Istanbul, The Times

The world’s 12 sexiest cities

How about a quickie? We’ve got a (dirty) dozen, from Paris to St Petersburg: 12 exotic, erotic escapes to put you in the mood

Visit the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, one of 2010's must-see cities

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 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 00 90 212 327 2844 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, 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 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 00 90 212 359 1500 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, 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 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 00 90 212 293 5656 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, 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 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 00 90 212 368 1818 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, 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 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 00 90 212 518 2504 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, 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 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 0845 084 8980 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, www.flypgs.com) flies from Stansted to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen, on the Asian side of the city, from £74 return.