Istanbul gay bars, gay clubs, discos, gay friendly cafe
bars in Istanbul listed with up-to-date addresses,
descriptions, visitor reviews, location maps and more
General Information:
Istanbul's
gay night life is more visible around and
after-midnight. Majority of the gay night clubs are not
busy enough until 01:00 am, but there are a considerable
number of gay bars open and vivid before midnight as
well. In Istanbul, gay bars and clubs are busiest
on Saturdays nights as everywhere else. Friday nights
are also busy enough if not as much. Tuesday and
Wednesday nights would be vivid in comparison to the
other mid-week nights, but this also depends on special
events organized in each venue. Mondays would be the
least popular night of the week when most trendy gay
night clubs would be closed. The gay bars and clubs
would also be busier in winter compared to summer
season., when many local people leaves the city for
summer holidays. Hence, Istanbul's gay night life
becomes more quiet especially in July and August when
some venues may close their doors for a few weeks for
renovation and restoration. There are no dark
rooms in most gay bars and clubs and sexual intimacy is
not allowed principally, but usually kissing,
hugging etc is well received.
Prices:
Contrary to expectations, the gay bars are not
cheap in Istanbul - unlike other items of the daily life.
This is mainly because the taxes are high and drinking
habits of Turkish people are low. So, do not
automatically think that you are being
overcharged because you are a tourist. The price of
one drink roughly ranges between 5-7 US Dollars for
local drinks, 10-15 US Dollars for "imported drinks" (such as
Whiskey, Malibu, Safari, Gordon Gin, imported Vodka etc.). The venues accept
cash payment in Euros and US Dollars but
they apply unfavorable exchange rates. Most venues would accept
payments with credit cards, but not all. So, it is will
be convenient to have some
cash in Turkish lira on you when you go out to gay bars
and clubs..
Orientation:
You will notice that almost all gay bars and clubs are
located in and around Taksim & Beyoglu. Do not get confused with
Taksim and Beyoglu districts, when you see the venue
addresses. The official municipality is called Beyoglu
(historical Pera district). Taksim is the central neighborhood of Beyoglu, at the northern end of the town.
Very famous pedestrianized avenue Istiklal Caddesi also
starts from Taksim square, cutting Beyoglu town into two
parts.
The area starting from Taksim Square all the way down to
the
Golden Horn on the southern-end are all within Beyoglu municipality borders. That is, if the address
contains Taksim, the place should be closer to the north
of Beyoglu.
Useful tips for finding the venue addresses:
Cad. = Caddesi (read: Jad-de-see) = Main street/avenue
Sok. = Sokak= Side street or small lane/alley.
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
Click here for up-to-date
Gay Map of Istanbul
Click here for detailed information about public
transportation in Istanbul.
These are
the venues open and vivid before midnight as well.
Most of these gay bars are open everyday and they are
more crowded between 21:00-02:00 a.m, though this may
differ for each venue and from day to day. The prices in
these bars are slightly cheaper than gay night clubs
(listed below), and they do not need entrance or
cloakroom fees. Most of them organizes activities,
shows, karaoke nights and live music performances on
several nights off the week. It is advised to check
their Facebook pages to find out when / what kind of
shows they are offering
Mor Kedi Cafe & Bar (20:00- 02:00)
Address: Istiklal Cad.
Ipek Sokak 16, Kat 3, Daire 5 - Beyoglu, Istanbul
Web: Morkedi
Cafe (Click for guest reviews, videos, pictures and
more)
More Kedi is one of the most senior gay cafe bars in
Istanbul. It is a place that may get busy before all
others gay bars. Usually there will be some people from
6 p.m until around midnight.
Clients are mostly younger gays, but any ages are
welcomed. In August 2020 they bought the rival
Chaplin Cafe and moved to their address, where
Chaplin Cafe used to be located, after operating on Imam
Adnan Sokak for almost two decades
Rocinante Bar (20:00- 02:00)
Address:
Ogut Sokak, No:6, Kat 2 (2nd floor),
Beyoglu, Istanbul.
Web: Rocinante Bar (Click for guest reviews,
videos, pictures and more)
Rocinante was a gathering point for Turkish lesbians in
mid 2000's. It was later turned into a mostly male gay
bar but then closed down for about a year. They offer live
music and other modest shows on different days of the
week. More busy around 22:00-01:00 a.m.
Chianti Bar (20:00- 02:00)
Address:
Kameriye Sokak, No:10/A, Nevizade, Beyoglu,
Istanbul
Web: Chianti Bar (Click for guest reviews, videos,
pictures and more)
A homely gay cafe & bar which opens in early hours of
the day but it is more busy in the evenings and around
midnight. It's like a quiet chill-out cafe in late
afternoon until it gets more busy and louder after
around 9-10 p.m.
Pinokyo Bar Terrace
(20:00- 02:00)
Address: Istiklal Cad.
Buyukparmakkapi Sk,
No:17,
Beyoglu, Istanbul.
Web:
Pinokyo Bar (Click for guest reviews, videos,
pictures and more)
It is a late evening gay bar centrally located off the
Istiklal avenue with live music shows almost everyday of
the week. Busy on Saturday nights and during show
nights. You can find guest reviews, location map,
pictures, videos and event announcement on this page.
