The world’s 12 sexiest cities

(Visit the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, one of 2010's must-see cities)
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Frothing fountains, cobbled piazzas and enough energy to launch a rocket, Rome is up there among Europe’s raunchiest cities

Rise early and meander over to the Spanish Steps for sunrise, then slink into Babington’s Tea Rooms (www.babingtons.com; breakfast £52pp) at their base for bubbles and chocolate-dipped strawberries.




Get the sights out of the way early on. For unadulterated wow factor, start from Piazza del Popolo, past Piazza Venezia (the ‘wedding cake’) and on to the Colosseum.

For views of the dome of St Peter’s from opulent surroundings, escape the crowds to three-Michelin-starred La Pergola at the Rome Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria Hotel (00 39 063 5091, www.romecavalieri.com; mains around £48), a 20-minute taxi ride from the centre. Try the black cod on chickpea purée.

Dance ’til dawn You won’t see Roman revellers hitting the city's decadent dance floors before midnight (so make sure you factor in a siesta). For VIP treatment, charm the door staff at Bloom (Via del Teatro Pace 30; 00 39 0668 802029), a former church that fills with mischief-making model-types.

Shake off the hangover at the city’s oldest cafe, Antico Caffe Greco – it may be a little touristy, but it has an air of old-world romance with its velvet chairs and OTT antiques (Via dei Condotti 86; www.anticocaffegreco.eu). Va-voom Zoom on a scooter to the Bocca Della Verita (Mouth of Truth) to recreate Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck’s moment in Roman Holiday. Hire from Treno e Scooter Rent (00 39 0648 905823, www.trenoescooter.com; £6 an hour).

It’s all padded ceilings and brooding black and purple, and has the glitziest cocktail bar in town: the swing hanging from the chandelier in the foyer of Leon’s Place says it all (00 39 0689 0871, www.leonsplacerome.com; doubles from £198, B&B). The retro-chic Orange Hotel is kitsch, quirky and colourful. True to its name, there’s enough orange to warrant shades (00 39 06 686 8969, www.orangehotelrome.com; doubles from £78, B&B).



Bath

Don’t be fooled by the demure facades. Behind closed doors, this city is positively steamy, thanks to those rampant Romans and the city’s celebrated romantic, Jane Austen .

Marvel at the beauty of the historic Roman Baths (01225 477785, www.romanbaths.co.uk), then wallow in their mineral-rich waters with a twilight dip in the thermal rooftop pool at the nearby Thermae Bath Spa. A twin package costs £59pp, including Champagne afternoon tea.

Chinese parasols, silk slips and cheeky knickers are among the fanciful evening (under)attire at Mee (9a Bartlett St; www.meeboutique.com).

Get up-close-and-personal at the tiny Minibar restaurant (01225 333323, www.bathminibar.com; tapas around £6 each), with its shiny steel counter groaning under tapas: deep-fried monkfish, smoked, cured beef and ripe manchego cheese.

Naughty night out In top hat and tails, domination master Lord Lestat opens the show at Coco Boudoir (www.myspace.com/cocoboudoir), where burlesque dancers Natty Bom Batty and Fifi Fatale tease with tail feathers, peacock fans and nipple tassels.
The Sunday Times Travel Magazine - April



At the Fashion Museum (2 Bennett Street; www.museumofcostume.co.uk; £7), your loved one won’t need much encouragement to lace you into a corset, pulling tight until you’re spilling out in all the right places.Slow food Amble arm-in-arm, Austen-style, around the beautifully landscaped gardens of The Bath Priory hotel (01225 331922, www.thebathpriory.co.uk), then loosen your belt for a Michelin-starred degustation: perhaps plump scallops with veal sweetbreads, or succulent venison with spiced pear compote; £90 for eight courses.

Book the four-poster suite at the Queensberry (01225 447928, www.thequeensberry.co.uk; doubles from £120, room only). Or close the shutters on your own two-person Georgian townhouse at Rivers Street Rooms (01225 333078, www.riversstrooms.com; from £80, room only).

