Özge Şengelen
While spring comes and sings its most beautiful songs to us, our feet want to take us to the lap of nature, so at this very moment, the hidden paradises of cities come to our rescue as the most beautiful city parks wait to offer you the scent of the freshest flowers of spring
City parks are the shortest way to escape from the city’s crowd, traffic and noise. They are secret paradises hidden in a corner in that vast chaos. Some of these hidden paradises, found in almost every city in the world, are spread over a vast area, and some are small, but the peace one can find in all of them is excellent. How about getting to know these parks in different cities, which allow us to take a breather, whether small or large?
Parks are an excellent opportunity for those who want to escape the busy and stressful city life. However, if you’re going to crown this escape to nature with a unique view simultaneously, there are places you can go. Here are the most beautiful city parks in the world.
Istanbul’s Gülhane
In a crowded city like Istanbul, perhaps everyone often needs to throw themselves into the lap of nature in the closest possible way. There are many parks where Istanbulites throw themselves to meet these needs. Gülhane Park, connected to the Fatih district of Istanbul, is just one of the parks where you can embrace nature and breathe. Gülhane was used as the outer garden of Topkapı Palace and to grow roses in the palace during the Ottoman Period; today it serves as one of the most beautiful and impressive parks in Istanbul.
You can have a pleasant time in the cafes in the park, which is home to museums, various sculptures and centuries-old trees, and impresses not only with its green areas but also with its Bosporus view. If you go to Gülhane Park during the tulip season, also known as the Istanbul Tulip Festival, you can be fascinated by the colorful picture of the park.
Amsterdam’s Vondelpark
This city park, named after the famous poet Joost van den Vondel, is located in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. Visiting the park on foot or by bike, which is the go-to ride for people in Amsterdam, enjoying the open air is one of the best things to do here. If you come to the park, established in the 1800s, during the summer months, you can’t get enough of the music in the concerts held here. Vondelpark, an indispensable part of daily life in Amsterdam, is also a favorite of nature lovers with its famous green parrots.
Tokyo’s Ueno Park
No one does not know or has not heard about the beauty of the Sakura season in Japan. This park, which is famous for its sakura, or cherry blossoms, blooming in the first week of April as in many parts of Japan, is the first public park in the city. The park, which hosts many museums and temples, has a pond and bicycle tracks. While you feel like you are in a completely different world in Ueno, walking around the pond with a pedalo, having a picnic and cycling are some of the most beautiful activities that can be done here.
Perth’s Kings Park
Located in Perth, Australia, Kings Park is distinguished from the others by being one of the largest green spaces in the country and the world. The park is a mixture of grassed parkland, botanical gardens and natural bushland on Mount Eliza, with two-thirds of the grounds conserved as native bushland, and is visited by over 5 million people each year. The park, where you can take long walks, watch the dance of the colors of nature, and see its exciting monuments, is waiting for its enthusiasts in Australia, the only continental country in the world.
Munich’s Englischer Garten
The Englischer Garten, or English Garden, which you will hear in the list of the most beautiful city parks in the world, whose history dates back to the 19th century, welcomes tens of thousands of people every day. The English Garden, one of the world’s largest city parks in terms of the area it covers, took its name from the English Garden movement, a landscape style mostly used in the 18th century. Walking in the park, one of the favorite places for Germans and tourists, picnicking, sunbathing and participating in activities in the garden, is an excellent opportunity for all visiting Munich.
New York’s Central Park
Undoubtedly, Central Park is one of the first names that come to mind when city parks are mentioned. The park, established on 840 acres in New York, is located between the city’s famous Fifth and Eighth streets. Visited by 42 million people every year, the park has become one of the most popular city parks on Earth. You can enjoy boating in the giant artificial lakes in the garden in Manhattan, the heart of New York, and get away from the noise and chaos of the city. Central Park is also one of the first parks in the United States where landscape architecture techniques were used.
London’s Hyde Park
Hyde Park, the largest of the Royal Parks in London, is one of the world’s most famous city parks. The park offers beautiful gardens, monuments, walking paths and lakes. Besides being a place where you can do activities such as walking, cycling and jogging, the park is an area where you can relax for a peaceful day. You can get colorful images in the park, which is also home to animals such as swans and squirrels.
Bangkok’s Lumphini Park
Located in the city center of Bangkok, Lumphini Park is a great place to escape from the chaos of the city. You can do activities such as picnics and walks in the park and cycling between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. It should be noted that the fact that smoking is strictly prohibited in the garden is an appreciable practice. Established in 1920, the park today offers all Bangkok residents, young and old, and tourists the opportunity to spend a wonderful time alone with nature.
City parks, which are some of the most beautiful spots to get away from the concrete, crowds and noise, and to get a little closer to nature, will always remain the darlings of the cities they are located. Because, in my opinion, the desire of every city dweller to integrate with nature will never go away.
Courtesy: Dailysabah
