Home Destinations Europe Turkey Istanbul Entertainment

Nightlife & the Arts in Istanbul

Read our Istanbul nightlife reviews. Or post your own.

Istanbul Nightlife

Istanbul's nightlife still revolves, in many ways, around its meyhanes, tavern-like restaurants where long nights are spent nibbling on mezes and sipping the anise-flavored spirit raki. The atmosphere at these places—mostly found in the lively Beyoglu area—is jovial, friendly, and worth experiencing. But there are lots of other options, too, again mostly in Beyoglu, which has everything from smoky American-style dive bars to sophisticated lounges, performance spaces that host world-class live acts, and discos and dance clubs. In warm weather, much of the city's nightlife action shifts to the Bosphorus shore, where chic (and pricey) summer-only nightclubs play host to Istanbul's rich and famous, and those who want to rub shoulders with them. More »