First Great Western (08457 000125, www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk) has a direct rail service to Bath from London Paddington, Bristol and Swansea, from £19 return.

Havana

Take pastel walls, vintage vehicles and colonial buildings, add a salsa soundtrack and garnish with a beam of golden sun, and you have Havana, the Caribbean at its most sizzling

Voyeurs should start the weekend at the Camera Obscura (corner of Calle Mercaderes and Calle Tte Rey; £1.30), five storeys above the Plaza Vieja. Here you can spy, unseen, on hot Habaneros below.

The seafront Malecón promenade is where loved-up Cuban couples stroll. Go one better and canoodle in a vintage taxi: choose a Chevy from the line near Hotel Nacional (Calle O) and cruise into Old Havana with Sinatra blasting out of the window.

Sweep up the staircase of what looks like an abandoned palazzo, past the starched tablecloths hanging out to dry and into intimate La Guarida (00 537 866 9047, www.laguarida.com; mains from £9), a private home that looks like a set from a Caribbean version of Gone with the Wind. The fish dishes are exceptional (try the red snapper with orange).

Liven up your morning with a thick hot chocolate at the Museo del Chocolate (Mercaderes 255). Choose between the traditional Cuban cocoa, with cinnamon and vanilla, or an Aztec, spiked with nutmeg and chilli. The hit will set you back just 40p.

Drop in at Havana institution El Cafe Taberna (corner of Mercaderes and Tte Rey; 00 537 861 1637) from 11.30am-11pm, and sinewy dancers will help you work up a sweat with a salsa class. An hour-long session costs £11.

Moody Mojitos: the most atmospheric cocktails in town are served at the Bar Rosa Nautica in the gardens of the grand old Hotel Nacional (00 537 836 3564, www.gran-caribe.com), overlooking the sea. It’s like stepping back 50 years, and the old-world ambience will ensure you leave feeling very much in the mood.

The Saratoga (00 537 868 1000, www.hotel-saratoga.com; doubles from £168, room only) stands head-and-shoulders above the city’s so-called five-stars. Rooms are sassy and there’s a glorious rooftop pool overlooking the landmark Capitolio building. Or try the newly refurbed Hotel Los Frailes (00 537 862 8280, www.hotellosfrailescuba.com; doubles from £72, room only), just a fumble away from the gaudy Plaza Vieja. This small hotel’s convent theme is the perfect excuse to spend a sinful night in.


Virgin Atlantic (0844 874 7747, www.virginatlantic.com) flies from Gatwick to Havana from £630 return.

London

For every spot on the tourist’s tick-list, there’s a trad experience with a twist – dress up, stay out late and explore the capital’s secret, saucy side

Join dishevelled east Londoners (they won’t have been to bed yet) for brunch at Bistrotheque (020 8983 7900, www.bistrotheque.com; brunch dishes from £4). Between 11am and 4pm, this night-time cabaret serves pear Bellinis and toasted sourdough with berries and mascarpone to a soundtrack of Girls Aloud and Supertramp, reworked by Xavior on the baby grand.

Stay east and pop into ‘boudoir-boutique’ Bordello (55 Great Eastern St; www.bordello-london.co.uk): lacy lingerie, waist-cinching corsets and feather hair accessories will help you take dressing-up to a classier level.

Cream tea in a chintzy hotel? Why bother when every Saturday, at Volupté (020 7831 1622, www.volupte-lounge.com; £35; 2.30-5pm) in Chancery Lane, you can savour champagne, warm scones and dainty finger sandwiches while burlesque dancers wiggle their suspender-clad hips between the tables.

Upstairs, Roka is a respectable Japanese restaurant. In the basement, Shochu Lounge (020 7580 6464, www.shochulounge.com; sashimi plate £16) is a sultry den with blood-red sofa-seats. Roka’s menu is available down here, so you can match slivers of sashimi with jasmine-infused shochu – said to stimulate feelings of euphoria.

