Emirgan to Sarıyer: tulip park, calligraphy museum, fish lunch
Emirgan's tulip park, the Sabancı's Ottoman calligraphy, and the sahil walk north to Sarıyer for fish. This is a Claude-drafted route awaiting the editor's walk.

1. Emirgan bus stop
The 25E from Kabataş is the canonical route up; the 22 also works. Step off at Emirgan — the park gate is across the road, the museum two minutes further north along the sahil.

2. Emirgan Park / Lale Bahçesi
Over a hundred hectares of parkland on the European Bosphorus. The annual Tulip Festival (Lale Festivali) peaks in mid-April; the rest of the year it's pine forest, ornamental ponds, and three Ottoman-era kiosks — Sarı Köşk, Pembe Köşk, Beyaz Köşk. Free entry, dawn to dusk.

3. Sakıp Sabancı Müzesi
The Sabancı family's yalı, opened as a museum in 2002. The permanent collection is Ottoman calligraphy and the floral imperial tuğra; the rotating shows have ranged from Picasso to Anish Kapoor. The Müzedechanga restaurant on the terrace earns the price for the view alone. Closed Mondays.

4. The sahil walk to Sarıyer
About ninety minutes at a relaxed pace. The path follows the seawall most of the way, passing through İstinye, Yeniköy, and Tarabya — each its own small Bosphorus village. The Black Sea exit opens ahead of you as you go north, the strait widening visibly mile by mile.

5. Sarıyer balık pazarı
The fish market at the centre of Sarıyer — the city's serious one, where the Black Sea catch comes ashore. Mezgit, palamut, lüfer, çupra, levrek depending on season; the meyhanes around the market do the same fish to order. The midday smell is the neighbourhood's signature.

6. Sarıyer İskelesi
The ferry south to Eminönü is forty-five quiet minutes along the upper Bosphorus — the Black Sea exit behind you, the strait widening as you go south. Or bus back on the 25E if you want to retrace the sahil in reverse.

Emirgan to Sarıyer: tulip park, calligraphy museum, fish lunch