Izmir - the birthplace of Homer - is Turkey’s third most populous
city. Unlike Istanbul and Ankara, Izmir is not very cosmopolitan. Its people are
known to be more liberal and western-oriented compared to other Turkish cities.
The gay scene in
Izmir has become increasingly visible over the years. There are
several bars and clubs that cater to LGBT people, and they have been operating
since the early 90s.
Ehli Keyif Bar
(20:00-24:00 or 02:00)
850 Sokak, No:43 Kemeralti, Konak
/ Izmir
Ehlikeyif.html
(Click for guest reviews, location map
and more)
Ehli Keyif was opened in early April 2011 as a
gay-exclusive cafe & bar and its has been one of the
major meeting point for local gay men living in Izmir
since then. During the weekdays and on Friday
nights
it is open from 20:00 until midnight. On Saturday nights
they can stay open as late as 04:00 a.m depending on how
busy it gets and when the clients starts leaving. The
venue is more popular among local gay bears and
straight-acting gay men and the prices are very
reasonable compared to other LGBT clubs in Izmir; around
3-5 $ for local drinks. The bar is located in historical
shopping district Kemeraltı, not far from Konak square
and famous Izmir Clock tower. Location at Google Maps
can be misleading.
Please click here for the webpage dedicated to
Ehli Keyif for more detailed location info, because
it is not easy to find when you go first time.
Red Raw Club (23:00 -
05:00)
1471 Sokak, No: 45/A, Alsancak, Izmir
Redraw.html
(Click for guest reviews, location map
and more)
The Redraw Club was established in the same location where the Ka Club used to
operate. Not much has changed except for the club’s name. The clientele
primarily includes regular transvestites, their admirers, as well as some
rent-boys and gay men. Before visiting the
Redraw Club, we recommend reading the guest comments and following the
detailed location instructions on the
dedicated
webpage and Google Maps.
Queer
Parties in Izmir
Lilith Queer Disco
&
Fagtasia.co
There are various groups organizing LGBT+ and friendly parties in different
venues in Izmir. Please visit the social media accounts listed above to follow
the queer parties and events in Izmir.
Click here to share your experiences, to add or remove any venues.
Following venues have been recommended by our website's visitors as gay friendly
venues / meeting points.
Defne Cafe &
Bar
- 1452 (Can Yücel) Sokak No 15/B, Alsancak, Izmir.
Starbucks
Alsancak - Ali Çetinkaya Bulv. No:22, Alsancak, Izmir
Starbucks
Kordon - Atatürk Cad. No:198/A, Alsancak, Izmir
Here are some other none-gay bars and clubs in Izmir that we can recommend
Maze Bar
- Alsancak.
212 Alsancak Bar -
Asancak
Buster Club
- Alsancak
Hangout
Cure - Bornova
Maze Social
Pub Bornova
Click here to share your experiences, to add or remove any venues
In Turkey, some erotic movie theaters are frequented by local gay
men even though they are not necessarily very
gay-friendly venues. These cinemas would be open during the
day time, roughly between 11 a.m and 9 p.m. Majority of
visitors would be middle aged and mature men though
younger guys might also visit often. They would be
busier on Saturday afternoons and all day on Sundays. It
might be hard to locate them on your first visit,
because they mostly don’t have visible signboards on the
main streets and the entrance doors are inside
passageways or back streets. So, you need to look a
little carefully to find them.
Attention: The places listed in this category are
not gay venues. Their staff isn't always very gay-friendly either. They are open to the general
public, and they can also be visited by heterosexual
men. For these reasons, discretion and confidentiality
are recommended.
Ipek Cinema
Gaziler Caddesi, No: 113, Basmane, Konak, Izmir / Turkey.
Ipek Sinemasi is open as of November 2016 at this new address, in place of
former Safak Sinemasi. It is a pretty small venue and not as liberal as the
previous blue movie theaters in
Izmir. It is less than half a km away from
Basmane train station / metro station, on the left had side of Gaziler street,
under the small Kent Hotel building. The movies are bad and the entrance fee is
fairly cheap. Remember that, in these kinds of erotic movie cinemas you need to
pay a small tip to the staff inside in addition to the entrance ticket, roughly
some % 20 of the ticket price.
Click here to share your experiences, to add or remove any venues.
