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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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Approaching 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 next to the 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 ferryboat schedules from Kabatas 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:
IDO Ferryboats 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:
IDO Ferryboats and
IETT Public Buses
Click here for a more comprehensive travel guide to the
beaches in Istanbul
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