Istanbul's Gay Cruising Spots, Meeting Points, Mobile Apps

Cruising spots and gay meeting points in Istanbul

Gay Friendly Meeting Points

Around Taksim Square, several venues serve as meeting spots for gay men during the daytime and early evenings. Many gay men visit these places before heading to bars and clubs, and some come here to connect with others. It’s important to note that the managers and staff at these venues may not be particularly LGBTQ-friendly. Additionally, you might encounter rent boys and well-known hustlers from the Taksim district in and around these locations, so exercise caution when meeting new people. Below, we’ve listed the most popular meeting points from recent years.

EspressoLab Taksim
Istiklal Avenue, No: 15, Taksim, Istanbul.
This is the Taksim branch of a coffee house chain located on Istiklal Avenue, near Taksim Square. You can often see several gay men sitting at the tables facing Istiklal Avenue, but the terrace floor is particularly popular among them. Although it is not a designated gay-friendly venue, the terrace can be overwhelmingly gay during weekend nights, typically attracting trendy, younger Turkish gay men. Overall, it offers a safe environment.

Simit Sarayi Taksim
Tarlabası Bulvari No: 6 Taksim Square, Istanbul.
This is the Taksim branch of a well-known Turkish-owned tea house chain. On the upper floor, overlooking Taksim Square, you’ll find many community members, including straight-acting gay men, bears, and a notable number of Taksim’s resident rent-boys. Be aware that there is another Simit Sarayi branch on the opposite side of Taksim Square, so use the Google Map link to ensure you go to the correct one

Taksim Park Beltur Cafe
Taksim Park, Beyoğlu, Istanbul.
Beltur Cafe is situated in the back corner on the Bosphorus side of Taksim Park. You might encounter a few gay individuals here, typically in the afternoons and evenings. It’s important to note that this is primarily an open-air venue serving the general public, with gay patrons being a small minority. The cafe operates on a self-service basis, and the drink prices are quite affordable. It closes at 10 PM and also features a small indoor section.

Istiklal Shopping Mall
Istiklal Caddesi, Beyoglu, Istanbul.
This shopping mall is situated in the heart of the renowned Istiklal Avenue. Particularly on the terrace and top floors, you’ll find fast-food restaurants and coffee shops where you might occasionally encounter local gay men. During unfavorable winter weather, it serves as a refuge

Burger King Taksim
Istiklal Caddesi No:1 Taksim, Istanbul
It is perfectly located facing Taksim square and right at the start of the bustling Istiklal Avenue. It is a quick meeting point for gay and lesbian people but there is no visible gay-scene, since the venue attracts everyone because of its location.

Gay Cruising Areas in Istanbul

Unfortunately, gay cruising places are not as busy as they used to be since the widespread use of the internet and cell phones, especially after gay mobile applications were launched. As in other big cities around the world, cruising areas, especially isolated parks, are where people should be a little cautious with the people they come across. It’s important to take precautions to ensure your safety. We recommend that you do not carry your valuable things on you when you go to outdoor cruising places, just in case.

Please also read our main page for general safety warnings

Taksim Park
Gezi Park, situated near Taksim Square, is a well-known spot. The area closer to the sea is more likely to attract 'cruising,' particularly after dark. It gets busier on Sunday afternoons and Saturday evenings. However, we advise caution for foreign visitors and newcomers unfamiliar with the local gay culture.

Taksim Square
People sitting on the fences around the monument at the very center of the square might be gay or bi-curious guys interested in meeting gay men, but remember it is also a gathering place for some tourist hustlers and rent-boys.

Istiklal Avenue
Istiklal Avenue, a bustling pedestrian street stretching approximately 2 kilometers, begins at Taksim Square, gently winds through the Galatasaray district, and culminates at Tunel. This lively street serves as a vital link between Taksim Square and numerous gay venues tucked away in the surrounding backstreets. As you stroll along Istiklal, keeping your ‘gaydar’ alert, you’re likely to encounter gay, bisexual, and bi-curious individuals. However, it’s essential to note that this isn’t a cruising spot by design.

Aksaray Muratpasa Park
Muratpasa Park is a cruising and gathering spot for bears and other gay men. Unlike other cruising parks this is a busy park with straight people normally with many cafe houses in the vicinity, but mostly straight acting, bear gay man are also always around, usually sitting on benches around the pool.

Fatih Saraçhane Park
Saraçhane Park lies in close proximity to Aksaray, adjacent to the administrative building of Istanbul Municipality. Interestingly, there are several parks on both sides of the street. The cruising activity primarily centers around the parks near the remnants of the Roman church known as Polyeuktos. If you’re arriving from Taksim, alight at the Sarachane bus stop (located under the street), just before reaching Aksaray, and ascend the steps. Notably, its popularity has waned since 2016 due to the removal of benches by the municipality and increased lighting in the vicinity. Additionally, the advent of mobile apps has led to a general decline in cruising spots.

Sarayburnu
Sarayburnu (Seraglio Point) is coastal area behind Topkapi Palace with respect to Sultanahmet. It is a waterfront by the coastal road, covered with big rocks and concrete waterfront. There is no visible gay scene here also. There are single people or groups of guys drinking and young ghetto boys swimming and lying on the rocks in summer time. Some local gay men hang out here frequently in Summer. If your hotel is in Sultanahmet, you can try this place for a couple of hours in early evenings, at least to get a little sun tan. Do not stay long after dark.

Kadikoy Parks
Kadikoy is the major residential district on the Asian side of Istanbul. The coastal area, the parks near Kadikoy > Besiktas Iskelesi (the older ferry pier in Kadikoy) and the breakwater are historically well-known gay cruising areas in the evening. You can get to Kadikoy from Eminonu, Karakoy and Kabatas piers by ferryboats, with a journey lasting about 20-30 minutes. Unless you are only into outdoor cruising, this is not the place worth spending time for tourists who visit the city for a few days.

Check out our Online LGBT Map for exact locations of gay cruising spots in Istanbul

Gay Mobile Applications in Turkey

Istanbul Gay Beach

The most popular dating app in Turkey is Hornet among Turkish LGBTQ people since Grindr was banned for not filtering pornographic content. Nowadays, almost every Turkish gay man, as well as many transgender people, rent-boys and bisexual men are there on Hornet. A less popular mobile dating application especially among Turkish gay bears is Growlr as expectedly. Naturally, you should be a little careful if you date someone via gay dating applications, just like anywhere else in the world. You can also come across many rent-boys on these dating applications.

Cruising Cinemas & Blue Movies

There are no gay movie cinemas or movie theaters in Istanbul, unfortunately. Previously, there were about a dozen erotic movie cinemas frequented by men in Istanbul, which were all closed down one after the other in the mid-2010s. This was mostly because the internet and the smartphone era have affected these venues negatively, and the owners turned them into regular movie theaters.