TURKEY - Istanbul for a gay weekend - any tips / hotel suggestions etc guys ?

[Nirish guy]

A gay friend and I are ( against my better judgement it has to be said ) heading to Turkey in June for a long weekend, I know very little about the place so any help / tips would be appreciated.

I see from the little that I've read or found online that the area around Taksim Square is where a lot / all ? of the gay bars, clubs and action is based, accordingly assuming this is correct can anyone maybe suggest a suitable gay friendly hotel in that area and any suggestion of where we should go - including as well as the gay stuff re the bars / guys / scams etc also any of usual the normal non gay tours and site things that should be a must do to for during the day would be great too.

Thanks in anticipation.

[Marsilius]

Be cautious in Taksim Square itself. It used to be - and probably still is - a place for money boys. A friend of mine went off with one of them who then pulled a knife and robbed him.

Apart from that incident, we had a great time there. Fabulous city and - at least before the advent of the current religiously inclined Turkish government - it had a lively gay scene.

[Nirish guy]

Thank you, I'll certainly bare that in mind.

We're now all sorted for our hotel, my friend found a nice 3 star Ibis Styles hotel, with a clean, modern room, right in the centre and beside all the action and for only £30 a night !

So, now it's just a case of where to go and what to do, both gay wise and other wise, we are thinking of hiring a local gay guide for a 4 hour outing with them ( £50 or so it seems) just so he can help us quickly get our bearings so we avoid wasting time on where to go and where not to go.

So, again apart from that any suggestions, tips or advice from anyone is always welcome.

[fountainhall]

Istanbul is a fabulous city. First suggestion is read up on at least some of its history before you depart. From the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine, it has been one of the most remarkable of any city you can visit.

Second, you don't need a guide! Get the DK Eyewitness Top Ten Travel Guide Istanbul. It is as good a guide as you need. It's the condensed version of the larger DK Eyewitness Travel Guide for Istanbul, but you are only there for a few days and you'd save a few £s with the smaller version. That said, the maps in the larger volume are far better.

For getting around, there is a tram system that take you from near your hotel across the bridge to the main sites. The hotel will tell you how to get tickets. Most sites you will want to see are on the other side of the Golden Horn and the tram takes you almost to the doors. Ones you HAVE to see are -

1. Seraglio Point, Topkapi Palace. It's a huge conglomeration of fascinating buildings, including the Sultan's harem (although I think it costs a little extra and visits there were at set times when I was last in Istanbul). As you reach the north-east point furthest from the entrance, you'll see a restaurant. Go down the steps at the side to the open air coffee shop and sit looking over the sea with some coffee and baklava! A great way to refresh the batteries.

2. Sultanahmet. Not far from the Palace are two magnificent buildings - the vast Haghia Sophia and at the other end of the lovely little square, the Blue Mosque. Construction of the former was started in the mid-6th century and it has since then withstood invasions and earthquakes to remain as the city's most amazing structure. Originally an Orthodox Cathedral (you can still see some of the early mosaics on the upper level), it was converted to a mosque when the Ottoman Turks conquered the city in 1453. Its sheer size is breathtaking. The Blue Mosque is also huge and gets its name from the use throughout of the famous Iznik tiles. Both structures look especially stunning as dusk falls. Also in this area is the Basilica Cistern where you are taken underground to see the amazing Byzantine water cistern with the roof held up by hundreds of columns.

3. The Bazaar Quarter. You have to see the Grand Bazaar for its sheer size. Not far away is the Suleymaniye Mosque, the city's most important, with the splendid tomb of Sultan Suleymaniye in a small structure within the grounds. Also in this area is one of the main Universities. Not sure if any of the guys might be looking for hook-ups, but the eye candy might be worth it. From here you can also get the tram to the old city walls - not really so impressive apart from their amazing thickness. They withstood massive bombardment by the Fourth Christian Crusade (its leader, the octogenarian Archbishop Dandolo of Venice, partly succeeded which is why some of the city's artefacts can now be seen in Venice) and then were finally breached in 1453.

4. Again by tram, you can get off just after you cross the bridge. It's fun to watch the men fishing from the bridge and all boats loading and unloading gazzilions of people. From there, take a morning or afternoon ferry ride up the Bosphorus where you are literally sailing in between two continents. On your left you will pass Dolmabahce Palace, the opulent home of the last Sultans. On your return the Palace is on your hotel's side and it's well worth a visit.

