Romantic in Istanbul

Romantic Istanbul is almost entirely on the water and almost entirely after dark. The small-group sunset yacht is the format that sells most: six or eight people, snacks, an hour and a half between two bridges, when the floodlights are already on and the sky has not yet gone black. A private charter removes the neighbours — the same water, but with only you aboard, and the route bends to you: longer off Ortaköy, or as far as Rumeli Hisarı.

On land the choice is shorter. A ride at the waterline takes half an hour and runs all year. A dinner show with oriental dance suits those who want a programme rather than quiet. A genre of its own is the evening walk through the old city, where a hammam and dinner are assembled into one route for two. And for anyone willing to leave town, Istanbul sells a Cappadocia package: two days with a night in a cave hotel and a balloon at first light.

Practical notes. Sunset falls near eight in summer and closer to five in winter, and the yacht departures move with it — book ahead, since the sunset slots go first. Evenings on the Bosphorus are noticeably cooler than on shore; a jacket is needed even in July. A private yacht is priced per boat rather than per person, so for two it costs more than it looks, while for four to six it lands close to the group option.