2 Best Sights in Istanbul, Turkey

Central Istanbul has precious few public green spaces, which makes this park—once the private gardens of the adjacent Topkapı Palace—particularly inviting. Shaded by tall plane trees, the paved walkways, grassy areas, gazebos, and flower beds make this a relaxing escape from the nearby bustle of Sultanahmet. Walk all the way to the end of the park for excellent views of the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara. The Istanbul Museum of the History of Science and Technology in Islam is inside the park, as are a municipal-run café and a couple of places serving tea and snacks.

The wooded slopes of Yıldız Parkı once formed part of the great forest that covered the European shore of the Bosphorus from the Golden Horn to the Black Sea. In the waning years of the Ottoman Empire, the park was the private garden of the nearby Çırağan and Yıldız palaces, and the women of the harem would occasionally be allowed to visit, secluded from prying eyes as they wandered among acacias, maples, and cypresses. Today the park is still beautiful, particularly in spring when the tulips and other flowers bloom, and in fall when the leaves of the deciduous trees change color.

At the top of the park (a 15- to 20-minute walk from the entrance) is the relatively modest (by Ottoman standards) Yıldız Şale (Yıldız Chalet), where the despotic Sultan Abdülhamid II (ruled 1876–1909) spent most of his time. It also served as a guesthouse for visiting heads of state, from Kaiser Wilhelm II to Charles de Gaulle and Margaret Thatcher.