Lipstick chic is the order of the evening at Istanbul's first lesbian bar. The terrace club is all girls; the café/pub, one floor below, is open to everyone...

A recent addition to the ever-changing nocturnal landscape of Balohood (otherwise known as Balo Sokak), Chianti caters mainly to locals who fancy themselves...

One of the few clubs with room to wander and a crowd midweek, Déjà vu is inconspicuously tucked into a side street across from a 24-hour men's health club...

Turkish bears and other earthy types who won't do with the bright lights and thumping electronica of Beyoĸlu gather here in the comparatively more exotic...

Istanbul's only gay venue worthy of the title 'club', Love Point has a full-size dancefloor, a no riff-raff door policy, professional sound system and...

Across from a backstreet lined with tranny brothels, Mon Key is unusually roomy and well-designed for a club of its kind - a pity the management didn't...

What used to be Istanbul's first gay restaurant is now a club, complete with house music, go-go boys and a tiny dancefloor. It's on the fourth floor of an...

An after-hours club that used to mix the slightly sordid with the upmarket, Privé was the place where minor celebrities and socialites could slum in safety....

Chamber of horrors or fun house? Sahra is three floors of get-it-here trannies basking in the tongue-lolling attention of young greasers, drooling hicks and...

Istanbul's first gay café offers smart decor, strong espresso and homemade Turkish sweets. The cafe's handy location and evening crowds make it a good...

Still one of the most happening places in town, able to retain a few bears even as its new sound system, video screen and club tunes have begun packing in...

True to its name, this is a mega club. It features a ballroom-sized chandelier, the biggest bar of the venues in this chapter and two giant beds flanking...

With Xlarge filling up with a straight crowd these days, the owner has opened Xlarge Chicos, an intimate and dimly lit room.

A neighbourhood hamam across from the Azapkapı Mosque at the base of the Atatürk Bridge. As good an introduction to the bathing scene as you'll get...