Istanbul for free

Tulip Festival Istanbul April until the beginning of May is tulip season in Istanbul. Since 2006 the city of Istanbul is honoring the tulip with this festival. And it is totally free, no entry fees, no nothing. As the tulips are literally spread all over the city, providing eye candy, there are some spots, namely parks, which are especially worth visiting to enjoy the colorful tulips. These four spots are the highlights of the Tulip Festival , or Lale Festivali in Turkish. Yildiz Grove, Besiktas The Yildiz Grove is actually located between Besiktas and Ortaköy, and therefore an ideal spot to visit on the way to the market or the mosque in Ortaköy - the Büyük Mecidiye Camii. It is one of the biggest green area close to the city and spreads over the hills above Besiktas delivering beautiful views of the Bosphorus, while inhabiting lots of different plants and an overwhelming amount of squirrels. Easiest reachable by bus from Taksim or Besiktas. Gülhane Park, Fatih/Sult...

Emirgan Park Sign One of the biggest and most known parks of Istanbul is the Emirgan Park. The 452.000 square meter park is located on the European side of Istanbul, between the neighborhoods of Rümeli and Istinye. It is one of the big green lungs relatively close to the city centre.  And if ones decides to take a bus from Taksim, Kabatas or Besiktas to the park, it also provides a nice ride along the shore of the Bosphorus, passing Ortaköy with its famous mosque - possible stop! - and the two Bosphorus bridges.  Emirgan Park: Free views and recreation Emirgan provides not only some spectacular views of the Bosphorus but also a lot of caves, ponds, waterfalls, historic trees and water ponds. Altogether with a mirad of walking paths and three restored Ottoman mansions it creates a pretty unique atmosphere. The three mansions are a prime example for the Ottoman architecture of the late years, and are named in regards to their colors, pink, white an...

Even though Istanbul does provide a lot of museums, the majority of them are unfortunately - for the budget traveler - not free, not even cheap. One of the very few exception is the Turkish Bank Museum - Türkiye IS Bankasi Museum or Isbank Museum.  Turkish Bank Museum Istanbul Turkish Bank Museum Istanbul According to the name of the Museum one normally would suspect it is a museum about the Turkish Bank, but that is only half of the museum. Being situated in an old bank building in Eminönü it is a sight by itself. Built 1892 and used as the Isbank main branch from 1926 to 2005 it is a museum since 2007, and hosts changing exhibitions - about three to four throughout the year. Besides an exhibition about the history of Türkiye IS Bankasi itself and about the technical development of banking over time, this years main exhibition is about Canakkale 1915 . The Canakkale 1915 "From the depths to the trenches" exhibition will run until the mid of August and is also in En...

Everybody who is intending to stay longer in the cultural and economic heart of Turkey, Istanbul, may want to learn Turkish. At least at a basic level. May it be just to get better in touch with all the locals and their culture, for better integrating or even for just being able to interact smoother when it comes down to everyday life. Learn Turkish for free in Istanbul Turkish lessons & more in Istanbul - for free There are literally mirads of Turkish lessons offered all over the city. Of better and worse quality and every level of rates asked. But besides that it is not the easiest thing to pick the right language school at all, not everybody may be able to pay much for a language course. Luckily here come the ISMEK in, which is kind of a free public school run by government. In the first place aiming at Turkish residents to provide courses in a broad range of topics from languages over programming to handicrafts, ISMEK also offers Turkish language courses for foreigners...

After providing an overview of the breakfast served in Turkey and typical drinks in Turkey , now an overview of the cold street food in the city. The probably most well known of them is the sesame ring called Simit, which can literally be found on every corner of the city in the red push-cars on the street. For a mere 1 TL one gets a decent snack, sometimes even with chocolate cream or cream cheese, the latest is highly recommended to try. Turkish Cold Street Food Simit Simit - crispy round savory roll covered with sesame, kind of a Turkish bagel. The street version, the sokak simit (cold) is very crispy. Some street vendors also offer to prepare it with cream cheese or chocolate cream. Simi are dipped in water which is sweetened with molasses and are dipped into sesame seeds before baking. This process keeps them moist and tasty. Besides the only contain half of the calories as a boiled bagel. Prices are between 0.75 and 1.40 TL for the plain Simit, cream cheese or Nute...

View from Camlica up the Bosphorus Camlica Hill is probably the number one spot for watching the sunset over Istanbul. It offers a unique perspective on the city, overlooking the old town - Sultanahmet, the areas of Besikatas and Beyoglu, the first Bosphorus Bridge and the main Istanbul waterway, the Bosphorus. If the weather conditions allow it, it is even possible to see the Princes Islands and the famous Mount Uludag near Bursa. Camlica Hill - The view over Istanbul View from Camlica down the Bosphorus Camlica is located about 4km from Üsküdar and divided into two hills: Kücük Camlica (‘Little Pine Hill’) and Büyük Camlica (‘Big Pine Hill’). Büyük Camlica is the highest point in Istanbul at 267m above sea level. Therefore providing the best views of Istanbul. Nevertheless Kücük CAmlica is worth visiting too, being more peaceful and offering beautiful gardens, forests and walking trails. Especially during the spring time Camlica is worth a visit, as in anticipati...

One other green retreat on the European side of Istanbul is right next to all the sights in the Sultanahmet area. Just down below the Topkapi Palace lays the Gülhane Park . This park is the oldest one in Istanbul, and translates basically to Rosehouse Park. Gülhane Park Walkway in Gülhane Park Being formerly a the Palace garden, a royal retreat in all aspects, the Gülhane Park is nowadays open for everyone who wants some relaxation and green after visiting the Topkapi Palace, the Hagia Sophia or the Blue Mosque. Nevertheless it is still located inside the outer walls of the Topkapi Palace. Next to the beautiful trees and flowers the park features the first statue of Atatürk erected in Turkey (1926), sculpted by Heinrich Krippel and the Goths Column from Roman times. The Goth Column is the oldest standing relic from the Roman era in Istanbul. If one follows the main walkway, which is lined with giant plane trees on both sides, the reward will be a magnificent view of the Bos...