Turkey: Visiting Istanbul During Ramadan and Eid
I booked my trip to Istanbul before I realized I would be going on both Ramadan and Eid. I tried to do some research to see what that would be like: it’s a 4 day holiday, would anything even be open? However, I couldn’t find much information online, so I thought I’d write about my experience to help those who might be in the same boat.
What I’m sharing represents my experience in the very large city of Istanbul, not any other city in Turkey, nor any other country, so YMMV.
What is Ramadan and Eid?
Ramadan is the holy month of fasting in Islam. Muslims fast until sunset each evening. At the end of Ramadan, “The Feast of Fast Breaking” known as Eid al-Fitr is celebrated. Turkey is over 90% Muslim so most of the country will be participating should you visit during this time.
Sightseeing
I was very concerned about what I could do as a tourist during Eid, and I could not find out information online about what would be open, but I need not have worried.
The tourist ministry tells the official tour guides and hotels the opening hours of the main sights about a week before Eid. Some information comes out very late. One tour guide told us that it was just the day before Eid that they found out the Blue Mosque would be open. So you may not know in advance how to plan your day, but rest assured there will be plenty to do.
As it turns out, during Eid in the year of my visit, most touristic sights were open, they just opened later than normal. The exception was the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market, both were closed for three days.
On the first day of Eid, I walked down Istiklal Street (the main shopping drag) and nearly every retail store and restaurant was open. Not only that, but it was very busy with people all around. I wandered down to the very cute area of Karakoy, and had a hookah and lunch at Lulu’s Hookah Cafe. I wrapped my day up at a Hamman. I avoid the Old City (even though things were open) because the President of Turkey was in town to celebrate Eid at the re-opening of the Blue Mosque and I was afraid it would be a zoo of people. There were also at least two cruise ships that I saw docked at port, so I stayed in the New City.
The one main difference was that some things were busier, while some were less busy than normal. For example, our guide shared that during this week (the lead up to Eid) many city dwellers take to the country or go visit family, so Istanbul is less busy than normal. In particular, the traffic was not as bad (apparently, it’s normally very congested. To get from my hotel to the Old City via taxi could take 10 minutes, or it could take double or triple that.) Another example is that there were more Muslim tourists at the main sights like the Hagia Sofia and in particular at the Topkapi Palace’s Religious Relics room. So you may have to wait in a long line to enter.
Indeed, on my last day the crowd of tourists in the Old City was unimaginable! It was the most people I have ever seen in one place- and I live in New York City. The winding and narrow streets of the market became a bottleneck and it took some time to squeeze your way through the masses of people pressing at each other in opposing directions. I thought it was interesting to see, but if you don’t like large crowds, or feeling squished, you may want to plan your trip to visit the Old City before Eid and then do other things in the New City during the Eid celebration.
All in all, I would not hesitate to visit Istanbul during Ramadan and Eid, you’ll have plenty to do as a tourist.
Eating and Drinking
In Istanbul, I found that as a tourist, few things were different for me while traveling during Ramadan. Restaurants were open durning the day, and plenty of people were eating. I was worried that it would be rude to eat in public, but that seemed to not be the case. In fact, I flew Turkish Airlines from Vienna between the hours of 10 AM and Noon and they served a hot meal onboard, the smell of which permeated the cabin. Many people on-board the flight ate.
I took a tour of the Hagia Sofia Mosque, our guide was observing Ramadan and was fasting. He simply abstained from sitting with us during our lunch hour.
I also found that drinking was common- bars were open and restaurants served cocktails.
How To Dress
Now, let’s talk about how to dress. A friend of a friend is Turkish and she warned me to be particularly modest during Eid and even suggested that I reschedule my trip. Her father, who lives in Turkey, was even more emphatic in this suggestion for modesty. However, in my experience, this concern was overblown. You’ll be perfectly fine wearing slacks and a blouse, you do not need to over think this (and you certainly should not reschedule your visit!) You do not need to wear a headscarf, unless you are visiting a mosque. I felt better and more respectful having my shoulders and knees covered, but I will note that there were plenty of people wearing much less, I saw several short skirts, one midriff bearing top and a few sleeveless low-cut tops on people that I passed by. Nobody seemed to mind at all.
Istanbul is a very modern, open-minded place and I felt safe traveling alone here at all times. It is a big city, so act as you would in any major city; for example, watch out for pickpockets and don’t walk alone late at night, but do not be concerned about coming to Istanbul! I had a great time here as a solo-female traveler, and I’m sure you will, too.