Gülhane Park

Gülhane was the outer garden of Topkapı Palace, the park within the walls where the sultan's household walked, and it was opened to the public in the 1910s - one of the first public parks in the city. It runs downhill from the palace's first courtyard under very old plane trees, with lawns, rose beds, a pond and, in April, some of the densest tulip planting in Istanbul. The far end rises to the Set Üstü terrace, a tea garden looking out over Seraglio Point to where the Bosphorus, the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara meet - freighters, ferries and the Asian shore laid out below, and one of the better places in the city to sit for an hour. Inside the park is the Museum of the History of Science and Technology in Islam, with reconstructions of instruments described in medieval Arabic and Persian texts. The Goths' Column, a Roman victory monument of the third or fourth century, stands among the trees near the top.

What you actually see

• The plane avenues - old trees down the slope from the palace.
• The April tulips - dense beds through the park.
• The Set Üstü terrace - the tea garden over Seraglio Point.
• The Goths' Column - the Roman monument among the trees.

When to go

April for the tulips, which is when the park is at its best and busiest. Otherwise year-round; mornings are quiet and the terrace is best in late afternoon.

Honest expectations

It is central and free, so it is busy - particularly at weekends and during tulip season. The slope is steeper than it looks. The science museum keeps its own hours and ticket.

Nearby

Topkapı Palace is directly above; the Archaeology Museums are at the park's upper gate and Sirkeci is below.