5. Beyoglu. Your hotel should be here or near here. Walk to the 62 meter high round-topped Galata Tower built around 1350. Either walk up or get the lift up to the top and you will have glorious views around the city. Forget the restaurant there - too tatty and too expensive! Nearby, if you fancy a trip down memory Lane, there is the famous Pera Palace Hotel which originally catered to tourists coming in on the Orient Express. Agatha Christie stayed there for a while. It's been totally redone up as a luxury hotel since I last looked inside, but there used to be some interesting art deco and nice Patisserie for coffee and a cake - probably way too expensive now.

Sorry I can't help re nightlife! I'll put a few pics in the next post as this is already long!

[fountainhall]

Istanbul Pics (1)

View of Sultanahmet
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Haghia Sophia
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Interior of Haghia Sophia
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Blue Mosque
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Blue Mosque Interior
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[fountainhall]

Istanbul Pics (2)

Dolmabahce Palace from Bosphorus
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Galata Tower
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View from Top of Tower
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[fountainhall]

Correction: The trip up the Bosphorus will be a standard tour boat - not a ferry. However, if it's a sunny day, you should also take a short ferry ride over to the Asian side in the late afternoon. There have a drink or a coffee and watch the sun setting behind Haghia Sophia and rest of the city. It's a hugely impressive sight.

[Nirish guy]

Fountainhall thank you very much for the detailed and really useful advice and suggestions abd pics above, I will absolutely use them as part of our suggested itinerary with my friend. Looks like a lovely City and I'm actually starting to look forward to my trip now a little (which was one week ago I certainly wasn't so much).

Many thanks again for your time and efforts putting that all together for me.

[Marsilius]

Nearby, if you fancy a trip down memory Lane, there is the famous Pera Palace Hotel which originally catered to tourists coming in on the Orient Express. Agatha Christie stayed there for a while. It's been totally redone up as a luxury hotel since I last looked inside, but there used to be some interesting art deco and nice Patisserie for coffee and a cake - probably way too expensive now.

Before its renovation to luxury standards, the Pera Palace was a great - and affordable - place to stay. A rickety old cage lift ran up through the atrium, operated by traditionally uniformed boys who loved to flirt - and, occasionally, more.

[Surfcrest]

I was in Turkey a year and a half ago. It's a beautiful city, I stayed down in the Old Quarter. I don't think I could eat another kabob.

The various bombing events happened after that including one near Taksim Square. It seems like it's continuing, so I'd exercise some caution.

There's a great cheap eats shawarma place just down from the Burger King called Çılgın Dürüm I highly recommend. (See Photo)

Surfcrest


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[goji]

Well it's been 7 years since I've been to Istanbul. It's an outstanding city, but the gay scene was a let down.

As stated previously, the trams and your feet will get you to the obvious destinations. You could just purchase the pdf of the LP guide for Istanbul.
Obviously you will be visiting the Blue Mosque, the Bazaar and the palace.

There are some Turkish saunas. One was reported has having rent boys, but as 90% of the reviews were from people who were more or less scammed, I passed on that.
In one of the others, there was a beautiful stone domed roof, but not much to look at in terms of customers inside. The guy running the place hassled me for a tip, which wasn't really deserved since the place was not clean and the towels had a manky smell. I stupidly tipped him the equivalent of about £2 and he complained it wasn't enough.
TOP TIP: Don't tip the bastard.

Most of the rent boys around Taksim were obvious scammers and agressive top only types. The only exception turned out to have an ID showing he was a few months younger than he claimed, so that didn't go anywhere either.
I googled and visited a few disappointing bars & 2 gay discos. One was reported as having rent boys, but in that bar, the only two likely candidates were a couple of gorgeous lads who seemed to be with a local sugar daddy. They certainly didn't want to talk to me.
I think you will need to use google for up to date information.

One other memorable scam was some shoe shine guy who "accidentally" drops his brush. Being a kind considerate type, I pick it up & hand it to him. I get offered a "free" shoe shine. During this, I hear a very slick monalogue describing how his wife & 5 children are all disabled and in hospital. Of course I end up paying something for the shoe shine. Not breaking the bank, but a lot more than the few coins the locals chip in.
Anyway, if this happens, keep walking.....

