In Istanbul, spring arrives slowly and summer starts abruptly. The rain continues throughout the beginning of spring, so while many travel blogs and guides, recommend trips on the Bosphorus at this time of year, it could be a chilly ride without a water proof jacket.
There are apparently three species of dolphin, which make their way up towards the Black Sea, towards the end of April. Despite travelling on ferries and walking along the shore at Yenikoy, I have never seen them (but then I am not particularly lucky with wildlife generally). This year, the shipping activity has decreased on the Bosphorus and luckily, the dolphins are easy to spot. I can now safely say that there really are dolphins in the Bosphorus and even I have seen them this year.
In normal times, Istanbul’s parks are magnificent during spring time, but will be just as much fun to visit in early summer, as the COVID-19 restrictions are eased. Yildiz Park in Besitkas/Ortokoy has an old palace as well as a view of the Bosphorus. I have never visited Ulus Park, but am guessing that the views must be amazing. Emirgan Park is my personal favourite. It has lots of steep hills, but there are also great places to stop and catch your breath, with the excuse of admiring the view or the bridal parties having their photos taken. The main restaurant is in a lovely old building and there are some ruins scattered about too. Of course, spring is the time for Istanbul’s famous Tulip Festival (but not in 2020 unfortunately).
The parks of Istanbul are great for picnics, with water fountains (for filling up tea kettles) and plenty of seating areas. Even if you aren’t picnicking yourself, seeing Turkish families picnic is fascinating. They bring more food and equipment than I would pack for a week long camping trip and frankly, make every one else’s picnics look a bit boring. As with anywhere in Turkey, there are kiosks serving food, in case you suddenly find yourself feeling madly jealous of other peoples’ picnic spreads.
Although neither is easy to reach with public transport, if you are able to drive, then Belgrad forest is always worth a visit or you could go for a walk and a picnic at Polonezkoy (the Polish Village).
Once, the pandemic has passed, I am hoping to take a public ferry across the Bosphorus to the Asian side to see Andalous Kavagi . The castle ruins are not as intact or impressive as those of Rumeli Hisari , on the European shore, but I am thinking that having fresh fish for lunch could easily make up for any missing bits of the original castle.
The Princes Islands are nice to visit at this time of year, before the heat and the crowds arrive. The public ferry will be less frequent but cycling around the island with a rented bike will definitely be easier in the spring weather.
Spring in Istanbul, might be slightly wetter than expected, but this means that climbing hills and stairs is more fun than it would be in the summer heat. Spring is always a great time of year for exploring and enjoying being outdoors. Making the most of being outdoors and walking around unfamiliar neighbourhoods hasn’t been possible this year, but seeing the blossoms and the dolphins made it great anyway.