Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

pop acts and the occasional male belly dancer.

BAR, CAFE CLUB OFF PERA ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0212-249 2697; Gönül Sokak 14a, Asmalımescit; no cover; h 10pm-4am Tue Sat; m Şişhane, j Tünel) You’ll need to squeeze your way into this tiny club, but once inside your persistence is sure to pay off. The DJs perch on a balcony over the bar and the multi-aged crowd spills out onto the street to smoke and catch its breath. Go on a Tuesday night, when Turkish pop dominates the sound system after midnight. ARAF ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0212-244 8301; www.araf.com.tr; 5th fl, Balo Sokak 32; h 5pm-4am Tue Sun; m Taksim) Grungy English teachers, Erasmus exchange students and Turkishlanguage students have long claimed this as their favoured destination, listening to world music and swilling some of the cheapest club beer in the city. No cover. CLUB URBAN ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0212-252 1325; Kartal Sokak 6a, Galatasaray; h 11am-1am; W ; m Taksim) A tranquil bolt hole in the midst of İstiklal’s mayhem, Urban is where the preclub crowd congregates at night and where many of them can be found kicking back over a coffee during the day. The vaguely Parisian interior is a clever balance of grunge and glamour. TEK YÖN ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; http://clubtekyon.com; 1st fl, Siraselviler Caddesi 63, Taksim; h 10pm-5am; m Taksim) This sleek premises features the city’s largest gay dance floor as well as a garden popular with smokers and cruisers. The core clientele is hirsute and fashionchallenged (and that includes the drag queens). Cuddly bears abound. To find it, look for the ‘İstanbul Club’ sign. GAY