We all want to get outside when the sun’s out. Here are some choice spots in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to enjoy an afternoon with groups large, small or intimate.

High Park

Anywhere good enough for a Shakespeare production has to be fine for a meet-up with the gang. Eighteen sites in the park are designated for picnicking; No. 19 is close to washrooms, Grenadier Café and the “Dream in High Park” stage. If your group is larger than 25, you should get a permit ($72.61) from the City of Toronto.

Kelso Conservation Area

Built around Lake Kelso, this is a bustling spot in the heat. You can kayak, swim, bird watch, fish for trout or bass, hike or just laze. Picnic areas are first come, first serve; reservations can be made for most of the 17 spots at a cost of $40 or $200, depending on the site’s size. Visit www.hrca.on.ca and click on Kelso for details.

Toronto Island Beach

If some romance is what you’re after, then catch a boat for the islands. Escape the crowds in Centreville and the surrounding lawn and head for a spot on the beach for some discreet wine consumption and splendid views of the downtown skyline.

Belfountain

Want some scenery and a history lesson with your eats? The hamlet of Belfountain near Orangeville is one of those Ontario spots that time seems to have left alone. There’s a swinging bridge over a Credit River waterfall, and a three-kilometre trail connects to the Bruce Trail. The grounds are small, but there’s lots to explore while you relax for lunch before or after hiking, or as an interlude while on your drive farther into the country.

Okay, so maybe throwing a blanket on a field where Canada geese call home strikes you as unsanitary if not outright gross. So if you’d like to enjoy the best parts of a picnic (food, drinks and company) without the inconveniences, then this wine bar in Leslieville will work. The atmosphere is typically Toronto: understated yet sophisticated. The food choices are limited, but it’s a wine bar not a buffet. The cheese selection is outstanding.

Turkey might be the world’s most contested country. Its landscape is dotted with battlegrounds, ruined castles and the palaces of great empires. This is the land where Alexander the Great slashed the Gordion Knot, where Achilles battled the Trojans in Homer’s Iliad, and where the Ottoman Empire fought battles that would shape the world. History buffs can immerse themselves in marvels and mementos stretching back to the dawn of civilisation.

Then again, if you want to simply unwind, spend an afternoon being pampered at ahamam, or let the warm waters off the Mediterranean coast lap at your toes. Adventure lovers can head east to Nemrut Daği National Park. Bon vivants need look no further than Istanbul, where the markets and bars are among the most stylish and atmospheric, and the mod Ottoman cuisine rates as the tastiest, in the world.

The country’s tumultuous history has left a deep legacy. People who’ve never had to suffer for an idea or fight for a patch of land can be overwhelmed by the passion of ordinary Turks for their country. But for ordinary Turks that passion finds its outlet, not in martial ardour, but in simple pleasures: family, food, music, football, and friendship. Turks have an inspiring ability to keep things in perspective, to get on with everyday life and to have a bloody good time in the process. Sharing their joy in the simple things is a highlight for every visitor.

Treat Turkey as that most quintessential of Turkish dishes, the meze, a table piled high with scrumptious treats. Throw away the menu, order a plate of everything and feast till you can’t go on. Afiyet olsun!