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You can click on the headings below to get information about those places. The "VUF" sign
 indicates to places we prefer.
Bar | Disco
| Cafe / Fast Food / Restaurant | Cinema
| Hammam (Bath House) / Sauna | Cruising
Ground
BARS
BARBAHCE(BILSAK)
Siraselviler Ave , Soganci St, #7/1, Cihangir-Beyoglu
0.212.2527361
Entrance: Entrance fee on weekends
Prices: High
Decor/Music: It used to have good music but it's awful these days.
Environment: You might run into a bear type once in while but it's a perfect place to find twinks. Crowded on weekends.
Bearness: +
Opinions: Although we haven't been there, a recent magazine says they've opened the back part and designed it as a Café& Restaurant. We don't have an idea about the prices but the article said they offer various different foods.
BESINCI KAT
Siraselviler Ave , Soganci St, Cihangir-Beyoglu
Entrance: Entrance fee on weekends
Prices: High
Decor/Music: Not bad
Environment: Awesome view. A gay-friendly bar/café where you can find all types of people. One of the last places to look for a bear, though.
Bearness:
-
Opinions: It's in the same building as Barbahçe. It's not a place to look for a bear but a nice place to hang out with friends in a nice environment. Try the delicious entrees.
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DISCOS
TEKYÖN
Huseyinaga Mh. Ekrem Turk Sk. No:14 Beyoglu
Entrance: Entrance fee on weekends
Prices: Almost reasonable but could be cheaper, especially to bears :oP
Decor/Music: A spacious place that has both places to sit and to dance. Bad music but nice environment.
Environment: Definitely a bear place. It is spacious and the air conditioning is mostly adequate but sometimes it gets real hot. Especially on weekends you can meet some nice bears.
Bearness:
+ +
Opinions: Where we feel the most comfortable...
EKO BAR
Tarlabasi Ave, #:248/1 Taksim
0.212 235 87 45
Entrance: Entrance fee on weekends.
Prices: Resonable when compared with others.
Decor/Music: All kinds of music, from Madonna to Ibrahim Tatlises (can be considered as Turkish folk :o).
Environment: A bar/disco that you can dance and drink beer. It's mostly a bear environment but you can easily run into queens and transsexuals. Air condition almost doesn't exist, disgusting bathroom.
Bearness: + +
Opinions: A place that has lost its old charm. It's mostly empty these days even on weekends.
LOVE-DP
Cumhuriyet Ave #349/1
Entrance: Free for gays and lesbians who identify themselves.
Prices: Normal
Decor/Music: Perfect place for techno lovers. Nice and spacious.
Environment: You can find all kinds of gays. Crowded on weekends.
Bearness: 0
Opinions: Nice place.
Web site: www.lovedancepoint.com
PRIVE
Tarlabasi Blvd., #28 TAKSIM
0.212.2357999
Entrance: Entrance fee on weekends.
Prices: Too high.
Decor/Music: Good techo, good Turkish music. Not very spacious but nice air circulation. A disco/bar that has nice sound/lighting design.
Environment: Low bear population.
Bearness:
-
Opinions: A place where we rarely visit due to the clientele and high prices. Nice music, though.
HENGAME: 02:00 -06:00
Istiklal Ave Sahne St #6 Taksim
Entrance: ?
Prices: e have no information on the prices.
Decor/Music: ?
Environment: A spacious place where you can find all types. A place where mostly queens and transexuals hang out.
Bearness:
-
Opinions: Fairly large but too many transsexuals, queens and people who like them around.
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CAFES / FAST-FOODS / RESTAURANTS
SIMITEVI (ex HAN CAFE)
Taksim Square near McDonalds
Prices: Normal
Decor/Music: Ideal to have a conversation. Clean with good airflow.
Environment: Bar and cafeteria parts are popular places for gays, especially on weekends. A café where you can see bears once in a while but mostly gay types.
Bearness:
+
Opinions: A nice, spacious fast food/cafe/bar where you can eat and have a conversation.
