkey?
If you already have a holiday booked to Turkey and you choose not to travel, you won’t be eligible for a refund, because the Foreign Office has not explicitly advised against travelling there.
However, you should keep an eye on the Foreign Office guidance to monitor the situation.
If they do advise against travel, contact your tour operator, travel insurance provider or airline, who will be able to provide further assistance.
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