Published in Time Out Istanbul

July 2006

Summer is upon us, the city is heating up like a baked potato, and we’re all fighting the urge to throw caution to the wind and strip down to our birthday suits. The burning question for the sweltering mid-season is where to go to shed those burdensome clothes, and here we are with the definitive list: beaches, pools, clubs, forests, boats, islands and a nudists’ club: our 20 pointers to getting naked (or as close to as is legally viable) in Istanbul.

1. Swim the Bosporus

It’s been done, by those brave souls bent on defeating the jellyfish, the current and the terrifying mammoth tankers. The closest point between the Asian and European shores is around Rumeli Hisarı, although we advise you take to safety in numbers and go the official route by joining the scores of other sportsmen in skimpy swimwear to swim the 6.5 km from Kanlıca on the Asian side near the Black Sea to Kuruçeşme Park on the European side. The records for this swim are currently 53 minutes for the ladies and 39 minutes for the boys.

2. Hit the beach

Solar beach is one of the most popular destinations up at Kilyos on the Black Sea, only 35 km from the centre of Istanbul. The place has recently undergone a bit of a face lift, promoting a holiday resort-like feel, with its range of eateries from pizza to Chinese and a choice of watersports including banana boating and jetskiing to work off the calories. There are also beach parties in the evening.

Weekdays 6am-4pm, weekends 9am-6pm, entrance weekdays 15YTL, weekends 25YTL.

Children: 6-12 half price, 0-6 free.

(0212) 201 13 23 Kilyos Türban Yolu 4, Kilyos.

3. Go for a dip

Most of the major hotels in the city house fair-sized outdoor swimming pools with decks for sunbathing facilities. There is usually a charge for non-guests that goes up at weekends. The Hyatt Regency has a particularly large pool area, and charges 40 YTL on weekdays and 70YTL at weekends.

4. Scrub up

Possibly the most traditional way to get naked in Istanbul. Strip off for a steamy sauna experience, where you can sweat it out lying on a marble slab, and be scrubbed and exfoliated by the attendant strongman/woman. There is the added bonus that upon leaving, the outside summer air will seem cool by comparison. Check out Çemberlitaş Hamam on Vezirhan Caddesi No:8 in Çemberlitaş, (0212) 522 79 74. If you are a resident in the city you can ask for a free membership for discounted bathing.

5. Frolic in the glades

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu wrote in the 18th century that the inhabitants of Belgrade Forest would meet at night “to sing and dance, the beauty and dress of the women exactly resembling the ancient nymphs.” What better time to relive this Arcadian bacchanal than the hot summer days when the trees provide cool relief from the sun, and more importantly, obscurity in the face of any possible denouement? Stay in groups for safety, however, and remember that ticks love bare skin! Take the 25E bus from Eminönü or the 40 from Taksim to Büyükdere, where you need to switch to a dolmuş for Bahçeköy. From here it’s about another 1.5 km walk.

6. Make like a dodo

Dodo beach is up in Tuzla on the Asian side, an easier place to reach for eastern residents. The beach is a branch of the famous Dodo club in Bodrum, and the added bonus is that there is a shuttle up there from Kadiköy for the car-less. Bus number 130 leaves every hour from near the Kadiköy ferry station and takes one hour to get to Tuzla.

Weekdays 15YTL, weekends 20YTL. Entrance includes beer and French fries.

(0216) 446 87 37

7. Island life

The Prince’s islands really are a fantastic getaway from the bustle of the city and are not an unlikely place to seize the opportunity for a quick dip. Kınalıada, Burgazada and Heybeliada all have spots where you’ll find people plunging into the sea, whether on a paying beach, or dodging the boats in a little harbour. The white sands of the Caribbean it may not be, but it’s a welcome opportunity for a cool-off on a hot day. Boats leave to the islands from Eminönü and Bostancı, or you can take the fast ferry from Kabataş.

8. Get a fake tan

Get your kit off entirely for a quick strapless tanning solution, available in many shades, including our favourite, ‘Nişantaşı Orange’. Most major hotels in the city have solariums as a part of their fitness centres and prices average at 30 YTL. The Hilton offers sessions of between 15 to 25 minutes for 25 to 40 YTL, while you can get a lie-down or stand-up bronzing at the Marmara for 20 YTL per session.

See back of magazine for hotel listings.

9. Wiggle it

Scantily clad ladies shaking their booty are part of the cultural wallpaper in the city: you can catch them, and be partially derobed by one at the underground venue of the backpacker magnet, the Orient Hostel in Sultanahmet, or you can go for the pricier, though not much less cheesy option of a dinner and dance at ‘Sultana’s’ where a meal and show with 2 drinks costs 60 Euros. And if you fancy it, you can take up the wiggle yourself by contacting ‘Les Arts Turcs’ who give belly dancing classes as well as selling all the appropriate apparel in their Sultanahmet store.

