Photos: Jorge Láscar from Australia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 Alexxx Malev, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Till Niermann, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo credits
Photos: Jorge Láscar from Australia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 Alexxx Malev, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Till Niermann, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Yıldız Park's pavilions
Your local guide
Barış Güneş
View profile
Highlights
- A pavilion turned political prison
- Gardens dating to the original design
- Yıldız Park's quieter corners
- A gardener's view of Ottoman history
- Green Istanbul, away from the crowds
About this tour
This session moves through Yıldız Park to Malta Köşkü, one of its Ottoman-era pavilions, and the gardens surrounding it. You see the pavilion's exterior and plantings that date back to the park's original design. Barış, who has gardened here for years, explains the building's unusual later history as a political prison before its current use.
The call opens with a sound check at the pavilion, then moves through the surrounding gardens. Barış answers questions about the plants as readily as the architecture and sends a short note afterwards.
This suits anyone who wants a green, quieter side of Ottoman-era Istanbul. It also pairs well with a session at Ihlamur Kasrı nearby.
Included
- Live video walk with a local guide
- Questions to your guide all the way
- A short list of places to visit later
Not included
- Internet connection
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
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Welcome and sound check 5 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of Istanbul before heading out.
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Malta Köşkü 21 min
The camera stands before Malta Köşkü, one of Yıldız Park's Ottoman-era pavilions, and Barış explains its later use as a political prison before becoming a café.
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Park gardens 21 min
You walk through the surrounding gardens with Barış, who has tended them for years, and he points out plantings that date back to the park's original design.
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Your questions 9 min
Time to ask anything about Istanbul: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
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A short list to keep 4 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: Meze and Beyoğlu, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in Istanbul time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 10 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through Istanbul, showing you Malta Köşkü and Park gardens live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We connect on Google Meet; the link comes with your booking. I walk the gardens live with my phone.
Times shown in Istanbul time (GMT+3)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
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Only travellers who booked and paid through Locals Guide and whose tour took place can leave a review, within 60 days of the tour. Every review is marked "Verified booking". We check reviews before they appear and publish positive and negative ones alike; we remove only reviews that break our rules (insults, personal data, unrelated content). Guides cannot pay for, edit or hide reviews, and ratings are the plain average of all published reviews.
Next: Sun 1 Nov · 10 seats left From 20,00 €
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