[fountainhall]

One more scam to watch out for is run by taxi drivers. Be extremely careful of your cash and how you give it to them. On my first trip when there were around 1.6 million Turkish Lira to US$1, a taxi back to the hotel was around $4. The driver stopped close to the hotel, but not at the front door. He turned around and put out his hand. I passed him a 10 million note and waited for the change. In a flash he turned away and then turned back holding his empty hand out. I owed him more, he said. He then thrust his other hand to me showing a 5 million note in it. Confused by all the zeros, I just assumed I had given him 5 mill. instead of 10. So I gave him a 5 mill note and got my change. Only later in the hotel did I realise my mistake. It happened twice more, but I now was aware of the scam and insisted on slowly counting the bills as I handed them over. No problem then with getting the change.

[goji]

Another option is to use the buses, trams, metro & ferry, so you stay well away from scam taxi drivers.
I travelled in from the airport on the Asian side by bus and ferry. I think the main airport on the European side has a metro connection.

[Nirish guy]

Thanks for the advice and tips guys, all appreciated and duly noted.

[Surfcrest]

I never used a taxi in Istanbul. The Tram runs to all the best points on the European side. From the Galata Bridge, it's an easy walk up the hill past Galata Tower and down Kemeralti to Taksim Square. You can grab any boat waiting on the Old Quarter side for one of many Bosphorus River Tours. I quite enjoyed the Whirling Dervishes, but not everyone would.

Here's some extra photos from my collection including a unique one of the mosque roof tops, taken from an open window at Hagia Sophia.

Enjoy,
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Surfcrest

[Moses]

The same here: we use trams and buses, they are working great, at stops you see what time you have to wait till next car arriving.

Some photos

Early morning in Istanbul

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Historical tram on line Taksim - Tunel at Isticlal street

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Modern tram on the bridge over Golden Horn gulf btw Eminonu and Karakoy districts

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Street vendor at the same bridge

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View on Karakoy district

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[Nirish guy]

So just a quick update as I'm currently in the middle of my turkey trip.

So on one hand it's great and the people in general a lot friendly than I expected. We've ticked off most of the main tourist to do things and they were suitably impressive ( if you're into that sort of thing - which I'm generally not usually).

The gay bars are "different in that they're just a small room usually with a few tables in them and a few / little other customers and not much else ! Saying that we were welcomed warmly in all of them.

Unfortunately the government have decided to ban the gay pride parade here later this month and today there's a protest parade in taskim square ( which I'm going to ) and I'm not exaggerating in saying there are several thousand police lining the main tourist street and square, complete with riot squads, MANY water cannon trucks, gas masks, tear gas launchers and a lot of other hardware - all aimed at and to ensure the gays don't get holding their protest - it happened last year and 11 people were killed by Police at it and 810 injured :-(. Gay rights most certainly aren't a given thing here yet :-(

Aside from that the guys on the streets and in the gay clubs are HOT - and plentiful - and a lot up for it too :-) and many money boys everywhere too - albeit ranging in price from taxi money boys ( maybe £20) to around £100 seems the norm and some even £250 !!!

So, assuming I don't get shot or arrested in here until Tuesday and am actually enjoying myself much more than I thought i would ! :-)

[goji]

Aside from that the guys on the streets and in the gay clubs are HOT - and plentiful - and a lot up for it too :-) and many money boys everywhere too - albeit ranging in price from taxi money boys ( maybe £20) to around £100 seems the norm and some even £250 !!!

So, assuming I don't get shot or arrested in here until Tuesday and am actually enjoying myself much more than I thought i would ! :-)

Now is your Gaydar better at finding rent boys than mine (very possible), or is it just because we were looking for a different type of boy ?
I tend to take no interest in any fairly assertive tops, as I want a cute smooth bottom boy who knows his place.

[dinagam]

Are the Muslim gay Turks still active during the month of Ramadan?

[Nirish guy]

Goji - I don't know where you were looking but the apps are FULL of money boys - to the point of "would you ever fuck off and stop bothering me" as every other - no almost EVERY guy I spoke to online ( on hornet at least) were money boys of the type you describe. There is also plenty of up for it fun for free ( or taxi money) boys in the clubs too and also as hot and twinkly as hell too, so I would imagine it would be hard to go without on a trip there if you were actively looking for some company.

Dingagam - As i haven't been there before I can't say what the activity was like outside of Ramadan but I think I can safely say ( without saying to much as my every so smart BF reads this forum way to often for my good it seems :-) - but yes I think I can safely confirm that Muslim gay turks remain active ( and passive :-) during Ramadan - or so I'm told anyway cough cough :-)

[Nirish guy]

Oh and the same can be said for the extremist muslim brigade too who decided to remain active there too it seems as they and the police attacked a very small gay / trans protest ( which was no more than a maximum of 100 young people unfurling one rainbow flag in the street outside their local small gay bar) but this was enough to insult them / Allah apparently ( wow, how touchy must HE be eh !)

