Unveiling the Istanbul Tulip Festival: A Comprehensive Guide to 6 Must-Visit Parks

Have you ever seen something so beautiful that it takes your breath away?

Every April in Istanbul, millions of tulip flowers saturate this city with color during the Istanbul Tulip Festival.

White, pink, dark red, orange, yellow, purple, fuchsia, pink and white, orange and yellow, smooth-edged, ruffled edge, pointy-edged; every color, every type of tulip you can imagine.

The Tulip Festival in Istanbul began in 2006 and is held yearly from April 1-30.

I have lived in this city since 2009, and every year, I make it a priority to visit the parks with incredible tulip displays during the festival. This festival is one of my favorite events in Istanbul.

About 6 or 7 years ago, I had hoped to see tulips at the Buyuk Camlica Hill Park and was sorely disappointed.

That year, the city had limited the flower displays to a few key parks, and this park was no longer filled with tulips as it had been the previous year.

Don’t make the same mistake I did! Let me guide you through the festival and point you in the right direction for the most stunning tulip displays during the Istanbul Tulip Festival.

In this post, I’ll walk you through the info you need to know about the Tulip Festival in Turkey, pro tips for getting the most out of the festival, and the six best parks to see tulip displays.

Put a smile on between your tu-lips and read on!

Tulip Festival Istanbul

The tulip festival takes place in Istanbul every April. By this time, millions of tulip bulbs have been planted in many of the city’s parks and public areas. The city is bursting with beautiful tulip displays.

Depending on the weather each year, tulips can open as early as the end of March and bloom for several weeks until the first week of May. However, the best time to see the most open tulips is generally about the second or third week of April.

In 2024, the weather warmed up early and flowers were at their peak by about April 8 or so.

By the third week of April (especially after a rainstorm), about 80% of the tulips had faded. There were still a few gorgeous beds, but many of the tulips were stems without petals.

The weather in April is quite variable in Istanbul, so you can look on Instagram for #lalefestivali (“tulip festival” in Turkish) to see if the tulips have bloomed during the week you want to visit.

In addition to flower displays, the Istanbul Municipal Government also sponsors concerts and children’s activities at a few key parks to kick off the festival.

During the first weekend of the festival, there are afternoon concerts put on by the city’s chamber music and Turkish classical music groups at Emirgan, Gulhane, and Goztepe Parks.

How amazing to listen to live music while drinking in the beauty of spring!

History of Tulips in Turkey

Did you know that tulips are the national flower of Turkey?

Whether or not you come to Istanbul in April, you will see tulip motifs everywhere.

They are on the Turkiye tourism logo, on ceramic tiles and kitchen goods, in traditional marbling art (called “ebru”), and used as motifs on clothing.

Turkish glass tea cups are also in the shape of tulips, and the new Camlica Tower (a new symbol of the city) is designed to look like a tulip. They’re everywhere!

Most of the world connects tulips with the Netherlands, but tulips are actually native to Turkey. In the 16th century, ambassadors from European countries saw Ottoman tulips and brought them back to their countries.

There was even a period during the Ottoman Empire in the early 1700s called the “Tulip Era,” or “Tulip Age” (“Lale Devri” in Turkish) which was a time of peace and prosperity under Sultan Ahmet III (not to be confused with Sultan Ahmet I, who commissioned the Blue Mosque).

The word “tulip” is brought over from the Turkish “tulbend” (meaning “muslin,” or “gauze”), and from the Persian “delband” (meaning “turban”). This is possibly because tulips look a little like turbans on the top of a man’s head.

The Turkish word for tulip is “lale,” and this is also a popular name for a girl.

Netflix thought this was a great idea for a TV series about a woman named Lale and her love interests. Check out Lale Devri (Tulip Era) for a peek into Turkish culture.

Istanbul Tulips vs Amsterdam Tulips

So you love tulips. And you’re planning to travel in April to see them. Why would you come to Istanbul instead of Amsterdam to see these beautiful buds?

Amsterdam hosts a yearly spring flower festival that is centered around the Keukenhof Gardens. This horticultural park has 79 acres of tulip beauty. Amsterdam also has a flower parade and fields of flowers to visit.

Turkey does not have fields of flowers or a flower parade, but it has multiple parks totaling over 200 acres of tulip mania, spread throughout Istanbul.

Each park is located in a unique part of the city with historical and cultural importance. Turkish tulips plus the 1,400-year-old Hagia Sophia, anyone?

I love this city and would love for you to visit Istanbul and enjoy its amazing flower displays, alongside its depth of history, layers of culture, amazing food, and natural beauty.

Pro Tips to Enjoy the Tulip Festival 

The Tulip Festival is a popular event for both locals and international tourists alike.

