Member
Turkey has two climbing systems: walk-in bouldering gyms that anyone can use, and club, university and state walls for licensed climbers. Here's how each works, what it costs and how visitors can climb.
Climbing in Turkey runs on two tracks. In the big cities, commercial bouldering gyms work much like gyms anywhere else: you walk in, sign a waiver and climb. Most of the country's roped and competition walls, though, belong to clubs, universities, municipalities and the state, and are used by licensed climbers within the Turkish Mountaineering Federation (TDF) system. Which route suits you depends on what you want from climbing, and on whether you live in Turkey.
Commercial gyms need no licence. At Boulder İstanbul, for example, adults can come in at any time the gym is open, with no booking or experience: you sign a consent form at the door, the staff give you a short orientation, and then you can climb for the rest of the day. Gyms hire out shoes and chalk, and most run intro sessions and short beginners' courses for adults and children.
In October 2026, day passes at the walk-in bouldering gyms we list cost from ₺550 at Tragos in Ankara to ₺850 at Boulder İstanbul, with ₺750–₺800 the most common price. Students, usually those under 25, pay a fifth to a quarter less, and some gyms discount weekday daytime visits: before 14:00 at Boulderhane in Istanbul, and from 12:00 to 16:00 at Boulder Jungle in Antalya. Shoe hire costs ₺200–₺250.
Rules for young climbers vary from gym to gym. At Boulder İstanbul, under-15s can only climb in lessons, and teenagers aged 15 to 17 must pass an assessment with a coach before they can train on their own, and then only during the day. At Boulderhane, a parent has to sign a waiver in person at reception, and under-12s must climb with an experienced climber or a coach.
Most of Turkey's competition walls, and most of its roped walls, belong to provincial youth and sports directorates, municipalities and universities. They're used by clubs, federation courses and students, and generally aren't open for casual visits. The outdoor competition wall in Ankara's Dikmen Vadisi park, for example, is run by the federation for licensed climbers, who must be supervised by a coach. To climb on walls like this, you join a club.
There are exceptions. Efeler Belediyesi's 15-metre outdoor wall in Aydın is open to anyone over four; Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University rents its lead wall to outside climbers by the hour; and Sakarya University of Applied Sciences runs a year-round climbing school for anyone aged seven or over. In Istanbul, Inventist is a commercial hall with lead and speed walls, where experienced climbers can come for the day.
A sport-climbing licence (sporcu lisansı) is what lets you take part in federation activities, courses and competitions. It's issued by your provincial or district youth and sports directorate, either as an individual licence or through a club, to anyone aged 5 to 85. You'll need a health report showing you're fit for sport, passport photos, written consent from a parent if you're under 18 and, for a club licence, a letter from the club.
The licence then needs a visa for each season, which runs from 1 January to 31 December. In 2026 there's no licence fee for climbers under 30 or for anyone taking out their first licence; climbers over 30 pay ₺430 a year for the visa.
Visitors and foreign residents: foreign nationals can only be licensed if they live in Turkey legally or hold a residence permit of at least a year, and they also need permission from their home federation. Short-term visitors are best sticking to the commercial gyms, and to the crags.
The federation's sport-climbing courses are the standard way to learn roped climbing in Turkey. Each lasts five days, and they're taken in order: a basic course, then an advanced course once you've passed it, each ending in a theory and practical exam. You need a current licence with this season's visa and a valid first-aid certificate, and applications go through clubs on the federation's online system, DYS. Participants bring their own climbing shoes, harness, belay device, locking carabiner and chalk bag.
In 2026 the courses were free for club climbers under 23, ₺1,350 for club climbers aged 23 and over, and ₺4,000 for climbers without a club. Basic courses were scheduled in about 15 provinces, including Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Antalya. Beyond them, the federation runs belayer and coaching courses, and summer courses on real rock in the Ala Dağlar.
Most commercial gyms coach children, starting at ages between four and seven depending on the gym. Climbing is also a school sport: pupils aged 8 to 17 compete for their schools in lead and speed, and the 2026 national school final for the two oldest age groups, held in Elazığ in May, drew 350 climbers.
Our city guides cover the gyms and local walls in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Antalya, and our Turkey page lists walls across the country, including club and university walls if you choose to show them.
Sources: the federation's 2026 fees, licence and training regulations and course notices (in Turkish), and the gyms' own websites, checked on 14 October 2026.
The national championships in lead, bouldering and speed run from 14 to 21 November 2026 at the Yenimahalle sports complex in Ankara, for climbers from 13 to seniors. Here's the schedule, who can enter and why the results matter for the national team.
Joe Rushton
A year after para-climbing became an official sport in Turkey, the national para team made its World Cup debut in Innsbruck, won medals in Brno and reached a final in Laval. Six climbers are entered for Gunsan at the end of October.
Joe Rushton
The Blue Mountains hold about 7,300 routes, many of them bolted sport climbs on sandstone around Blackheath, Mount Victoria and Katoomba. Here's where to start, when to go, the access rules, guidebooks and courses, and the gyms on the way.
Joe Rushton