Majority of the gay night clubs listed under this
category are
busy after midnight. Although they open their doors
by 22:00-23:00 o'clock, the action does not start before
midnight. Without exception, the music is loud in all
of these after-midnight clubs; playing a mixture of
Turkish pop, western pop, techno and underground music
in turns. Most these night clubs in Istanbul require
entrance fee on Saturday nights and sometimes on Friday
nights, but you can get one "local drink" with your
ticket. Typically, there are several security guys
waiting at the door of each gay bar/club. They are there to
stop some unsolicited visitors and take care of the
cloak-rooms. In winter season, the clients are expected to leave their
large bags, jackets and coats at the cloak rooms and pay for it
some kind of compulsory tip when they leave.
Stay Club (22:00-05:00)
Address:
Imam
Adnan Sok, No 8, Kat 3 Beyoglu, Istanbul
Web:
Stay Club
(Click for guest reviews, videos, pictures and more)
Popular night club due to it's very friendly and
liberal atmosphere, Stay Club
was opened in 2020 on the 3rd floor of a building on a
by-street along the Istiklal Avenue, around 6-7 minutes
walking distance from Taksim Square. Please make
sure to go to the right place because other clubs in the
same building can be really expensive. After entering
the building, climb to the upper floor by stairs and
then take the elevator to the 2nd floor, where the name
of the venue is written next to the elevator button.
Tekyon Club (23:00-05:00)
Address: Siraselviler Caddesi,
No: 63/1, Taksim, Beyoglu.
Istanbul.
Web:
Club Tekyon (Click for guest reviews, videos,
pictures and more)
Most popular gay club in Istanbul since early
2000's even though it moved to different addresses
several times, the last one being a bigger place on Siraselviler,
in 2009. The prices are average The venue is
very big for the capacity of gay nightlife in Istanbul
and consequently it is getting less crowded especially
during the week-in days but it is almost always very
very busy on Friday and Saturday nights, including its
big back-garden which give an opportunity to smokers.
Super Fabric (23:00 - 05:00)
Address: Cumhuriyet Caddesi
No: 42 Elmadag / Sisli,
Istanbul, Turkey
Web:Super Fabric
(Click for guest reviews, videos, pictures and more)
Opened in late October 2014 SuperFabric club usually charge entrance fee on Friday and Saturday
nights. It is located at some 10 minutes walking distance
to the north of Taksim Square somewhere on Cumhuriyet
Caddesi avenue that goes towards Harbiye / Sisli
districts, roughly across from Konak Hotel.
Love Dance Point - 23:00 - 05:00 (Friday-Saturday)
Address: Cumhuriyet Caddesi,
No: 349 Harbiye, Sisli, Istanbul
Web:
Love Club (Click for guest reviews, videos,
pictures and more)
This night club is located in Harbiye quarter, on the
main avenue about 20 minutes walking distance to Taksim
Square. It is open on Friday and Saturday nights.
Saturday is the most busy night and there are some good
shows usually.. If it is the first time you are going
there it is hard to notice the venue at first sight.
Visit
club's webpage for detailed location info and the
map.
Club Cheeky - 01:00-07:00
Address: Tarlabasi Bulvari
No: 32 Taksim, Istanbul.
Web:
Cheeky Club (Click for guest reviews, videos,
pictures and more)
This is an exceptional after-hours night club open on
Fridays and Saturday nights. It is usually not busy
before 02:00- or even 03:00 am, attracting LGBT people
after all other gay bars and clubs closes down. It is located very close to Taksim Square, next to
Cartoon Hotel. Cheeky has moved to new address in mid
2014. It had a small darkroom in the previous venue
which was the main reason of its popularity. The upper
floor of the new venue is said to be functioning like
that sometimes.
X-Large Club - 23:00-05:00
Address: Ataturk Oto Sanayi Sit.
52.Sok. No:12/1,
Maslak, Sariyer / Istanbul
Web:
Club X Large (Click for guest reviews, videos,
pictures and more)
When X Large Club was first opened in Beyoglu, Kallavi
Sok in late 2000's and it is was overwhelmingly gay.
What made the club very popular was the quality of the
shows. Around 2013 X Large moved to a bigger venue
somewhat 15 km outside city center. It is still a gay
friendly venue and attracts many LGBT people, but
majority of the clientele are straight people including
many women. Famous Turkish singers and popular
Turkish DJ's offer performances in the venue.
The venues in below section have little or no visible gay scene, but gay people can feel more comfortable then other straight venues..
The venues which no longer exist
Following venues has been closed-down completely for
various reasons. We are listing them just to let people
know because some of them are still being listed on many other
internet websites and gay guide books, including
Spartacus and Google maps. Please note that
Istanbulgay.Com is published by
local gay people living in Istanbul and updated
instantly
with the latest information about the gay venues in
Istanbul which you can not find anywhere else.
Chaplin Cafe - In August 2021 it was bought by
the
rival gay cafe, Mor Kedi
Durak Pub - Closed during Covid 19 period.
Club 17
- Closed during Covid 19 period.
Haspa Club
- They
moved to Bodrum in 2019
Prive / NoName Club - Closed in September
2018.
Following gay venues has been closed-down at least 5 years ago
some of which may still be listed on some
international gay websites:
Yesil Bizans,
Queen, Dejavu, Barbahce,
Kutu Bar, Club 14 (Ceylan's), Machine,
Club 12, Shake-in Bar, Degirmen Pub, Ajda Club, Secret
Club, Exit Club, Purple Club, Gabile Club, Hot Point (TT'S)
Cafe, B Club, Bubble, Pincur's Cafe, Tantana Bar,
Altenatif Club, Oz Club, Club 99, Hans Bar, Telve, Club
Barisik. Rouge Bar, Elysion, Inside Cafe, Prive Club,
OtherSide, Frappe Cafe, Ekoo Club, Neo Club, Sugar Cafe
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