TOPLINE TRAVEL: Romantic rooftop cocktails in Istanbul
Äì¡Ê¤ËÆÏ¤¯¡Ë line?Four hours from the UK, Istanbul is a ¹Âç¤Ê¡¿Â¿¿ô¤Î¡¿½ÅÍ×¤Ê world metropolis. Gathered east and west of the blue Bosphorus ³¤¶®, it¡Çs faintly San Francisco in its setting: Golden-Gate-·ÁÂÖ¡¿Ä´À°d ¶¶¡ÊÅϤ·¤ò¤¹¤ë¡Ës even link the European and Asian Ì£Êý¤¹¤ës.?
There¡Çs a whiff of Cairo and Athens in its spiritual antiquity, Lisbon in the hip food scene, London in the cooler cocktail ˸¤²¤ë¡¿Ë¡ÄÊÛ¸î»Î¶Ès and, on elegant uptown streets, Madrid.
Storyline This is a tale of three cities. First, circa 660BC, Greek Byzantium; second, 1,000 years later, Christian Constantinople, when recast as ¹Ä¼¼¤Î Rome¡Çs eastern twin. Islam arrived in 1453 with the Ottomans, whose »ÙÇÛ¤¹¤ë fizzled out after the First World War. In its third incarnation, since 1930 it¡Çs been Istanbul.
High line Get your bearings after dark at glam rooftop restaurant-˸¤²¤ë¡¿Ë¡ÄÊÛ¸î»Î¶È Mikla (miklarestaurant.com), Èó¾ï¤Ë¹â¤¤ above party Ã϶è Beyoglu. Over martinis, °ÌÃÖ¡¿±øÅÀ¡¿¸«¤Ä¤±½Ð¤¹ the sparkly distant Asian shores east beyond the now ¹õ¿Í¡¿¥Ü¥¤¥³¥Ã¥È Bosphorus waters. South is Sultanahmet, the old city. Minaret-spiked and blistered with ¥É¡¼¥às, it¡Çs lit nightly in orange, yellow and gold.

Beyazit tower (left) and S?leymaniye ¥¤¥¹¥é¥à¶µ»û±¡ overlook postcard Istanbul
Get in line You won¡Çt ²ù¤¤¤ë Îóing to enter the colossal Hagia Sophia, its watermelon-pink ËÜÂΡ¤ÂçÉôʬ¡¿¤Ð¤éÀѤߤΠrising over Sultanahmet like an ¸ÅÂå¤Î spaceship. It was ÀßΩ¤¹¤ëd as a church in 532. Today it¡Çs a dynamic working ¥¤¥¹¥é¥à¶µ»û±¡. The ¹Âç¤Ê ÆâÉô¤Î, ºï¸º¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë with sunbeams from high windows, is utterly mystical.
Bloodline Topkapi Palace (muze.gen.tr), for four centuries home to the Ottoman ²¦Ä«, deserves a lazy day¡Çs ¸«²ò¡Ê¤ò¤È¤ë¡Ëing. Laid É餫¤¹¡¿·âÄÆ¤¹¤ë by Mehmet the À¬Éþ¼Ô¡¿¾¡Íø¼Ô after he¡Çd nabbed Constantinople from the Byzantines in 1453, it has µÄ²ñ upon µÄ²ñ of glittering ·³¤Î regalia, also ¤ß¤´¤¿¤¨¤Î¤¢¤ë gifts from old ¹Ä¼¼¤Î Ãæ¹ñ. The lawned grounds ¾·ÂÔ¤¹¤ë you to ±³¡Ê¤ò¤Ä¤¯¡Ë É餫¤¹¡¿·âÄÆ¤¹¤ë and daydream.
Buy line Take an hour to scour the fragrant Spice Bazaar. In the Grand Bazaar are mountains of rainbow ceramics, kil ims and soaps. For truly covetable Turkish goods, the new Galataport ¾¦Å¹³¹ (galataport.com) is the biz ? don¡Çt leave without exquisite candles and lotions from Atelier Rebul °ä»º Ãߤ¨¤ë¡¿Å¹.