This the then lead to the police firing tear gas and rubber pellet guns into and at the gay people and where one Muslim shopkeeper I ended up having lets say quite a difference of opinion, one where I was threatened with arrest (by him not the police who he believed would do his bidding in a heart beat and so he was keen to translate what I was saying to him ( basically that I was a lovely gay guy full of love and that he was a hateful spite filled cunt!)

Thankfully the police were too busy harassing other local gays and thus left this particular tourist alone at that point. Much it should be said to his annoyance, especially after I corrected him that Turkey was NOT a Muslim country but a Secular one and his opinions were as worthless to me and the many other gay people there as mere shit on my shoe. I was then told / pushed and ordered to vacate the area by him and his cronies "or else" - which at this stage I have to admit I eventually did as spending a few nights of my holiday in jail or hospital didn't so much appeal to me, but only after he was left in no doubt as to my / most gay peoples view of the likes of him - but not ALL Muslims, as they are two very different things I've found. He did seem to bang on a lot about gay people not respecting Ramadam ( by merely existing I think was his point) but didn't seem to grasp the whole respect being a two way street thing, strange that eh.

[Nirish guy]

Thankfully the police were too busy harassing other local gays .

Just realised I should have posted some pics to go with the above.....

[Nirish guy]

Oh the other hand there were enough upsides to make the trip all worthwhile too :-) Apologies, I did try to attach more "interesting" pics too but it appears I'm damned if I can suitably resize them enough to get them to appear :-(
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[goji]

He did seem to bang on a lot about gay people not respecting Ramadam ( by merely existing I think was his point) but didn't seem to grasp the whole respect being a two way street thing, strange that eh.
They vociferous ones never do.
Which is why there is so much of the tension in the world is wherever they are present.
Perhapas Ataturk wisely recognised such risks and promoted a secular society in Turkey.
However, under the current regime, secularism, tolerance & democracy are slowly slipping away in Turkey.

[Nirish guy]

However, under the current regime, secularism, tolerance & democracy are slowly slipping away in Turkey.

They certainly are - under the current regime as you say, however I was heartened to chat to a few local guys online who when I expressed my disgust at what I'd witnessed that day were very much "oh, that's just a normal day for us now, we're very used to that" - which made me sad. HOWEVER when I said that they quickly added "oh but don't worry as it doesn't get us down and half of Turkey, even muslims HATE what's going on and we won't stand for it". So it seems there's plenty of fight left in them yet.

My concern for them would be after seeing the military might the State were and ARE prepared to mobilise against them, even if just a tiny protest is made. I was told afterwards that for every protester there were 10 police men allocated to them, just in that one small area, along with a several hundred more in the surrounding streets, all with heavy armour - against no more than 100 young unarmed gay guys and girls holding a rainbow flag :-(

So, lets hope while you're right that their rights are being slowly eroded that as long as the world keeps watching ( and posting on Facebook etc which I did also) that the regime will have to think twice about shooting them down in the streets - anymore than they already did last year that is ! :-(

[latintopxxx]

Nirish, an really enjoying your posts:))
Have only been to two "arab" countries , Morocco and Turkey and had great sex there, unfortunately they were both very jam packed work trips and I didnt have the opportunity to visit any gay clubs or bars. But apps do work so does good old fashioned cruising.

[RonanTheBarbarian]

HI Nirish.

Fascinating report.

Brave of you to go to the protest on your holiday - I have to confess i would have been too nervous to go near it if I was on holiday in a place like Turkey...

[Nirish guy]

Im glad I went when I did as I noted the police had another dig at the gays the next week too and in a slightly more heavy handed way too ( if that was even possible !) and I don't think my temper would have held at that point.

On the other hand thank GOD I decided to come home last Tuesday night and not this one as it appears that Isis have just attacked the airport with three suicide bombers throwing hand grenades and engaging in a gun attack with upwards of 28 dead and 60 people injured at the last count.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36658187

My english travelling partner had already booked a plane ticket for a return trip (before this happened), but I think I might just give his next trip a pass as there's a difference between being a bit brave and just plain stupid in putting yourself at necessary risk, especially when you're in some way supporting a Government who have zero respect for gay people as things stand it seems.

