Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

GAY CLUB KLEIN ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0212-291 8440; Cebel Topu Sokak 4, Harbiye; cover ₺ 50; h 11pm-4am Fri & Sat; m Taksim) LOVE DANCE POINT ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0212-232 5683; www.lovedp.net; Cumhuriyet Caddesi 349, Harbiye; h 11.30pm-5am Fri & Sat; m Taksim or Osmanbey) Well into its second decade, LDP is the most Europhile of the local gay venues, hosting gay musical icons and international circuit parties. Hard cutting techno is thrown in with gay anthems and Turkish pop. The place attracts the well travelled and the unimpressionable, as well as some straight hipsters from nearby Nişantaşı. REINA ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0212-259 5919; www.reina.com.tr; Muallim Naci Caddesi 44, Ortaköy; h 7pm-5am; g Ortaköy) Gazing up at the Bosphorus Bridge from the waterfront, Reina claims it is ‘a meeting point for international statesmen, a location where businessmen sign agreements worth billions of dollars and where world stars enjoy their meals’. In reality, it’s where İstanbul’s C-list celebrities congregate, its nouveaux riches flock and where an occasional tourist gets past the doorperson to ogle the spectacle. SORTIE ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0212-327 8585; www.sortie.com.tr; Muallim Naci Caddesi 54, Kuruçeşme; h 7pm-late; g Şifa Yurdu) Behind its high walls, Sortie has long vied for the title of reigning queen of the Golden Mile, nipping at the heels of its rival dowager Reina. It pulls in the city’s glamour pusses and poseurs, all of whom are on the lookout for the odd celebrity guest. Its six restaurants open in summer give extra reasons to sortie. CLUB CLUB