Walking around the tulip beds, I see big groups following a guy with a flag on a stick, meet ladies who have traveled three hours from Edirne on an organized day tour, and hear English, Russian, Malaysian, and other languages around me.

It can get crowded in the parks during tulip season.

Pro tip #1: Timing

Timing is everything. Planning to visit the parks in the morning or on a weekday will give you the best experience.

Recently, I visited Emirgan Park around 10 a.m. on a Sunday, and Gulhane Park at around 11 a.m. on a Tuesday. Both were great times to enjoy the fantastic flowers in a leisurely way.

One year I took my family to visit Emirgan Park on a Sunday afternoon around 3 p.m.. That was a huge mistake.

It was impossible to find parking, and there were so many people clogging the park pathways that the entire experience was not enjoyable. Go early in the day, preferably on a weekday, for the best time to visit.

Pro Tip #2: Pick Your Neighborhood

Each neighborhood of Istanbul is a jewel in itself. When you plan your visit to the parks, check out cool things to do around that park.

Emirgan Park, the premier location for impressive tulip displays, is fairly far north on the European side of Istanbul.

In that part of town, you can also drop by the Sakip Sabanci Museum, or take a bus a few more stops north to have the best manti (meat ravioli in yogurt sauce) in the city at Emek Manti.

Goztepe 60. Yil Park, on the other hand, is on the Asian side of the city and is not far from a pleasant walk along the Marmara Sea coast.

Or you might want to take a shopping trip along Bagdat Caddesi (Bagdad Street), one of the main shopping thoroughfares of Istanbul.

Even if you have to travel a bit to see the best tulip displays, there are plenty of things to do and great eats around each park in Istanbul to make the trip worth it.

Pro Tip #3: Be Careful About Taking Purchases Internationally

In 2020, the pandemic shut down the city right before the flower festival. At that time, public parks were closed, and children were not allowed outside their homes for a full six weeks.

I still took a trip to Goztepe 60. Yil Park that April to peek at the tulips through the park’s closed fences. It was quite healing to see the beauty of the flowers, glorious as ever despite all the chaos that was going on in the world at that time.

Outside the park was a little municipal flower shop that sold potted budding tulips. I got one and brought it home so my kids could enjoy the beauty of spring inside our home.

If you’re staying in Istanbul for a length of time and can enjoy your tulips here, by all means, buy some budding tulip bulbs. But if you’re here for a short visit, you might want to think twice before buying bulbs to bring home.

US customs is very strict about bringing in plants, and Turkish bulbs are rarely (if ever) authorized to be brought back to the States. Better to enjoy the flowers here and bring home your memories and photos.

And with those pro tips, let’s go to the parks themselves!

1. Emirgan Park (Emirgan Korusu)

Emirgan Park is a bit of a hike from the most touristy parts of the city, but it is worth the travel to see the tulips there.

This large park is the main location of the Istanbul Tulip Festival, and it is renowned for its glorious expo of an extravagant variety of tulips.

In the other parks around the city, you always remember that you’re in a city. You can hear cars zooming down surrounding streets or see tall buildings about.

But in Emirgan, one of the largest parks in Istanbul, the city melts away and you can enjoy 117 acres of wooded parkland.

Sections of the park have picnic tables under the trees. These are wonderful places to sit and enjoy some tea from the city-run snack stands in the park or bring a picnic of your own.

It’s also sweet to see Turkish families and groups of friends enjoying their spreads and kicking around a soccer ball (called “football” here!) together.

Situated alongside the Bosphorus, the park provides a blend of lush foliage, extensive tulip beds, and stunning views of the water.

There are a few glass terraces where you can take some amazing selfies. One of the terraces sits atop what looks like an ancient building, with six or seven arches intact. One of the security guards thinks it might have been a hammam at one point.

Emirgan also boasts a little lake, a few ponds with waterfalls, and a bunch of picture-worthy pavilions. Bring your sturdy walking shoes, because the park is very hilly and the paths are uneven and stony.

The park also has three historical manor homes that have been turned into city-run restaurants. These are called the “Beyaz” (White), “Pembe” (Pink) and “Sari” (Yellow) Köşk (“koshk,” or pavilion).

The manor homes are lovely Ottoman buildings, and you can find couples taking their wedding pictures here, with the conservative brides wearing their ornate, embroidered long-sleeved and head-covered gowns.

As you enjoy the different elements of the park, you can also read some information about the history and science of tulips on stand-up boards. And if you come on the first weekend of April, you can enjoy live music by the city’s chamber music trio.

Getting to Emirgan Park

If you’re traveling to Emirgan Park from Kabatas, you can take the 25E bus line up the Bosphorus coast to the park. From Taksim, hop onto the 40T bus line, which will take you directly to Emirgan Park. Keep in mind that these buses might get crowded during peak traffic hours.