[Surfcrest]

That's terrible news Nirish, as soon as I heard about it I thought of you. Glad your safe!
Too bad for Turkey and their tourism industry.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/28/europe/turkey-istanbul-airport-attacks/index.html


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1oxJglaXOc

[Nirish guy]

Well between the Syrian issue going on and them downing the Rissian jet ( which I see they eventually issued a grovling apology to the Russians for yesterday in a vein attempt to get them to lit their package tourist ban I think this will add another nail in their almost dead tourist sector now.

Istanbul was I would say running at about 25% capacity tourist wise when we were there, it was VERY noticeable. We went on a full tour thing and everywhere was geared up with automated Queue systems and automated ticket machines and ALL empty and I don't mean 25% full there I mean entry and our guide explained it was the worst trade in 30% and he didn't see it improving for at least another 2 to 3 years minimum.

So yes last night will certainly add to that and I would say they're a very short time away from governments issuing a "do not travel" ban and the only reason they're not for now IS that they need the Turkish Goveenments ( alleged) intelligence suppoet re Syria etc, but how long that goes on for is anyone's guess.

[Moses]

As per report of Turkish union of touristic companies changes of touristic flow at 5 months of 2016 are:

Russia -83%
Japan -61%
Germany -32%
UK -29%

Flow is growing only from 3 countries:
Ukraine +48%
Georgia +19%
Iran +3%

Total is -34.7% from last year flow for first 5 months, hotels booking -40%.

After explosions declining will be even worst.

[fountainhall]

Istanbul will probably be the safest and cheapest city to visit for several months!

[Nirish guy]

You would think - but unfortunately it's neither.

A) Certainly not safe as shown last night abs over the last 6 months and over the last two weekends with masses of riot police on the streets to stop a small gay parade and B) certainly not cheap as beer and alcohol was all quite highly priced everywhere, to the point where we wondered where they adopting the Thai mentality of "no customers so must put prices UP !"

[Nirish guy]

GRRRR - So, in the interests of openness and transparency and assisting my fellow "travellers" - and I'm past being coy or embarrassed about such things, so to finally wrap up my turkey report ( as I intentionally chose not to report some stuff other than the basics based on this being a public forums and certain BF's being known to have a wee read every now and then and saying "you were doing WHAT HOW many times when there" later :-) .........so, my trip it seems has ended up with another side trip - to my local GUM clinic ! It seems that some of the cute Turkish guys should come with a public health warning ( NSI , but the Doc suspects Chlamydia ( hopefully JUST) in this case).

So, needless to say my cute Bf who blew me and more on my arrival home to stay welcome back is just DELIGHTED with me and with his new sore throat and HIS now required trip to the GUM clinic too - so you can guess who's Mr Popular in my house today here ! :-(

And before anyone asks YES I was safe ( always) so it just goes to show you that even when taking care its 's still not a guarantee of "safe sex" as one BJ or whatever ( cough cough ) is enough to set you on the road to the clinic these days it seems.

I mean my god what's the world coming to when you can't even get blown or such like without all this bloody drama :-( Hell it's nearly enough to get one to stop bothering - well, almost.....

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Oh and Tobi let me save you the bother - SG it's all YOUR fault "apparently" and I'm squarely blaming you for my infection when my BF asks :-) Although ( and I don't mean you here in ANY way SG but right enough I wonder what will / would happen if such a box of magic tablets were no longer available to us all to fix said problem(s) - I guess in the words of Nigel Farage "we wouldn't all be laughing now!' :-(

[scottish-guy]

Oh look - Doxycycline - who'da thunk it

:D

[Nirish guy]

Aye but to be fair I did take mine after I attended the clinic and after exposure so I think that makes it just about ok then......

[scottish-guy]

It may make it all right with you-know-who, but tell me - do they shell out in N Ireland for a pee test or is it the cheap "dipstick down the Jap's eye" treatment like here ?

[Nirish guy]

dipstick all the way - although they offered and I took the full range of tests so I also got both pee test, a blood test ( for HIV ) AND a lovely anal swab with two very large cotton buds too no less - nothing but the best for us on the NHS here it seems - that'll be where that 350 million a day went I bet ! :-)

[scottish-guy]

If I'm ever in the position of visiting one of those places again I'm thinking of pretending that I'm really really into "sounding" and that their dipstick will likely give me an enormous orgasm.

I bet I'd get the more expensive pee test for chlamydia then

:yahoo_mini: