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  GAY BARS AND CLUBS IN ISTANBUL 


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GENERAL INFO:
 

Taksim square is the starting point of gay life and general night life.

Although they would be open for service at around 22:00 or 23:00 o'clock, almost all gay bars&clubs are busy after midnight and almost all perform loud music; usually Turkish pop; or western pop,  techno or underground music in turns. There are no dark rooms in any of them for action, but usually kissing, hugging etc is well tolerated.
 
Saturday nights are busiest nights everywhere. Friday nights are also busy if not as much. Tuesday or Wednesday would be the busier for mid-week nights usually. Monday would  be the least busy day and mostly upper scale gay-clubs would be closed.

The gay bars and clubs would be more busy in winter season. Because local people also go on holidays to resorts in Southern Turkey, it gets more quiet in July and August and some of them close for a few weeks for renovating their decorations.
 

Most gay bars/clubs in Istanbul would ask for entrance fee on Saturday nights and sometimes on Friday nights, but you can get one "local drink" with your ticket. Gay bars are in fact not very cheap in Istanbul, so do not think that they are overcharging you for being a tourist. The price of one drink ranges approximately between 5-8 Euros for local drinks, 10-15 Euros for "imported drinks" such as Whiskey, Malibu, Safari, some cocktails etc.

The bars would accept Euros or Dollars but would apply lower currency rates than the regular market. Do not take this personal, again, they would do the same to Turkish clients as well, if they try. Few venues would also accept payments with credit cards, but not all. So, have some Turkish lira with you when you go out, to make it easier. 

Typically, there would be a several security guys waiting at the entrance door of each gay bar/club. They look like mafia types, but do not be scared. They are there to stop some unsolicited visitors, definitely not gay tourists. You will be well respected in any gay venue, not only because you have money but because -if not all- majority of Turkish people have a kind of appreciation for western culture, which is something they have been trying to be a part of it for over 200 years.


Security guys (often called body-guards) also take care of the cloakrooms and would insist you to leave your bags, jackets and coats in winter season, for which you will have to pay  usually when you leave. Of course, they will give you a number for the cloakroom.

Useful tips for finding the addresses:
Cad. = Caddesi (read: Jad-de-see) = Main street/avenue
Sok. = Sokak= Side street or smaller street.
Ilkyaz Apt. = Ilkyaz Apartment, name of the building, if there is one.
Kat: 3 = On the 3rd Floor

No:23/4 = Here 23 Refers to the number of the building on that street. It follows as 2,4,6... , on one side, 1,3,5... on the other side of the street. 4 refers to the number of the flat/apartment/floor


Do not get confused with Taksim and Beyoglu districts, when you examine the venue addresses. The official town/county is called Beyoglu (historcal name Pera) Taksim is just the central neighborhood of Beyoglu, at the northern end of the town and Istiklal Caddesi (famous pedestrian avenue). The area starting from Taksim Square all the way down to the Golden Horn (narrow bay locally called Halic "read=Hullich") on the southern-end is all part of Beyoglu town. That is, if the address contains Taksim, the place should be closer to the north of Beyoglu.


The bars and clubs can roughly be classified in three groups:

1-Modern Gay Bars and Clubs: These are like any gay bar club that you can see anywhere in Europe, usually patronized by more modern, educated or wealthier people. They are a little more expensive, but they provide better air-condition and have better music system. There can always be a few lesbians in these bars, because there is not any exclusively lesbian bar or club in Turkey yet
.

16:00 - 02:00 (more busy in the evenings)
ADDRESS:  Istiklal Caddesi, Yesilcam Sokak No: 25  (Yesilcam Sokak is a lane opposite of Sine Pop cinema, the venue is at the left end of the street)
A nice cafe-bar open from 4 pm till 2 am, but expected to be busier in the early evenings and around midnight. Recommended for those who avoid to wait for after midnight bars and clubs that plays loud techno/underground music , and do not want to stay up until  morning. Visit their website for more information,  location map and contact information: 
Website: Gay Cafe Bar Istanbul
 


 Saturday night at Barbahce
Saturday nights are the busiest night in bars
The bars are jam-packed

  BARBAHCE   Open 23:00 - 06:00.  Open on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday

Siraselviler Caddesi,  Soganci Sokak, No:7/1, Cihangir - Beyoglu. Closer to German (Alman) hospital, across from "Taksim Ilk Yardim" public hospital.
Very busy on Saturday nights as all other gay bars and clubs.  Recommended for those who would prefer to meet real gay people instead of rent boys. This is very much like a western gay club, almost with same attitudes, music, decoration etc and provides activities such as shows, dancing as well as concept nights at weekends. You may also see few lesbians.

 PRIVE  ( 23:00-04:00)
Address: Tarlabasi Bulvari, No: 28/A Taksim / Istanbul (Across the flower shops at Taksim Square)
Prive is the oldest of present gay clubs of Istanbul. It is a small venue but usually very busy.  A mixture of English and Turkish pop music is fairly entertaining here.   You may sometimes come across to some rent boys and curious straight group
s.  It is also busy during the weekdays, especially after 01:00 am. 
 

OTHERSIDE   15:00 - 02:00
ADDRESS: Lamartine Caddesi 11/4  Beyoglu.
A quiet place that can get busier before midnight also on the 4th floor of the building.

EXIT CLUB   23:00 - 04:00
ADDRESS:  Istiklal Caddesi Saka Salim Cıkmazı NO:1/1 Beyoglu-Istanbul
A new gay bar  with
a European gay club concept opened in March 2007.  They organize activities such as dancing, DJ shows, go go boys, drag-queen shows mainly on weekend nights.  
 


2-Boy Clubs. The bars and clubs listed below are comparatively cheaper places, and they are mainly rent boy hang-outs, although they are literally defined as gay bar/club by their administrations.  They are attended by many bisexual/straight boys or some younger queens 'trying' to make prostitution, so they can be recommended for those who are interested with Istanbul's gay escorts or rent boys.
 

Open from 22:00-05:00
Address: Istiklal Caddesi Zambak Sok. NO:15 Taksim. 
Website: Gay Club Istanbul
Queen is a small night club wiht very friendly staff and manager.  The music is great in Queen Dancing, probably because one of the  managers of the club is a well known DJ, a handsome young guy very much admired in the vicinity.  For further details and map visit their


 DEJA VU  23:00-04:00
Address:
Istiklal Caddesi, Sadri Alisik Sokak, No:26, Beyoglu.
Mainly amateur rent boys and hustlers and those who are interested in them. Very loud techno/underground music. The most senior of this kind of clubs.

 CLUB 17  : 23:00-04:00
Address: Istiklal Caddesi, Zambak Sokak No:17 (Closer to French Consulate)
Meeting point of mainly cheap young hustlers and escort boys and some gay men who would be interested in them. They play mainly loud techno music
from their horrible music system but it is usually full of these hustlers. Beware of the boys you pick up from here. Near Queen Bar
 


TARKAN
 This beautiful man is incontrovertibly the number one leading pop star of the country, even famous in some European countries. When his photographs were shown on the TV channels; kissing an obviously gay men he simply said. "I don't think I am obliged to make any explanation about my private life !" This was forgotten in a very short time and TV channels are now talking about his girl-friends on the magazine programs. One of Tarkan's albums, who makes  a very good combination of western pop sounds and traditional Turkish rhythms can be a good souvenir from Turkey.
VIDEO CLIP OF TARKAN (Windows Media Player)

3-More local or peculiar gay bars and clubs

 EKOO BAR  ( 22:00-04:00) (Ex Hans Bar, more busy between 23:30-04:00)
Address: Tarlabasi Bulvari No: 248 Beyoglu. It is on the other side of the Tarlabasi Bulvari (Tarlabasi Avenue) with respect to the nightlife part of the town, across from British Consulate more or less, closer to Euro Plaza Hotel on the same side of the street. The entrance is behind the public bus station at the pavement  below the street  level, but its sign-board is visible from the street.

Do not miss this place if you want to see something more local, a relaxed atmosphere with less attitudes. Mix ages and various types of gay men, bears, bear lovers and few queens as well as gay tourists are regular attendants. Mainly Western dance and  house music as well as some Turkish dance and pop selections.


 TEK YON  (22:30-04:00)
Address:  Beyoglu.
Mainly middle class and more local people patronize the place. It is also popular among local bear people but you will see many queens and even several 'rough' rent boys. Unfortunately a few "tourist hunters" have also discovered the place recently, so  be careful with some younger straight-looking guys that are "too friendly".  The waiters are very feminine and friendly in this bar, probably to entertain their loyal clients. Male belly dancer and simple drag shows performed by the bar staff can be fun to see, usually on Tuesday nights after 01:00 am.

 DEGIRMEN PUB: 18:00 - 02:00
Attention. This place was closed recently and we are not sure when/if it will will re-open yet.
Address: Adnan Menderes Bulvari, Horhor Caddesi, AKSARAY. 
Near Aksaray town center, facing light-metro station.
(Please note that this is in another town called Aksaray. It takes about 10-15 minutes to go to Aksaray from Taksim by taxi)
It looks like a neighborhood bar but this place is the most "traditional" gay venue of Istanbul. Not only the people, but the place itself, the live Turkish music, the decoration, even the way people dance is very "local" here. For urban Turks this is more a rural atmosphere, actually. At least see it once!. It can be also classified as a bear-club with a lot of straight-looking gay men with mustache. Mainly middle age attendants. Watch out for pick-pockets and tourist-hunters in the vicinity especially after midnight.

PASAM PUB: 18:00 - 02:00 (open until 04:00 am on weekend)
Attention. This place was closed recently and we are not sure when/if it will will re-open yet.
Address:  Muratpasa Sokak No 9 AKSARAY.  (Near Yusufpasa tram station, after Aksaray with respect to Sultanahmet)
Pasam is taking the place of senior Degirmen pub, more deliberately targeting to bear and bear lovers with almost same exotic atmosphere of Degirmen Pub.

 SAHRA  BAR : 23:00 - 04:00
ADDRESS: Istiklal Cad. Sadri Alisik Sokak. NO:40 Beyoglu. (Closer to Aga Camii on Istiklal)
Originally a she-male club, but definitely not a typical one in comparison to other ones in Istanbul. Words are not enough to describe this 5 storey bar/club. Packed with a compilation of transvestites, semi-transvestites, male prostitutes, queens but overwhelmingly with hundreds of horny young boys ready to screw anything (call them bi or straight) coming from ghettoes of Istanbul especially on Saturday nights.  Some gay men who like such rough boys would also go here comfortably. Watch your wallet and do not expect to be highly esteemed. It can be really fun to see the place once, because it  must be one of its kind in the world most probably.
 


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