Some saunas and hammams are visibly frequented by local
gay men even though they are not necessarily very
gay-friendly venues. These venues are open during the
day time, roughly until around 10pm. Unlike the gay bars
and clubs, the majority of clients in these bathhouses
would be middle aged and mature men.
Attention: The places listed in this category are
not gay venues. Their staff isn't always very gay-friendly either. They are open to the general
public, and they can also be visited by heterosexual
men. For these reasons, discretion and confidentiality
are recommended.
Istankoy Hamami
917 Sokak No:6,
Kemeralti, Konak, Izmir - Turkey
TurkishBathGuide.com/ Istankoy
The sign-board reads Kemeralti Tarihi Hamami (Historical
bath of Kemeralti). The hamam is located somewhere
behind the Salepcioglu Mosque. Kemeralti is historical
part of Izmir's central district of Konak, a
traditional shopping quarter with narrow streets housing
cinemas, cafes, spice shops, souvenir shops and many
others.
Click here for more information and reviews about
this hammam.
Click here to share your experiences, to add or remove any venues.
Cruising spots are not as crowded as they once used to be before the Internet
era, especially after mobile apps became popular. Although there may still be
some gay men in these places, usually after dark; it is advisable to be a little
cautious especially in parks and secluded beaches. It is recommended that you do
not carry very valuable items or large amounts of money with you, just in case.
Here are some possible outdoor cruising areas in
Izmir
Parachuse Tower - The parks in the vicinity of the tower in
Kultur Park area.
Izmir Kordon
- Alsancak waterfront
Konak Square - The city center
Muammer Aksoy Park - Karşıyaka, Izmir.
Altınkum - Çeşme. The isolated parts after passing
by the busy public beaches. Occasional nude bathing observed.
Çeşme Tekke
Plajı - Public beach in Cesme, some 90 km from
downtown Izmir.
Delikli Koy
- Alacati, Çeşme. Accessible with private cars and boats only.
Click here to share your experiences, to add or remove any place.
Other Beaches in Izmir
Foca Beaches
Foça is a lovely small town some 70 kilometers north of Izmir
located on the Aegean Sea, It's local populations is
around 40 thousand people but in the summer time it goes
up to 70 thousand with mostly Turkish and some foreign
holiday makers who prefer this area for its natural
beauties, crystal clear waters. Some of Foca's bays are rewarded with the Blue
Flag, securing the clean waters of an area in the Mediterranean. Most of these
coves are along Mersinaki region and run by hotels in the vicinity.
Pamucak
Pamucak beach is in Selcuk town, just at the border of
Izmir province and Kusadasi, 5 km from world-wide famous
ruins of Ephesus ancient city, and also called as
"Ephesus beach" by some people. Pamucak Beach, is about
11 kms in length. The beach, is sandy and has a clear
water. It is very suitable place for water-sports and
camping. The Pamucak region has also a camping area, aqua park, forest rest area
covered with red pine woods 10 km from Selcuk – Kusadasi highway.
Karaburun
Another seaside town out of Izmir city. Karaburun region
is comparatively much less visited than Cesme although
it provides an anticlimax to its southern neighbor and
the associated attractions especially for those who want
to escape the trails of mass tourism. The district's
administrative zone is bordered by the districts of
Cesme and Urla in its south and faces the Greek island
of Chios.
Cesmealtı
Cesmealti, a part of Urla district of Izmir is about 36
km. away from Konak; which is a lively and natural
tourism center. The long beaches which stretches from
Cesmealti to Içmeler cause the regions population to
expand by two or three times during the summer months.
The Urla Camp Municipality Beach, the natural beaches
and swimming pools of some holiday villages located in
Cesmealti serve tourists all season long.
Click here to share your experiences, to add or remove any place.
Genc LGBTI Dernegi -
Genclgbti.org/
Click here for detailed information about
gay
life in Turkey, solidarity movement and LGBTQ
solidarity organizations.
Unfortunately there are no explicitly gay-friendly hotels in Izmir. Therefore,
we will recommend some ordinary hotels based on their location, guests
satisfaction and prices.
You can make Instant
reservation via online & secure system of
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cancellation and discounted options are available.
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No
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The reservation, payment and cancellation
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Click here for recommended Izmir hotels carefully selected for
our gay and lesbian visitors.
Click here to remove or add new
gay friendly hotels.
Please click here for a brief information about
Izmir including historical places, major districts,
museums and other places of historical and touristic
importance.