Orient Hostel, Yeni Akbiyik Caddesi No. 13, Sultanahmet. (0212) 518 07 89.

Les Arts Turcs, Incili çavus Sokak No. 37, 3rd Floor, Sultanahmet. (0212) 511 22 96.

Sultana’s, Elmdağ Cumhuriyet Caddesi 16/1. (0212) 219 39 04.

10. Take to the seas

There is no better place to relieve oneself of pesky clothing than on the deck of a chartered yacht, celeb-style. There are a bunch of private companies on the Bosporus that rent out crewed boats for the day, so club together with your mates and make like the jetset. Check out www.kiralikteknerler.com, for a range of different boats for various occasions and passenger capacities.

Kiralik Tekneler, Celebi Hamam Sokak No: 6/3 Kabatataş, Fındıklı. (0212) 292 05 45

11. Get back to nature

Why settle for partial nudity when you can go all the way? Let it all hang out with the Nudist And Naturist Association of Turkey, who claim to be pioneers in organising naturist tours for their members to deserted beaches around the country. Check them out and join up at http://www.tnng.org/english.html.

12. Set sail

Venture out to Kole beach, located on rocky Marmara island, but only if you fancy being jammed in with hundreds of other local tourists with the same idea of escaping the city for a day or two. Fast ferries to the island leave from Bostancı and Yenikapı at 9:45 and 10:15am every day during the summer, and take between two and three hours.

13. Shop till your clothes drop

The beating heart of the scantily clad in the city, whatever the weather, Bağdat Caddesi is a palm-tree lined avenue replete with boutiques and designer collections to match Europe’s finest. Although full nudity is not advised (and might get you in a spot of trouble), this is one street in Istanbul where boys and girls alike often make Julia Roberts’ Pretty Woman look overdressed.

14. Go clubbing

It’s the season of outdoor nightclubs by the Bosporus, where all and sundry turn out to shake their booties and empty their wallets in the likes of Sapphire, Sortie and Raina. The open terraces here are cooled by the sea breezes, and the dress codes certainly aren’t conservative. Be cool, be daring!

See nightlife section for bar and club listings

15. Surf’s up!

Burç beach is a1 km-long sandy stretch up at Kilyos, packed with sun worshippers and party people. This is the spot to really get your teeth into some summer sports like kite-boarding, catamaran sailing, beach volleyball, football, windsurfing, and surfing. Check out Birbuçuk and Saros restaurants while you’re there.

Weekdays 9am-8pm, weekends 9am-10pm. Bogazici alumni and members 10YTL, weekends 15YTL. Non-members 20YTL, weekends 25YTL. Members seasonal 150YTL, 250YTL non-members.

(0212) 287 02 32 Kilyos – Demirciköy.

16. Get a rub-down

Lay yourself out on the masseur’s bed and treat yourself to a session this summer. All the major hotels in the city offer a range of massage services, for example, the Hilton offers Shiatsu or you can get a ‘Sultans Royal Six Hands Massage’ at the Ritz Carlton Spa. The Çırağan Palace hotel also has a huge range of treatments on offer including Detoxifying Cellulite Algae Wraps, Manual Lymph Drainage and the rather daunting Mother Massage. These range from about $85-130, depending on the length of the treatment.

See back of magazine for hotel listings.

17. Hide behind a chimney

Most residential buildings in the city harbour secret flat rooftops, which are ideal for small barbeques and surreptitious sunbathing. It often takes some expert manoeuvring between washing lines, chimney pots and dead seagulls, but eventually it’s usually possible to find that ideal spot for lying down, stripping off and catching a few rays, out of sight of the rest of the world.

18. Ice ice baby

The ‘Ice Island’, Buzada is literally buzzing in the summer, with swimmers and sunbathers by day and nightclubbers after dark. Take a small boat from Kuruçeşme over to this small and somewhat unsightly island owned by the infamous football club of the same name. Strip down to what your mama gave you and bask beside their Olympic-sized swimming pool, stretch out on the sun terrace, or stuff yourself silly at one of their restaurants.

Eski Galatasaray Adası, Kuruçeşme. (0212) 263 09 09

19. Spoil yourself rotten

The Çırağan Palace hotel’s sunken pool with trompe l’oeil continuity into the Bosporus, is possibly one of the most stunning locations to spend time lounging like a lion on Pride Rock. But make sure you set aside a day to get your money’s worth, as the luxury don’t come cheap: you’ll be forking out $95 on weekdays and $145 at weekends; although the price also includes access to the gym, steam and sauna rooms, and the hamam.

See back of magazine for hotel listings.

20. Stay at home

Probably the safest place to strip down to your birthday suit and experiment with various DIY cooling systems, whether you have a flash AC unit, a crappy ‘sixties fan, or a network of draft-creating open windows. Remember to close the curtains.