Strip off in the candlelit surrounds of the underground May Fair Spa (020 7915 2826, www.radissonedwardian.com). Smother each other in cocoa butter and melted chocolate In your private steam chamber (45-minute treatment, £99 for two) – the smell alone will get you going.

Order goat’s cheese tart, sticky-toffee pud and Mohitos, and snuggle on one of the sofas in the new Screen on The Green cinema in Islington (0870 066 4777, www.everymancinema.com; sofa-seats £16pp). Its sister picture-house in Hampstead even offers table service.

Book the four-poster room at The Covent Garden Hotel (020 7470 4007, www.firmdale.com; doubles from £235, room only) and make time for pre-dinner fizz in the wood-panelled drawing room. Screen-siren Scarlett Johansson’s a fan. The Hoxton Hotel (020 7550 1000, www.hoxtonhotels.com; doubles from £59, B&B) has a brilliant bar and smart, sleek rooms in the heart of trendy Shoreditch.

Virgin Trains (0845 7222 333, www.virgintrains.com) runs direct from Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow, from £22 return.

New York


Sex and the city – the two words now belong together famously, and where else could we be referring to? The Big Apple exudes sex like steam from a Manhattan manhole cover. Feeling in the mood? Of course you are…

The icons of the skyline are the Chrysler and Empire State Buildings. Get the best view of both from Top of the Rock (30 Rockefeller Plaza; www.topoftherocknyc.com; £12.50) – it’s the Rockefeller Center’s observation deck. You’ll be weak at the knees.

Momofuku Ssäm Bar (207 Second Ave at 13th St; www.momofuku.com; dishes from £4 each) has had tongues wagging – and salivating – for a while, with fashionable, canteeny finishings and Korean/Oriental delights. Try the pillowy pork buns.

Not for the faint-hearted, but adored by night owls of more exotic plumage is The Box (00 1 212 982 9301, www.theboxnyc.com; from £80 with meal). Expect transgender contortionists and naked trapeze acts – and pack the smelling salts if unsure.

Much talked-about, super-tricky to find, ‘hidden’ bar (ie, new-style speakeasy) PDT is a treat when you’re finally in, sucking on a Pisco Sour (113 St Mark’s Place, Nr First Ave; 00 1 21 614 0386; booking crucial).

Dance people Santos’ Party House (96 Lafayette St; www.santospartyhouse.com) is a pulsing art, music and sound space between TriBeCa and Chinatown. With a different party every night of the week – fancy a Funkraiser? – it’s the place to ‘go wiggle’ once the cocktails have kicked in.

Make for cosy West Village classic The Spotted Pig (00 1 212 620 0393, www.thespottedpig.com; mains from £12). The closest thing Manhattan has to a gastropub, it’s an intimate shove, with chatty regulars plus juicy burgers and shoestring fries that’ll zap even Vesuvius-sized hangovers.

he Bowery (00 1 212 505 9100, www.theboweryhotel.com; doubles from £188, room only) is the perfect East Village hideaway – the restaurant has leather booths and superb steaks. Jimi Hendrix used to hang out in the playful rooms at the Chelsea Hotel (00 1 212 243 3700, www.hotelchelsea.com; doubles from £87, room only).

Virgin Atlantic (0844 874 7747, www.virginatlantic.com) flies from Heathrow from £349 return.

Berlin

Europe’s naughtiest city breaks all the rules – smoking in clubs, staying up round the clock, dancing the night away semi-naked. Where better for an illicit thrill (and plenty of shared secrets to take home)?

You’ll need ‘support’ to get you through this saucy city break: find it at Blush (Rosa-Luxemburg-Strasse 22; www.blush-berlin.de), a seductive undie shop in the trendy Mitte district where pretty lace numbers mingle with naughty knickers and even naughtier toys. It’s a brazen introduction to the area’s seductive mix of shops doing vintage and designer, and art galleries.



