CITIES of romance

Whether you're seduced by the food, architecture or heady vibe, these dreamy places will make your heart skip a beat

- NICK REDMAN, CHRIS MORLEY

ISTANBUL

In the romantic getaway stakes, Turkey’s former capital tends to lose out to Paris, Amsterdam, Rome and the rest, but this atmospheric city is unmissable: European and Asian, built either side of the broad Bosphorus strait. Centuries before Christ, it was Greek, later Roman, and ultimately Islamic. No wonder it’s such a thrill-trip.

Sultanahmet – the postcard district of mosques and sunsets – is ideal for first-timers. Splurge on the luxury Four Seasons Hotel Sultanahmet (fourseasons. com), folded around a peaceful garden. Its open-air bar has so-close-you-cantouch-it views of the mighty 6th-century Hagia Sophia, anciently a church, today a mosque. Put it top of your sightseeing list: the vast interior has the dark, twinkly, infinite majesty of a galaxy.

PRICELESS TREASURES

Close by, the Blue Mosque, unveiled 300 years ago for Sultan Ahmet, is so-called for its vivid tiles within – more than 20 000, no two identical. Visit, too, Topkapi Palace, the rambling old residence of the Ottoman dynasty, with its endless chambers of priceless ceramics and relics. The cedar-shaded lawns are serene, as are the hazy aquamarine views of the European and Asian shores.

For shopping, the serpentine ways of the touristy Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar are fun – and it’s an easy saunter to the ferry jetty at Eminönü for a romantic two-hour Bosphorus cruise (sehirhatlari.istanbul/en). Rumbling north, past timber mansions and coves of yachts, it ends at Anadolu Kavagi, a cute village beside the Black Sea, lined with seafood restaurants.