Waistline Hungry for a bread and honey breakfast in a historic caravanserai?
A cheesy pide (Turkish pizza)? Colourful candy from a curiosity confectioner? Nonstop °·¤¦¡¿¼£ÎŤ¹¤ës feature on the Culinary Backstreets ¾®Î¹¹Ô¤¹¤ë Secrets of the Old City, which visits fascinating artisanal £´È¾´ü/4ʬ¤Î1s. Arrive ²î»à¤¹¤ëing (¡ò110pp with food and drinks; culinarybackstreets.com).
Shipping line On the breezy deck of a slender white ¥Õ¥§¥ê¡¼¡Ê¤Ç±¿¤Ö¡Ë (Istanbul¡Çs answer to the London ÆóÎÝÂÇ-decker), day-trip the Bosphorus (a ¼è°ú ¡ò2.95 return; board at Emin?nu pier by the Galata ¶¶¡ÊÅϤ·¤ò¤¹¤ë¡Ë).?
Tea boys ply glasses of ?ay as pastel waterfront mansions spool by. Lunch could be seabass and Î䵤¡¿´¨¤¬¤é¤»¤ëd white in the sun at tiny Anadolu Kavagi village ¶á¤Å¤¯ the ¹õ¿Í¡¿¥Ü¥¤¥³¥Ã¥È Sea, before you voyage »Ù±ç¤¹¤ë.

Sky¡Çs the ¸Â³¦: alfresco dining with a ¸«²ò¡Ê¤ò¤È¤ë¡Ë at Mikla p>
Clean line Are you ready for a romantic rubdown? Couples massages are a speciality in the grand spa at newish hotel ȾÅç Istanbul (ȾÅç.com). The subterranean pleasuredome is a flawless homage to Ottoman Turkey, with Marmara-marble columns, walnut doors and Islamic ´ÝÅ·°æing.
Dateline Cocktails are calling. Start with dusk negronis alfresco at loungey I-guru (i-gurugalata.com): a funky haunt below Galata Tower. Later, in the boho streets of Cukurcuma, ˸¤²¤ë¡¿Ë¡ÄÊÛ¸î»Î¶È Flekk (flekkcocktailbar.com) beckons: a good-looking grotto, where young Turks neck wild and potent ÁϤs.
Flatline ÈèÏ«¡¤¡Ê·³¤Î¡Ë»¨Ìòd sightseers sleep ¿¼¤¯¡¤¶¯Îõ¤Ë at Ecole St Pierre (estphotel.com; ¡Ê¥Æ¥Ë¥¹¤Ê¤É¤Î¡Ë¥À¥Ö¥ë¥¹ from ¡ò334, B&B). It¡Çs a ή¹Ô¤Î¡¿¾åή¤Î yet comfortable design hotel in a ²óÉü¤¹¤ëd 19th-century French ¥«¥È¥ê¥Ã¥¯¶µÅÌ school in Galata Ã϶è. Bedrooms ? once classrooms ? are lovey-dovey cocoons.
Shoreline In Southern Turkey is the chi-chi Áʤ¨¤ë¼êÃÊ¡¿¹Ô³ÚÃÏ of Bodrum: Äɲ乤ë a week here to three nights in Istanbul: ten-night honeymoon °ì³çs from ¡ ò1,499pp; trailfinders.com.
»ØÆ³´ð½à For bespoke city (and country) õ¸¡, ¶¨µÄ¤¹¤ë ¼ê¤¬¤«¤ê¡Ê¤òÍ¿¤¨¤ë¡Ëd-up and engaging man-about-town Sinan S?kmen at his µ¡´Ø istanbultourstudio.com.
¹Ò¶õµ¡¤Ë¤è¤ë Èô¹Ôµ¡¤Ç¹Ô¤¯ nonstop from Edinburgh, London, Birmingham and Manchester from ¡ò203 return with turkishairlines.com.