MY PROFILE SHOP JOBS PROPERTY CLASSIFIEDS

Eiffel Tower clinches, candlelit bistros and scantily clad showgirls – Paris was made for lovers. Time to unleash your inner va-va-voom

Cobbles and rose bushes frame the grand Musée Rodin (79 Rue de Varenne; www.musee-rodin.fr; £5), housing the sculptor’s works. The Kiss is here but La Porte de L’enfer (The Gates of Hell) is the one that will leave you breathless – the intricately carved doors feature lots of nudity and groping.

After shopping in the streets of Le Marais, retreat to elegant tea house Mariage Frères (35 Rue du Bourg-Tibourg; www.mariagefreres.com; mains around £17). Waiters in white jackets serve myriad tea varieties (try Rooibos tea flavoured with candied chestnuts) alongside plates of scallops and perfect madeleines. Feel the passion brewing.

Paris’s oldest market, Le Marché des Enfants Rouges, on Rue de Bretagne (closed Mondays), is filled with tempting treats. L’Estaminet (00 33 1 4272 3485), in what used to be the market storeroom, serves food from the producers – pop in for a platter of oysters (six oysters and a glass of wine £10).


The 18th-century Lapérouse, (00 33 1 4326 6804, www.laperouse.fr; mains around £45) was a former favourite of politicians and their mistresses (the little private dining rooms upstairs used to lock from the inside). Go for roasted Brittany lobster and pâté-soft steak.

Next morning, climb the steps to La Promenade Plantée. This 4.5km-long, elevated railway track is now a pretty lavender-, shrub- and bamboo-lined pathway. Start your walk at the access point near Bastille, find a bench and watch passers-by on the streets fanning off below – only the odd jogger will disturb the pleasure.

Sure it’s soppy, but you have to be photographed in front of the ‘Je t’aime’ wall in Montmartre’s Place d’Abbesses. The blue tiles are covered in ‘I Love Yous’ scrawled in more than 300 languages. With any luck, the pretty busker in the red duffle coat will be singing Edith Piaf’s Hymne à l’amour.

A sultry colour scheme and macaroons await you at Hôtel des Académies et des Arts (00 33 1 4326 6644, www.hotel-des-academies.com; doubles from £170, room only) in the arty heart of the city. Or, slightly out of the way but with a fabulous cocktail bar and eccentric decor, is Mama Shelter (00 33 1 4348 4848, www.mamashelter.com; doubles from £99, room only).

Eurostar (0870 518 6186, www.eurostar.com) has returns from London St Pancras from £59.

St Petersburg

In winter, lovers huddle together, ducking in and out of vodka bars to stay warm. In summer, clothes come off and cafe chairs come out, turning the city into one flesh-heavy alfresco restaurant. St P is sexy – 24/7

Start with some history at Yusupov Palace (94 Nab Reki Moiki; www.yusupov-palace.ru; 11am-5pm; tours £11), once home to cross-dressing Felix Yusupov (the young prince used to attend the theatre as a woman). Decor is decadent in the extreme.




Abandon plans for a fusty museum afternoon in favour of the Helmut Newton Foundation, where the photographer’s sensual pictures are on display (Jebensstrasse 2; Tues-Sun, 10am-6pm; £7). Until May, you can see the work featured in his book Sumo – a heady blend of bondage, bare breasts and impossibly beautiful French maids.

Berlin’s models and actresses favour dinner at Grill Royal (00 49 30 288 79288, www.grillroyal.de; mains around £30), the modish steakhouse on the banks of the Spree. Splendidly showy, it’s the place to dress sexily and devour perfectly cooked Argentine steak.

Watch strip routines Gypsy Rose Lee-style at one of The Secret Seduction Society’s regular ‘Fête Fatale’ dress-up parties. Berlin does burlesque like few other places on earth – expect ostrich-feather fans, sky-high heels and a red-lipped, quiffed crowd. The bi-monthly events take place at various venues (www.lafetefatale.de; tickets £13).

For late-night (mis)adventures, try Panorama Bar (Am Wriezener Bahnhof; Fridays and Saturdays only; £10). In a huge, Communist-era power plant, it’s renowned for hedonistic partying and a truly draconian door policy. Only the very brave should venture downstairs to Berghain, the hardcore sister club.