BİRAHİ
Taksim Meydani McDonalds' yani
Prices: Normal
Decor/Music: Big pub with good airflow...
Environment: Especially crowded at night and on weekends. It's not
likely to see a bear like it used to be. Suitable place to meet and have a
drink. Foods are tasty.
Bearness: -
Opinions: Lost its old atmosphere after new changes. New look and
attitude is nicer.
SUGAR CAFE
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CINEMAS
Places where curious straight men (yeah, right) go. Mostly they are dark, neglected, smelly places that raise your adrenalin. Good chance of finding bears.
RÜYA SINEMASI
Istiklal Ave #128, Beyoglu. (on the right when coming to Galatasaray High School)
Environment: Has a fairly big theater where you can see a lot of action at the seats on the back. Sometimes there are some homophobic people. We recommend not going there late for the last sessions. You should chose crowded times (noon time, afternoons, and weekends).
GÜNES SINEMASI
Çakiraga Mahallesi, Kürkçübasi Külhan St, #5, Aksaray
Environment: ?
KÖSK SINEMASI
100 m. from Yildiz Sinemasi, Aksaray
Environment: ?
DILBAZLAR SINEMASI
Istiklal Ave, first left from Ayhan Isik St, on the right.
Environment: Two theaters that show both domestic and foreign movies. It has two floors, it is easier to do something on the second floor.
INCI SINEMASI
Halaskargazi Ave, Pangalti Bus Stop, Inci Pasaji
Environment: ?
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HAMMAMS
(BATH HOUSES) / SAUNAS
KÖSK HAMAMI
Yerebatan Ave, Küçükçesme St, Sultanahmet
Prices: ?
Cleanness: Small and neglected.
Service: ?
Environment: ?
Bearness:
?
Opinions: ?
ÇESME HAMAMI
Persembe Pazari Voyvoda Ave, Yeni Çesme St, Karaköy
Prices: Resonable compared to others. You can bargain for the massage prices.
Cleanness: Neglected and dirty.
Service: ?
Environment: The best bathhouse to meet bears. Crowded on weekends.
Bearness: + +
Opinions: Dirty place but it's very open and you can easily find bears.
AQUARIUM (AFRODIT) SAUNA
Istiklal Ave, Ahududu St #29, Beyoglu
Prices: High
Cleanness: Can be considered clean.
Service: A place where you can have sex or have a massage (by twinks). Has a small fitness room and cold-water pool.
Environment: You can find all types of people.
Web Site: www.members.tripod.com/aquarius73
Bearness: 0
Opinions: ?
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CRUISING
Cruising in Istanbul means you should be prepared for a lot of trouble. Fatih and Taksim parks are the most risky places. We can put the possible troubles into three categories:
1- Gangs or single thieves. Their method is to make you go to a deserted place and steal your money. Mostly when you're cruising other members of the gang that you haven't seen before appear.
Solution: Chose people carefully and don't look like a person that has a lot of money.
2- Civil police. They try to catch people in parks when they're not on duty. Whe you say you're gay, they threaten you by showing their ID's (like taking you to police station, or hospital or notifying your family).
Solution: Remind that person about the law, show that person you're not afraid of him, and even threaten him/her about calling some agencies.
3- Police raids when they're on duty (especially Fatih park). Their goal is to clean parks of gays. Even if you don't say you're gay, they have the right to take you to a police station and keep you there for one night. If they find condoms, etc. on you they can even take you to the hospital claiming prostitution.
Solution: Not saying you're gay, not carrying gay-related things like condoms,etc.
CRUISING GROUNDS
- Taksim Park
- Taksim square, around Mc Donalds
- Kadıköy Park (beach)
- Park near Kadıköy Post office
- Fatih Park
(Lots of criminal types, especially the dark passage when you go down the stairs. Be cautious!)
- İstiklal Ave
- Bostancı Beach
- Ortaköy Square
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Husbear,
Papazeus & Bearati
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