Gay Istanbul guide

Gay Istanbul

This is the Istanbul gay guide by Nighttours.com. Istanbul is a very, very big city, with a population of over 12 million. The gay life in the city is probably the best way to experience Istanbul's highly cosmopolitan atmosphere and diverse cultural fabric that is stretched from East to West.

Thanks to the diligent work of gay rights organisations, a strong gay identity in the Western sense has been developing in Istanbul, but you can also have a taste of the older, traditional gay life of decadence. Once you start bar-hopping around Taksim you'll see that in some gay venues, trendy youngsters play cool and show off their buff bodies, while in others, burly and hairy Turkish men cruise around for something to stick it into.

Nighttours lists all gay clubs, gay bars, men saunas, hamams and gay parties in trendy gay Istanbul, so you know where to go and when in one of the most exotic cities in the world. Just Come Out and Party!

Emrecan Özen takes you deep into mysterious Istanbul, the city where West meets East and which is becoming more and more popular with gay visitors. Visit famous places like the Haya Sophia or the Blue Mosque or stroll the Turkish Bazaars. Istanbul has a trendy gay (friendly) nightlife with many contemporary restaurants, bars and clubs. Or relax and enjoy a typical Turkish bathhouse, the hamam.

Book your hotel

We selected some hotels in and around Istanbul. You can directly book these hotels with booking.com. Nighttours provides an interactive hotel map of Istanbul so you can find your hotel as close to the gay places as possible.

Istanbul hotels