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Istanbul is
surrounded by the sea all around it but because of the
pollution caused by its population over 12 million people,
there are very few swimmable beach areas left in Istanbul
which are also not very close to city center. Please be
aware that the people living in Istanbul themselves would go
to the cities and towns such as Bodrum, Antalya, Marmaris,
Fethiye for their summer holidays which are all located in
Southern part of Turkey. There are no beaches in Istanbul
visibly frequented by gay people, but there are some
swimming areas where it's more likely to meet other gay
people.
Cruisy Beach Areas in
Istanbul
Kinaliada
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The isolated
beaches in Buyukada and Kinaliada are opted by some gay men
in Summer, although there is not any obvious gay scene.
Kinaliada is the first stop of public ferryboats running
between Kabatas and Prince's Islands. In Kinaliada the beach
far behind the island is more cruisy for gay men. After
getting off from the ferryboat, walk right-hand side along
the cost, climb up the road after the public beach area
ends, and continue until you see comparatively less crowed
beach down ahead of you. This means at least half an hour
walking from the ferryboat station, but it is fun. There may
still be families on weekends in this part also especially
on Sundays; therefore the week-in days may be better for gay
cruising. In general, the beaches in Prince's islands
get busy from June until early September. The islands are
usually safe but you still need to be cautious in this
isolated part. See below for more information about Prince's
Islands and ferry boat schedules.
Florya Beach
Florya public beach is in Yesilkoy district, close to
Ataturk Airport on the European side of Istanbul. It is
where some local queers would go to hunt young horny ghetto
boys, whom may also be problematic if you do not know the
culture. Better stay away from crowded groups. Its may be
more prolific on weekends, especially on Sundays. Again you
need to walk to less busy parts of the beach, to the rocky
area. There are dolmus cabs (a kind of shared-taxi)
to Yesilkoy from Taksim, which depart from one of the
streets next to the flower shops at Taksim Square. From
Sultanahmet you can go there with conventional suburb train
departing from Sirkeci tram station, or take a public bus
from Eminonu. Taxi would cost no less than 20 Euro one
way.
Sarayburnu
Sarayburnu (Seraglio Point) is coastal area behind
Topkapi Palace with respect to Sultanahmet. It is actually
not a beach but a waterfront by the coastal road, covered
with big rocks and concrete waterfront. There is no
visible gay scene here also. It is not a place recommended
for swimming especially. There are singles or groups of guys
drinking and young ghetto boys swimming and lying on the
rocks in summer time. Some local gay men hang out here
frequently in Summer. If your hotel is in Sultanahmet, you
can try this place for a couple of hours in early evenings,
at least to get a little sun tan. Do not stay long after
dark. When you come from Sultanahmet walk into Gulhane
Park's main gate from the tramcar street, and get out from
the gate at the other end of the park. You will be right
there.
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Ferry approaching to Kinaliada |
Kadikoy Mendirek (Breakwater)
The
breakwater / light house in Kadikoy (major
district of Istanbul on the Asian side) is already a gay
cruising place in the evenings. This would be the last place
to be recommended for swimming activity, actually. It is a
thick concrete wall on the sea with big rocks on one side,
and the water is really polluted. So, do not go there with
your creams, towels and
sac de plage. In day time, you may see some people
lying on the rocks or sun bathing, and some others fishing
or drinking. If you are visiting Istanbul just for a couple
of days, this is not a place to be visited particularly. But
if you happen to go to Kadikoy for some reason, you can try
it once. It is located right near the ferryboat pier.
If you are staying in Sultanahmet you need to take the
ferryboat from Eminonu port, which will be there in 20
minutes. If you are staying in Taksim, take the funicular
from Metro station to Kabatas pier for ferryboats to Kadikoy.
You can also go to Kadikoy from
Karakoy ferryboat pier which is below Galata Tower,
right by the Northern foot of Galata bridge.
Click here to
send your feedbacks/comments about these places.
Other beaches in
Istanbul
Adalar
(Prince's Islands)
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A view from Buyukada |
Adalar is the plural for "ada"
which means island in Turkish. This a group of small islands
in Marmara sea close to the main land on the Asian side. The
beaches on these islands seem to be the only swimming option
left close to the down town Istanbul. They consist of 9
islands, 4 of which are considerably popular and inhabited.
Private cars and motor vehicles are not allowed on any of
the islands. So you need to walk, hire a bicycles or
Fayton (a traditional horse-drawn carriage) to get
around.