The park, due to its popularity, can get very busy during the annual Tulip Festival in Istanbul. However, the diverse selection of tulips, stunning Bosphorus views, and the comforting aura of the park make it an unbeatable destination for any Tulip Festival visitor.

2. Gülhane Park Tulip Garden Istanbul

Gulhane (pronounced “Gool-ha-neh”) Park is one of my favorite spots in the city because of the beautiful old plane trees that line its main path. This park is a little oasis, close to the touristy Sultanahmet Square and just in front of the Istanbul Archaeological Museum.

In April, Gulhane explodes with a riot of color as the tulips open their buds and show themselves off to the watching world. On the first weekend of the month, there are live concerts to enjoy during the Tulip Festival.

As one of the oldest public parks in Istanbul, Gulhane is seriously a treasure trove of history and natural beauty.

Some panels around the park describe different important events in the history of Gulhane.

One of my favorites describes the time in 1928 when Ataturk unveiled the new Turkish alphabet. Before this point, Ottoman Turkish had been written in Arabic script.

Gulhane Park once served as the outer garden of the Topkapi Palace during the Ottoman Empire. It shares a significant part of the history of the Tulip Era.

Immerse yourself in the history as you walk among the beautiful tulip displays.

When you visit Gulhane for the Tulip Festival, you can also look up to see the migrating storks in their nests, high above the crowds. These huge birds nest here in Istanbul as a stopover on their long journey from Africa to Europe.

Gulhane has a little coffee stand run by the city, as well as a restaurant where you can sit and enjoy a meal.

Inside the park, there is also the Museum of the History of Science and Technology in Islam. I would only recommend this museum if you’re particularly interested in the history of science.

Otherwise, the Istanbul Archaeological Museum nearby has a bit broader appeal.

Getting to Gulhane Park

Getting to Gulhane Park is quite straightforward. If you are traveling from Kabatas, hop onto the T1 tram line towards Bagcilar, and get off at the Gulhane stop. From Taksim, you can take the funicular down to Kabatas and then catch the T1 tram line towards Bagcilar.

The park can get pretty crowded during the Tulip Festival due to its popularity among locals and tourists alike. However, this shouldn’t deter you from enjoying the stunning vistas of the many tulip beds against the historic backdrop of the Topkapi Palace.

3. Goztepe 60. Yil Park

At Goztepe 60. Yil Park, you will be astounded by the sight of more than a million tulips planted in intricate designs. It’s nothing less than a visual feast!

If you’re a tulip enthusiast or simply love beautiful landscapes, this spot should be on your must-visit list.

The park has a rich history as well; it was specially designed in 2003 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Goztepe’s founding. It has ever since been a popular spot for outdoor recreation and cultural events.

During the first weekend of the Tulip Festival, there are children’s activities and afternoon concerts to enjoy.

This park is a great place for kids of all ages. There are two separate play structures, one ideal for smaller children and one built for bigger kids. In the summer, the splash fountains are great for cooling off.

When the tulips are gone in early May, the rose garden at the park comes into bloom. You can come back then to enjoy the intoxicating scents of dozens of different types of roses.

Goztepe 60. Yil Park is close to the Marmara Sea coastline, and you can walk from the park to enjoy the seaside.

If you walk along the northern edge of the park, you can enjoy Bagdat Caddesi (Bagdad Street), one of the main shopping and dining boulevards of Istanbul.

Getting to Goztepe 60. Yil Park

Getting to Goztepe 60. Yil Park is convenient both from Kabatas and Taksim. Take the Taksim-Kabatas funicular (one-stop metro) to Kabatas. Then hop on the ferry to Uskudar (the same price as a bus ride!) and take the Marmaray four stops to Goztepe. The park is a 20-minute walk from the Marmaray station.

If you take a taxi to Goztepe from the European side of the city, just remember that the price for the taxi will be what’s on the meter, plus an extra charge for the bridge or tunnel toll.

4. Sultanahmet Square

Sultanahmet, widely known as the historical heart of Istanbul, is another excellent location to experience the international Istanbul Tulip Festival.

As the square is located near some of the city’s most celebrated sites, including the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, you will be able to drink in the city’s rich history while feasting your eyes on the wide variety of tulip displays.

It’s magical to take in the ephemeral, very time-bound beauty of a tulip that’s here today and uprooted tomorrow, in the ageless depth of history that’s in Sultanahmet.

Whenever I’m in the historical square, it takes my breath away to think about the generations that have gone before me in that very space. Add to it some amazing tulip displays and it’s the cherry on top!

In front of the Hagia Sophia, you’ll find the “Tulip Carpet.” This display is about 2000 square yards (about a third of the size of a football field), with thousands of tulips arranged in the design of a Turkish carpet. There are stands where you can climb up a set of stairs to enjoy the design from a higher vantage point.

