Emirgan Grove

Emirgan Korusu climbs the hillside above the Bosphorus village of the same name, and it is the largest and best-planted park on the European shore - old plane, cypress and umbrella pine, lawns running down toward the water, ponds and long paths. Three nineteenth-century pavilions stand in it, restored and run as cafés: the Yellow, Pink and White Köşks, the Yellow one a chalet-styled building that is the most photographed. In April the grove becomes the centre of the city's tulip festival, with beds laid out in patterns across the lawns and hundreds of thousands of bulbs in flower at once, which brings enormous weekend crowds and a great many photographers. Outside April it reverts to being a quiet park where families picnic and joggers work the slopes. The Sakıp Sabancı Museum is immediately next door, so the two make an easy half-day together.

What you actually see

• The tulip beds - April planting across the lawns.
• The three pavilions - Yellow, Pink and White Köşks as cafés.
• The old trees - plane, cypress and umbrella pine.
• The Bosphorus slope - views down toward the water.

When to go

April for the tulips, though weekends then are extremely crowded. Otherwise year-round; autumn colour in the grove is good and the park is nearly empty on weekday mornings.

Honest expectations

Tulip season means crowds, queues at the café pavilions and packed paths. The site is a hillside - expect climbing. Bus is the only practical transport; there is no metro nearby.

Nearby

The Sakıp Sabancı Museum adjoins the park; Rumeli Fortress and Bebek are south along the shore.