Reina

Probably the city's glitziest club, this is where Istanbul's investment bankers dance the night away on the banks of the Bosphorus – the super-flash avoid the traffic of the coastal road and arrive at the club by boat. Its two floors are large enough to include Istanbul's priciest – and, some say, best – restaurant, which comes with a nifty trick: diners don't have to pay the 50TL (£18) entrance fee to the club (although once the bill comes, that may not seem like such a saving).
• Muallim Naci Avenue 44, Ortaköy, +90 212 259 5919, reina.com.tr

Off Pera

A small cubbyhole down a side street in Tünel, hidden behind a heavy curtain, Off Pera was – until recently – often completely empty, despite being within stumbling distance of the city's best restaurants and drinking holes. In recent months, however, it has become a bit of an open secret – though it has retained all of its charm. With little floor space, the dance floor rapidly absorbs the club. If you can fight your way into the bar, dance the night away to Turkish and European pop under an extraordinary ceiling of flashing LEDs, presided over by DJs in a bunk bed-like booth halfway up the wall.
• Asmalimescit Mahallesi, Gönül Sokak 14A, Beyoğlu, +90 212 249 2697

Indigo

Indigo is the home of Istanbul's electro scene. Large, and crowded at weekends, it sits right in the middle of Beyoğlu – the city's clubbing district. With big-name international and local DJs spinning techno, house, electro and disco, it packs a crowd who come primarily to dance. The owners have gradually spread their way through the neighbourhood – down the road is their bar, Indigo Pub, and their newest venture, multipurpose space Indigo Lounge; no wonder they boast that you can spend an entire day hanging out in Indigo venues. During the summer, Indigo follows its clientele down to Çeşme, on the Aegean coast.
• Istiklal Caddesi, Akarsu Sokak 1-2-4-5, Beyoğlu, +90 212 244 8567, livingindigo.com

Araf

With its live in-house Gypsy band, cheap beer on tap, and location – just off the perpetually buzzing Nevizade Sokak – it's little wonder that Araf is a student favourite. It's perched at the top of a dilapidated Beyoğlu building (it takes numerous flights of stairs to reach the bar) and its large windows look out over the run-down mansion houses of Tarlabaşi. Expect throngs of local and international students dancing to authentic Gypsy sounds, while the DJs play reggae, funk, soul and rock'n'roll. Thursday night has dependable music; celebrated Roma clarinettist Selim Sesler plays on Tuesdays. Avoid the madness of the weekend, when the DJ plays more generic tracks and the club swells to two floors.
• Hüseyinağa Mahallesi, Balo Sokak 32, Beyoğlu, +90 212 244 8301, araf.com.tr

Dunia

The heart of the Istanbul indie scene is on the Asian side, well out of reach of casual tourists, centred around the charmingly hectic neighbourhood of Kadiköy, which is overflowing with market stalls, restaurants and fishmongers. Kadife Sokak – known to everyone as Barlar sokak ("bar street") – is its core, lined with Ottoman mansions that have been converted into clubs and bars. Prime among these is Dunia, a bar that regularly hosts outstanding DJs, with an emphasis on world music. With a fantastic garden full of large, comfortable armchairs, Dunia is relaxed but buzzing; a hugely enjoyable place to spend an evening.
• Kadife Sokak 19/2, Kadiköy, +90 216 336 7505, Facebook page

Tek Yön

Tek Yön is the home of Istanbul's bear scene. While some nights are busier than others, the crowd is exceptionally friendly. Over recent years, Tek Yön, like the area around it, has crossed over to the mainstream; visitors are likely to find the music familiar fare, and the bar seething at the weekend. Timid punters flee the pink- and blue-lit dance floor for the mezzanine (the club has two bars and a terrace); for the more adventurous, however, the scene has moved to the transsexual bars in Tarlabaşi, which retain a less internationalised ambience.
• Siraselviler Caddesi 63/1, Beyoğlu, +90 535 233 0654, clubtekyon.com

11.11

Walking into 11.11 feels like entering a Day-Glo polyhedron. An array of colours flow across geometric back-lit panels on the walls and ceiling, and after a few hours you might not know which is which. Open Fridays and Saturdays, local DJs are joined by visiting acts roughly once a fortnight (the bigger-name DJs entail a ticket). The soundtrack is emphatically house – ambient house in the lounge and deep house in the club. Like so many of the city's indoor venues, 11.11 closes for the summer – but when it's open, expect to find it packed.
• Meşrutiyet Caddesi 69, Beyoğlu 34330, +90 212 244 8834, website under construction, so try its Facebook page

X-Large

A recently converted theatre where the floor-show doesn't begin until 2am, X-Large is a riotous gay club where patrons' outfits leave little to the imagination. Don't be surprised to see a team of hunks dressed as S&M Lady Gagas giving way to a boy belly-dancing in a burqa. The stage here has been both a theatre and the El Hamra cinema, where Ataturk is reputed to have been a patron. Open every Friday and Saturday until 5am, but don't even think about arriving before midnight.
• Kallavi Sokak 12, Beyoğlu, +90 536 687 1104, xlargeclubistanbul.com

Lucca

If you want to venture further up the Bosphorus, and the Istanbul social ladder, follow the phalanx of Porsches trailing towards Lucca. Situated prominently at the heart of Bebek's cafe scene, this has become the kind of place self-consciously cultish enough to flog homemade albums mixed by the in-house DJs who hold the floor on Friday and Saturday nights. Lucca starts the day as a restaurant and turns into a bar after the sun sets – and a magnet for Istanbul high society. Most Lucca regulars flee to the Turkish riviera in the warmer months, so don't expect much celeb-spotting before the autumn. Then again, you might get a table.
• Cevdetpaşa Caddesi 51/b, Bebek, +90 212 257 1255, luccastyle.com

Ulus 29

Zeynep and Meto Fadillioglu preside over a chain of bars and poolside clubs, of which this is the oldest, fanciest and Bosphorus-viewiest. Zeynep, who designed the interior of Sakirin Mosque, on the Asian side, pioneered the renaissance of palatial Ottoman chic, a style in abundance here. Really a restaurant with a club attached, Ulus 29 is home to the city's best sommelier – an accolade undimmed by the fact that he's one of only a few in the city – who can guide you through a decent list of emerging Turkish wines. Most guests seem to plump for the cocktails, however, which come with a commanding view over the bridge.
• Ahmet Adnan Saygun Caddesi, Ulus Parki içi 1, Ulus, +90 212 358 2929

Izzy Finkel and Thomas Roueché are Istanbul-based writers