Istanbul Tulip Festival

The tulip is native to the steppe of Central Asia and Anatolia, was cultivated intensively by the Ottomans, and reached the Netherlands from Istanbul in the sixteenth century - the Dutch mania and the entire modern industry descend from bulbs sent west from here. The early eighteenth century in Ottoman history is even named the Tulip Era after the court's obsession with breeding and displaying them. The municipality began replanting on a large scale in the 2000s, and the April festival is the result: several million bulbs across the city's parks, with Emirgan Grove on the Bosphorus the densest and most photographed, Gülhane below Topkapı the most convenient, and large formal beds at Sultanahmet and on the Asian side at Göztepe and Beykoz. The Ottoman tulip was a slender, pointed flower quite unlike the round Dutch cultivars that now fill most of the beds - a small irony worth noticing while you look at them.

What you actually see

• The Emirgan beds - the densest planting, on the Bosphorus hillside.
• Gülhane Park - the beds below the Topkapı walls.
• The formal displays - patterned plantings at Sultanahmet.
• The Ottoman tulip - the slender original, where it is still grown.

When to go

April, with peak bloom usually in the first two to three weeks - timing shifts with the winter, so check before booking around it. Weekday mornings avoid the worst crowds.

Honest expectations

Bloom dates move year to year and a warm spring can finish the display early. Emirgan is extremely crowded at weekends. Most of the planting is modern Dutch cultivars, not historic Ottoman varieties.

Nearby

The Sakıp Sabancı Museum is beside Emirgan Grove; Gülhane adjoins Topkapı Palace.