Nightlife in Turkey

For wild nightlife experience you need to make a beeline for Istanbul or the Turkish resorts on the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts. During the summer all the big resorts boom and thump to the sound of bars and discos, many of them outdoor. Action rarely kicks off until at least 11pm and then goes on until 4am – or whenever the last patron drops.

In resorts like Bodrum, Marmaris, and Antalya, super-cool dance clubs rub shoulders with much tackier drinking holes. Recently Istanbul has developed entire bar complexes, much to the outrage of local residents and the more sniffy high-brow newspaper columnists, who love to photograph the super-rich at play alongside pictures of earthquake victims or homeless street children. In most cities and towns there are nightclubs of Western or Oriental style, where you can find variety of music, dancing, and alcohol. In the major cities (Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir) and several other towns there are theatres, and concerts are also often held. Most towns have cinemas where you can begin your spare night. Dining in taverns that Turkish people call meyhane, where traditional food is accompanied by folk music and dancing, is also a common and pleasant way to spend your night.

Legal drinking age: 18