Feeling jaded? End the weekend with a gentle cruise along the River Spree on one of the sightseeing boats moored around Museum Island. Order glasses of something sparkly – the combination of bubbles, fresh air and the beautiful buildings rolling by will have you feeling frisky again in no time (boat trips from £15).

With cheeky glass showers, slinky silk and fur throws, boutique hotel Lux 11 (00 49 30 936 2800, www.lux-eleven.de; doubles from £119, room only) was made for naughty weekends. Or hole up in Hotel Q! (00 49 30 810066, www.loock-hotels.de; doubles from £121, B&B), with its sultry red bar and sleek rooms full of designer classics.

BA (0844 493 0787, www.ba.com) flies from Heathrow to Berlin Tegel from £138 return.

Strip off at a banya, one of the city’s piping-hot communal baths where soakers whip each other with birch leaves to get circulation going. For the real Russian deal, try Kazachie Banya (Bolshoy Kazachyper 11; £3).

Grand Hotel Europe (00 7 812 329 6000, www.grandhoteleurope.com) takes the tipple so seriously it has its own vodka sommelier; follow his advice in the opulent Caviar Bar (above; shots from £2 to £25) and pair it with the caviar platter (£294).

Zov Ilyicha (00 7 812 570 4050; mains around £8) brings together Stalin and sex, with retro Commie flags on the walls and (very) soft porn playing on TV screens; food is trad Russian, such as pike and fried potato.

At what is also St P’s Prostate Centre, visitors to the Erotica Museum (Furstatskaya 47/11; 00 7 812 320 7600) must walk through a waiting room of patients to enter; don’t miss randy Rasputin’s 30cm-long private part, preserved in a jar.


No trip to Russia is complete without a ballet performance; see it at the Mikhailovsky Theatre (1 Arts Square; 00 7 812 595 4305, www.mikhailovsky.ru; tickets from £11) – it has a less highbrow agenda than the Mariinsky; Romeo & Juliet is showing March 23-24.

Stay The Astoria (00 7 812 494 5757, www.thehotelastoria.com; doubles from £204, room only) is St P’s big-spender hotel; past guests have included every icon from Bill Clinton to the Rolling Stones (who chose the place because of its five splendid but – diplomatically – equal-in-size suites. Or try romantic Casa Leto (00 7 812 314 6622, www.casaleto.com; doubles from £123, B&B), on the first floor of a grand Art Nouveau townhouse.

Get there BA (0844 493 0787, www.ba.com) is the only UK airline to fly nonstop from the UK; returns from Heathrow start at £238. You’ll need to apply for a visa at least seven days before visiting Russia; see http://ru.vfsglobal.co.uk for more information.

Seville

Late nights, flamenco beats, Moorish palaces and sultry heat: Seville has a stunningly sexy side – and there’s not a polka dot in sight

The Alcazar palace (Patio de Banderas; www.patronato-alcazarsevilla.es; £6.70) is tourist central, but beyond the building, there are impressive gardens with tiled gazebos, gangly palm trees, even a maze, so you can easily find a quiet corner.

Hire your own motorboat from the Pedalquivir bar (on the east riverbank, midway between Puente de San Telmo and Puente de Isabel II; £14 per hour) and sail together down the lazy Guadalquivir river.

The cathedral area gets packed at sunset, so cross the river to enjoy a more intimate aperitif. Abades Triana (00 34 954 286459, www.abadestriana.com) is a swish bankside restaurant and bar. Order a beer on the quiet terrace as the sun sinks and the landmark Torre del Oro watchtower glows pink.

On the fashionable Alameda de Hercules promenade, Al Aljibe (00 34 954 900591, www.alaljibe.com; mains from £11) is the antidote to Seville’s traditional rough-and-ready tapas bars. Modern Andalucían dishes (try slow-cooked lamb smeared with apricot purée and sticky prune sauce) are served in minimalist-yet-jazzy surroundings.

