8 Best Bars in The Central and Southern Aegean Coast, Turkey

Surrounded by a forest of sailboat masts, this is the first place both Bodrum locals and Turkish tourists will recommend for a night out. The good live music (jazz, classical, retro oldies, Turkish pop, etc.) is as diverse as the age groups that come to listen, and the three distinct dining areas plus a cafe give a full night's entertainment. The two dining areas to each side of the stage and bars (Gozo with Spanish flavors and Coozini with Italian-Mediterranean) stay open year round. The upper open-air terrace dining area with has a Turkish and seafoods menu and terrific views of the marina, but it closes in winter.

By day it's a restaurant and by night it's a pub, open until 2 am. It's popular with expats and a mixed crowd of businesspeople and students.

Rock classics are the soundtrack at this small but popular bar on a very lively bar corner in Bodrum’s central market area. It’s been around since 1992 and shows no signs of stopping.

This upscale bar with DJ and live Turkish pop acts is open into the early morning hours later than other Barlar Sokağı establishments of central Bodrum. It's house in a large two story building with high ceiling, once a warehouse for mandarins and sponges, with elaborate lighting shows, and seats on decks overlooking the bay and a view to the Bodrum castle.

A Bodrum institution, the small and quaint "Blue Bar" occupies century-old premises and features live Turkish music—some of Turkey's most prominent rock stars have appeared here, and new names still begin here. Chairs and tables spill out into the pedestrian street with a very relaxed vibe.

The DJs at this popular, if pricey, beach club spin music from the 1970s through the '90s, which is appropriate because this place has been around for 30 years. Partying goes 'til the wee hours of the morning, with live music acts featured a couple of nights a week. The food isn't bad, either.

A semi-alternative crowd hangs out at this bar on one of Alsancak's popular nightlife streets, taking in live jazz and alternative music events, standup comedy, and talk shows,  and ordering off the international menu in the family-friendly café area.

Decorated with walls full of books and colorful souvenirs of the owners' global wanderings, this hip "travelers' café and bar" in Alsancak—now part of a popular Turkish chain—has made a name for itself with a keenly priced international menu (from Turkish breakfast to pad Thai to steak with oyster sauce) and a merry round of theme nights, quiz nights, and happy hours, with a wide range of cocktails on offer.