Getting to Sultanahmet Square

Reaching Sultanahmet is pretty simple. From Kabatas, you can take the T1 tram line towards Bagcilar and disembark at the Sultanahmet stop.

Similarly, if you start from Taksim, you can use the funicular to Kabatas and then take the T1 tram line to Sultanahmet.

The only downside of Sultanahmet is that it is one of the busiest tourist-attracting places in Istanbul, so you might encounter large crowds, particularly during the Tulip Festival.

However, the impressive scenery and tulip beds will more than make up for it.

5. Kucuk Camlica Park (Küçük Çamlıca Korusu)

Nestled on one of the highest hills in Istanbul, the Kucuk Camlica Park offers not only a fantastic selection of tulips during the festival but also breathtaking panoramic views of Istanbul, giving you a unique opportunity to enjoy the majestic city skyline adorned with colorful tulips.

“Kucuk Camlica” means “Little Pine Hill,” and it’s located on a hill in the Uskudar district of Istanbul.

When you get to the park, tulip beds line the paths as you walk up and over the hill. At the top of the hill is the new Camlica Tower, which was built to be a new symbol of the city.

It is designed to be in the shape of a tulip, with a larger “bulb” at the top of a “stem.” Functionally, the tower replaces a group of cell phone towers that were an eyesore at the top of Buyuk Camlica (“Big Pine Hill”).

It is also a new tourist attraction that has a restaurant and viewing platform at the top. Not to be missed!

On the other side of the Kucuk Camlica Hill, you’ll find an expansive view of the Bosphorus and a beautiful pavilion with a restaurant run by the city. Amazing views, Ottoman feel, and reasonable prices.

Getting to Kucuk Camlica

Reaching Kucuk Camlica involves a bit of a journey. From Kabatas, take the ferry to Uskudar and then take the M5 metro line four stops to Kisikli. The park is a 7-minute walk from the metro.

From Taksim, you can take the funicular to Kabatas and then follow the directions from Kabatas. Alternatively, you can take the M2 metro line to Yenikapi, then the Marmaray two stops to Uskudar, then the M5 metro line four stops to Kisikli.

The park’s slightly out-of-the-way location may deter some visitors. Also, the hill park can be a bit of a climb for some visitors.

Despite these minor drawbacks, the wide-ranging tulips display, the new Camlica Tower with its spectacular views, and the park’s undeniable ambiance guarantee a memorable experience.

6. Khedive Palace (Hıdiv Kasrı Korusu)

Khedive Palace, also known as Hidiv Pavillion, is a lesser-known but great place to enjoy the stunning array of tulips during the Istanbul Tulip Festival.

This stunning neo-Baroque-style villa and its surrounding gardens were once the home of Abbas II, the last Ottoman Khedive (governor) of Egypt and Sudan.

If I were the governor of Egypt and Sudan, I would want to spend my summers here! The woods and greenery of the grove are refreshing and cool.

The park is located on a hill overlooking the Bosphorus, with amazing views.

I’ve been to Egypt, and this park would feel like heaven after the hot, dusty, and yellow landscapes of that part of the world.

You are not only appreciating the beauty of tulips but also tracing the historical significance of these deeply adored flowers that were cultivated during the Ottoman Empire when you visit the Hidiv Pavillion during the tulip festival.

Getting to Hidiv Pavilion

To reach the Hidiv Pavillion from Kabatas, you’ll need to take a ferry to Uskudar, from where you can grab a 30-minute taxi or a bus numbered 15 to the Pavillion.

If you’re coming from Taksim, take the M2 metro line to ITU-Ayazaga. Then transfer to the 40B bus to Tersane, and take the Istinye – Cubuklu car ferry (you can go on as a pedestrian) across the Bosphorus.

From Cubuklu you can take a quick taxi or walk 20 minutes to the park.

The downside of Khedive Palace is its slightly remote location, hence your transport might require some careful planning.

Despite this, for history enthusiasts and aficionados of Ottoman architecture, a visit to the Hidiv Pavillion would be well worth the trip.

Istanbul Tulip Festival FAQs

Final Thoughts on the Tulip Festival in Istanbul

Having been to each of these parks in Istanbul during the Tulip Festival, I’ve put together the best recommendations you need to have an unforgettable experience.

The history of the tulip adds even more significance to this popular event, tracing its origins back to the Ottoman Empire.

Since the festival’s inception in 2006, the standout parks for the best Istanbul Tulip Festival experience include Emirgan Park, Gulhane Park, Goztepe 60. Yil Park, Sultanahmet Square, Kucuk Camlica, and Khedive Palace.

Each park is in a different part of the city and has unique pros and cons to consider. I hope you’re able to visit more than one park so you can maximize your visit and soak in the beauty. Let us know which park is your favorite!

Looking for similar weather but later in the year? Find out about what is best in the Fall in Istanbul.