End the evening in the Arab baths of the Aire de Sevilla (Aire 15; 00 34 955 010024, www.airedesevilla.com; £19 for a 90-minute slot; advance booking essential). The crimson-walled, lantern-lit salt baths, whirlpool tubs and hammam are open until 1.30am.

Finish the weekend with a flourish at the bar (there’s also a restaurant and pool) on the roof of the terribly cool Hotel EME (00 34 954 560000, www.emecatedralhotel.com). The music’s chilled, the atmosphere’s relaxed and the prices reasonable (a glass of wine is £3.60), but it’s the view – you’re (almost) within touching distance of the cathedral – that will seduce you.

Hotel Alfonso XIII (00800 325 45454, www.luxurycollection.com; doubles from £244, B&B) has Moorish arches, glittering tiles and a central courtyard for intimate evenings. Casa Romana is one of Seville’s few modern hotels. Expect bright rooms, airy courtyards, sundeck and a whirlpool tub on the roof (00 34 954 915170, www.hotelcasaromana.com; doubles from £88, room only).
The Sunday Times Travel Magazine - April


Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) flies from Stansted to Seville.

Tangier

Intense and edgy, with a bit of a reputation, Tangier is Morocco’s spiciest city. The once-hedonistic playground of writers, exiles and spies still has plenty of heat to get the pulse racing

Rise late and skip the hotel-buffet leftovers in favour of flaky French pastries in an elegant tearoom. Porte du Nord (corner of Rue ibn Rochd) and Patisserie La Espanola (97 Rue de la Liberté) serve the most sensuous treats.

Indulge in an afternoon’s pleasure at the hidden clifftop Café Hafa (Rue Hafa, La Marshan). Truman Capote’s favourite haunt has outstanding views of the Strait of Gibraltar. While away an amorous afternoon over glasses of mint tea on the sunny terrace.

After dark, slip into the seductively lantern-lit, Berber-carpeted Riad Tanja (00 212 39 333538, www.riadtanja.com; three-course set menu from £19), overlooking the medina. Tagines and couscous weave their aromatic spell – like sexual tension, all the better for a long simmer.

Decamp to The Tanger Inn bar (16 Rue Magellan), full of the seedily glamorous ghosts of hedonistic Tangier past. Sip on whisky – former patrons Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg would approve.

During World War II you couldn’t swing a poison-tipped umbrella for spies in the Place de France. Today this square is less a hotbed of intrigue, more a place for people-watching. Fix your rendezvous à deux at Grand Café de Paris for potent, pick-me-up breakfast coffee.

Spend a hot, hot hour or two at the city’s smartest hammam, the El Minzah Hotel's Wellness Centre (00 212 39 935885, www.elminzah.com). A steam and scrub (£28) will leave you clean in body…

Shady hallways lead to sensual bedrooms of silk, leather and cedarwood at The Hotel Nord-Pinus (00 212 661 338140, www.hotel-nord-pinus-tanger.com; doubles from £201, half board). Or make the most of the hammam and roof terrace overlooking the Old Medina at La Tangerina (00 212 539 947731, www.latangerina.com; doubles from £49, B&B).

Royal Air Maroc (020 7307 5800, www.royalairmaroc.com) flies from Gatwick to Tangier, via Casablanca, from £162 return.

Stockholm



Know the moment you realise you’ve got the hots for someone you’ve just been friends with for a while? Well, that’s Stockholm: ordered on the surface, a bit of a goer underneath

Under the arches of City Hall, there’s a fine wide angle of Södermalm island, the Soho quarter: spiny church towers, facades in spice-jar shades – all textbook Stockholm.

White, glassy, plain – in a nutshell, Scandi-randy. That’s Bonniers Konsthall (Torsgatan 19; www.bonniers konsthall.se; £5), an art gallery where the eye wanders over provocative modern exhibits. The cafe is even better-looking.

For her, boho togs from Odd Molly (Humlegårdsgatan 13; www.oddmolly.com). For him, this season's skinny ‘cadet’-style chic from Sweden’s Nikolaj d’Etoiles (Narvavägen 30; www.nikolajdetoiles.com).

