While gifts are great, for some having a shared experience to commemorate love is an opportunity for further romance. So why not opt for taking your love on an adventure and experience the two of you will never forget?

Check out this list of ten romantic Valentine’s Day experiences:

Enjoy Turkish breakfast

Why not start the day with a bang and share a lavish Turkish breakfast with your loved one or on your own? Anyone who has visited Türkiye will know that the famed Turkish breakfast is an elongated and unique culinary experience.

With most Turkish breakfasts served up with dozens of components, it is certainly easier to enjoy at a venue. However, the sentiment still stands if you choose to prepare a lavish spread at home. Or, for something different, use the occasion to try an authentic Van breakfast, which is a unique spread of specialties from the region famed for its breakfast. While most breakfast venues are admittedly first-come first-served, for the day of, it would be worth making a prior reservation.

Go to comedy club

Türkiye has a really lively stand-up comedy scene and the BKM Mutfak Comedy Club in Beşiktaş was an integral start of it. On Feb. 14, the comedy club will feature a lineup of Istanbul’s best stand-up comedians for a special Valentine’s Day-themed show that will start at 8 p.m.

Take couples’ cooking class

Taking part in a cooking class for couples can be a fun and romantic activity that will land you a few more skills in the kitchen. Several very special cooking classes will be geared toward couples this Valentine’s holiday such as The Swiss Otel’s Swiss Cooking Class where participants will make raclette and other specialties held in the hotel’s atmospheric garden chalet.

While this class will take place on Saturday, Feb. 10, others will be held on Wednesday, the day of Feb. 14, such as the Cooking Class Academy in Ataşehir which will be holding a workshop for couples on how to make their own raviolis.

The EKS Mutfak Akademisi in Kadıköy will be holding a dessert-making workshop where participants will prepare white chocolate brownies a chocolate-shaped heat and a coconut truffle. Or their evening workshop will be a romantic meal for two with salad, hummus, beef tenderloin and a forest fruits panna cotta.

Watch Sema or Folkloric Dance Show

Every Thursday, the Hodjapasha Gösteri ve Etkinlik Merkezi in Sirkeci has weekly showings of whirling dervishes performing a Sema ceremony. Housed in the historical Hocapasa Hamamı built in 1470, the atmospheric performances are also displayed via a 360-degree video projection during the show.

While not held on the day, but the day after, the Sema ceremony takes place each Thursday night starting at 7 p.m. and is followed by a show called "Dansın Ritmi," which means "The Rhythm of Dance," at 8:30 p.m. This is a performance showcasing different dance styles from throughout the country including Ottoman, Zeybek and Oriental dances.

Go quiet or dark at Istanbul Dialogue Museum

Conveniently located in the Gayrettepe Metro Station, the Istanbul Dialogue Museum presents two exhibitions, allowing people to become better acquainted with the significance of their senses and what life would be without them. The first of two exhibitions is called "Silence in Dialogue" and it consists of a tour of the museum that is entirely silent and led by a deaf guide.

"Dialogue in the Dark" is the second exhibition and consists of guests going into and getting on replicas of iconic symbols in Istanbul completely in the dark. The exhibition contains experiences such as boarding a ferry or tramway, being in a bustling market, and crossing a busy street in the dark. The point of these two one-hour experiences is to understand what life is like for the deaf and blind and to gain a greater sense of awareness of the senses we have.

Watch film at romantic theater

From Cinehouse to Mars’ Cinemaximum, there are several movie theaters geared for couples that could make for a romantic date on Valentine’s Day. Cinehouse has couples’ theaters, which are dolled up with rose petals and come with romantic gifts and treats, and in Ankara, Cineverse has an entire theater consisting of double beds and Tempurpedic beds.

Find a theater near you with comfortable couples’ seating and book early for the night of Valentine's Day, because those comfy couches could sell out early.

Go to ballet or opera

Istanbul has two magnificent theaters that offer an atmospheric experience of witnessing the classic arts of ballet and opera being performed for a live audience. Dressing up and attending a show, potentially after a romantic meal, and better yet even getting a private booth can be a truly memorable way to celebrate love.

The Süreyya Opera Stage in Kadıköy will be having a special Valentine’s Day performance and the Ataturk Culture Center in Taksim will have performances of Don Giovanni, and Amadeus as well as a special concert of Turkish love songs that could make for a very memorable night.

Take foodie tour

Culinary Backstreets offers nearly half a dozen food tours of Istanbul in addition to other cities all over the world. On Feb. 14 alone, there are different tours of the culinary specialties of the Grand Bazaar, the Beyoglu and Kurtulus districts, three different waterside neighborhoods and one spanning two continents.

Each of these could be a fun experience to go on an adventure with a loved one and to dine on and discover new food in the city.

Couples’ massage, spa

Many spas will be devoting their facilities to couples this Valentine’s Day, meaning they will be offering couples’ massages as well as use of their facilities in special packages geared toward this day. If you don’t know which hotel or spa to try, the website Spafoni helps determine the venue and criteria that best suits you.

Hotel feast, show

In Türkiye, it has become customary for five-star hotel chains’ restaurants to feature a special five-meal course or lavish buffet and musical performance for couples on Valentine’s Day. A sort of gala-like event, people dress up to the nine’s, feast in a prearranged menu and witness some of the country’s top-billed performers in an intimate setting.