Majority of the native inhabitants of these islands used to
be non-Muslim citizens of Ottoman Empire (Jews, Greeks,
Armenians) until the end of 19th century. Now there are
mansions and summer houses of rich men of Istanbul. Buyuk
Ada (Grand Island) is the biggest one as the name
suggests, and it is the most vibrant one. There are public
ferryboats to Adalar from Kabatas pier on the European side
(closer to Taksim, easily accessible from Sultanahmet by
tramcar) and from Kadikoy and Bostanci districts on the
Asian side. The journey takes 30-45 minutes by boat from
Kabatas. The ferryboat from Kabatas stops on each inhabited
island one after the other, in order of Kinaliada,
Burgaz, Heybeliada and Buyukada. You can do hop-on hop off
in this order between the islands by taking the next
arriving ferryboat. On return way, the ferryboat does not
stop on other islands after departing Buyukada. If you
are staying around Taksim, you need to take the funicular
line (Finukuler) from Taksim subway station to
Kabatas first, which takes no more than 5 minutes.
Click here
for sea bus (fast ferry) schedules from Kabatas to Prince's
Islands.
Click here Conventional Ferryboat Lines to Prince's
Islands
Click here for Google map locating Prince's Islands of
Istanbul
Click here for Prince's Islands tours by gay local gay
travel agency
Kilyos Beaches
Kilyos is a small fishing village by the Black Sea shore
of Istanbul on the European side, which is surrounded by
green forests all around it. It has sandy beaches, hotels,
pensions, cafe and restaurants. Roughly forty five minutes
drive from down town Istanbul, the village is a good option
for an escape from big-city life at least for an afternoon.
Especially preferred by the local people living on the
European part of Istanbul, it is a perfect place for nature
lovers who would go there for swimming and picnic. The sea
of Kilyos is rather chilly and wavy and there is flow in
some parts. It not advised to swim very far from the shore
especially in isolated parts of the beaches for this reason.
To get to Kilyos by car, you need to pass Buyukdere and
Sariyer districts driving through the Belgrade Forest. The
road from Buyukdere passes through one of the arches of
Egrikemer, the "Bent Aqueduct" built in 1732. If you have
time to visit outskirts of Istanbul during your holiday, you
can take a public bus to Sariyer first, departing from
Taksim and Kabatas. You can find
dolmus cabs, public bus or taxi to Kilyos from there.
But the most enjoyable journey would be taking the morning
Bosphorus cruise (Bogaz turu) of IDO with public
ferryboats from Eminonu to Sariyer before getting to Kilyos,
some 15 km away. Bogaz turu takes a little over an
hour and stops in Besiktas (not far from Taksim, if you want
to get on the ferry here) and several other small towns and
villages along the Bosphorus. You can use public buses on
return. This would be a good and cheaper combination of a
Bosphorus cruise and a daily beach adventure. On the way
back, you can drink a cup of Turkish tea in a sea-side cafe
or eat fish in a small restaurant in Sariyer, to make your
day a memorable one.
For public bus and ferryboat schedules please see:
Conventional Ferryboat Lines
and
IETT Public
Buses
Sile Beaches
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This is a
lovely resort town on the Black Sea coast on the Asian side,
50 km from Uskudar (a district by the Asian shore of
Bosphorus, across from Besiktas). The famous, extensive
beaches of
Sile are reached partly by a motorway, and partly by a
narrow road winding through the forest. The ruins of a
Genoese fortress and the lighthouse are also worth seeing in
Sile. To the west of the town the beaches extend
uninterrupted, and to the east there are a series of small,
sandy bays. The summer months are quite crowded and lively.
The breakwater of Sile can be cruisy for gay men in the
evenings, whereas it is advised to be cautious and make good
observation before meeting anyone. It may take more
than an hour to get to Sile from European side of Istanbul,
so it is recommended only if you have plenty of time to
spent in Istanbul. A daily visit is possible in practice,
but accommodation is readily available in the numerous
hotels and pensions if you have time for an overnight stay
or longer. There are public buses (Bus line 139) to Sile
from Harem
Otogar (intercity bus terminal) on the Asian side. You
can go to Harem by ferryboats from Sirkeci ferry pier near
Sultanahmet.
For public bus and ferryboat schedules please see:
Conventional Ferryboat Lines
and
IETT
Public Buses
Click here for a more comprehensive travel guide to the
beaches in Istanbul
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