Gulhane Park was once the outer garden of Topkapi Palace, closed to everyone but the court. Today it is a public park, and it remains the easiest place in the old city to step out of the crowd without leaving it.
The main avenue runs under old plane trees from the Sultanahmet end down towards Sirkeci, with the palace wall on one side the whole way. In April the tulip beds turn the slope into colour; the rest of the year the draw is simply shade and quiet. Near the lower gate a terrace looks out over the point where the Bosphorus meets the Golden Horn.
Entry is free and the park opens early. From Hotel Yasmak Sultan the lower gate is a short walk up from Sirkeci, which makes it a practical first stop: walk through the park, come out at the top, and Topkapi and Hagia Sophia are waiting.