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Gulhane Park is a beautiful and nice place in Istanbul.
It’s a great option for a morning run, evening stroll or a short walk in Istanbul. Situated right behind the world-famous Hagia Sophia, it’s also a very accessible place. You can easily walk there from Sultanahmet and Taksim, two of the most popular districts in Istanbul for tourists. Being so centrally located, it also gets busy at times — take that into account.
Escape the hustle and bustle of central Istanbul!
More: Best Hotels in Istanbul For Every Budget, Best Day Trips From Istanbul
Table of Contents
1. Gulhane Park, Istanbul: Basics
It isn’t a very big park for other cities, but for Istanbul it’s huge.
Opened to the public in 1912, Gulhane park is one of the biggest parks in the city, and also the oldest park in Istanbul.
TIME: 1-2 hours
ENTRANCE: free
Normally the park is accessible 24 hours a day, but now in April 2021 due to Covid restrictions it was being closed during the nights, and the opening hours were changed to 6 – 22:30. Double check it when you’ll be visiting Istanbul.
There are two entrances.
2. Getting to Gulhane Park
You can walk, take a taxi or a tram to get there.
Istanbul Tram T1 stop is right next to the park.
3. Visiting Gulhane Park: My Experience
At first, I didn’t even know there is this park.
I was walking through the busy streets of Sultanahmet area, wandering around more or less aimlessly, and just heading in the direction of the Hagia Sophia. And then, boom, I found Gulhane Park, which in April 2021 felt like a true oasis in the midst of Istanbul’s traffic and neverending bustle (even during the pandemic).
The park is quite big, there are wide pathways and a lot of greenery — perfect place for a walk in Istanbul.
It’s a well-kept park you really want to return to.
Here are a few photos from my walk.
Have you been to Istanbul? Did you check out any parks in Istanbul? What was your experience?
Book Your Trip Like a PRO
1. Book Your Flight. Find cheap flights using Kiwi.com, Momondo.com. Or subscribe to Dollar Flight Club, if you don’t want to be searching for the flights yourself. Kiwi currently is my first choice.
2. Book Your Accommodation. Booking.com, Agoda.com and Airbnb. I use Booking and Agoda at least a dozen times a year, and Airbnb – when looking for a long-term stay. My best tip is to ALWAYS compare the price. Sometimes the same hotel is cheaper on Booking.com, other times – on Agoda. Always compare the price!
3. Buy Your Travel Insurance. Ekta and SafetyWings are two companies I can recommend. Ekta offers some extra benefits, that will be important for those doing some higher risk activities (make sure to choose the right plan!), while SafetyWings is better for digital nomads. SafetyWings is also very affordable.
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