Istanbul - Turkey with Your Family: From Bustling Bazaars to Historic Sites - page 68

Heybeliada, and finally stopping
at Buyuk Ada. No cars are
allowed on Buyuk Ada so, to
explore, hail a horse-drawn car-
riage and travel in some style.
The children will love it. There
are lots of good sandy beaches,
or head inland a little to see rows
of wooden houses built to a style
reminiscent of Art Nouveau
design.

only a popular location for visi-
tors to rest awhile but also a
meeting place for locals, espe-
cially just before prayers. It lies
with the great Blue Mosque as a
backdrop and with the Aya
Sofya and Topkapi Palace in
view. Horse-drawn carriages can
be hired from here for just a few
lira, taking you on a short tour
of the immediate area, while
sightseeing buses and trams leave
here (and stop off here) for
longer journeys around the city.
Open daily. Admission free.

Nature Reserves, Parks &
Gardens
Feshane Children's
Entertainment Park

★★★

★★★
Imrahor Avenue, Sutluce Istanbul.
b [phone]; www.
miniaturk.com.tr

Miniaturk

VALUE

FIND ALL AGES

Eski Feshane Caddesi, Defterdar
Duragi, Eyüp b [phone].
This is a fabulous park for young
children to let off steam. There
are play activities for toddlers
through to children of around
5 years or more, plus rides for
older children and areas for
sports. A regular programme of
events and festivals is aimed at
children of all ages, too. The
tourist offices usually have a good
leaflet telling you what's on and
when. Nearby is the Feshane
market, a labyrinth of tiny walk-
ways where everything from gold
to clocks can be found, and an
interesting place to spend a little
time when in this part of the city.
Open 10am-8pm daily. Admission
free. Rides cost extra.

This park features models of
important buildings in the city
and it is mentioned a few times in
this chapter but it richly deserves
the praise because seemingly
everything to amuse children and
protect them from injury has
been thought of, including
bouncy rubber flooring (similar to
what you get in most UK play-
grounds), which will prevent
injury should a little one fall from
one of its play attractions. Among
its features are a playground with
swings, slides, models of castles to
climb and a toy train - the
Miniaturk Express - that takes a
trip around the park. There's even
a Trojan horse to climb. Its
Country in Miniature permanent
exhibition, meanwhile, includes
beautifully crafted, if tiny, versions
of the Süleymaniye Mosque, the
Selimiye Mosque, Aya Sofya and
the Dolmabahçe Palace, together

★

Gülhane Park

Aya Sofya Square

A wide open space with foun-
tains, flower borders and a frenzy
of people, Gülhane Park is not

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