At Sturehof (Stureplan 2; www.sturehof.com), watch cuties go by from a terrace chair, wrapped in one of the blankets, then slip in for oysters.

Watery Stockholm spreads magically, far below Gondolen (00 46 8 641 7090, www.eriks.se; mains from £17). The Martinis and the fish mains are a real aphrodisiac.

Och Himlen Därtill (Götgatan 78; www.restauranghimlen.se) can get rammed, but it’s a one-off, on the 26th (top) floor of the city’s old tax building. Stockholm sparkles all around. Essential drinking.

Grand Hôtel Stockholm (00 46 8 679 3560, www.grandhotel.se; doubles from £382, room only) is country-house-rustic in feel, with Michelin-starred Restaurant Mathias Dahlgren and a cockle-warming basement spa. Malardrottningen Boat Hotel (00 46 8545 18780, www.malardrottningen.se; doubles from £83, B&B) is comfy and handy for Södermalm.

BA (0844 493 0787, www.ba.com) has returns from Heathrow from £139.

Istanbul

The former capital of the Ottoman sultans looks timewarped, with its exotic, silhouetted mosques, but its bars, clubs and fashion restaurants brim with 21st-century sex appeal…

The House Café group has a lovely branch in waterfront Ortaköy (00 90 212 227 269939, www.thehousecafe.com.tr; brunch mains around £4), with a relaxed terrace, right on the edge of the strait that carves the city into Asia and Europe. Idle Saturday away over menemen (eggs, scrambled with tomatoes and green peppers), admiring the postcard-pretty local mosque, mirrored in the rippling water.



Get lost in the crisscross lanes of the Grand Bazaar. It's not all trinkets and souvenirs – the caviar’s great value. Stop for cups of sweet tea at Fes Café (near the entrance to the antiques section), and pick from towers of Turkish Delight in rose, pistachio and pomegranate at the Spice Bazaar.

In bohemian Beyoglu, the cafes around Sofyali Sokak street are warm with fairy lights and chatter. Settle in at Refik (Sofyalı Sokak 10-12; meze plates from £2.50) for a flurry of meze: sardines, tomato and aubergine salads and houmous. Then head for Nevizade Sokak in Tünel and find the bar with no sign (Gizli Bahçe 27). Above the inconspicuous hallway, two dimly lit floors have armchairs, balconies and red (!) Margaritas.

Super-clubbing Don’t come to Ortaköy's riverside Angelique (Muallim Naci Cad Salhane Sok 5; 00 90 212 327 2844, www.istanbuldoors.com) without towering heels and your name on the guest list – it’s serious about clientele. Open Thursday to Saturday in winter, in summer, it bares its sexy alfresco restaurant nightly.

Cheat the communal, single-gender hammam experience by booking a private retreat for two at the Hotel Les Ottomans spa in an ex-pasha’s mansion (00 90 212 359 1500, www.lesottomans.com). Three hours of foot rituals, massages and whirlpool time costs £350.

Istanbul’s sky-high restaurants and bars will add a frisson of excitement to your weekend. Dine on tender sliced beef, buttery prawns, creamy risotto and honeyed ice cream 18 storeys up at Mikla (00 90 212 293 5656, www.istanbulyi.com; mains from £16), and then slide outside for breezy Martinis and moonlit city views.

The Sofa Hotel & Residences (00 90 212 368 1818, www.thesofahotelsandresidences.com; doubles from £305, B&B) are slick and stylish, with seductive extras: hydrotherapies in the Taylife Spa, and a hidden bar laden with chandeliers, plants, pearls and Grecian statues. Hotel Empress Zoe (00 90 212 518 2504, www.emzoe.com; doubles from £89, B&B) has marble hammam-style bathrooms, canopied beds, private terraces and original frescoes – all in an Old Town side street.

Pegasus (0845 084 8980, www.flypgs.com) flies from Stansted to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen, on the Asian side of the city, from £74 return.