Tired of over-crowded Istanbul parks? Want a larger natural space to walk through? Want to leave the city, but not go too far? Well, we have just the solution for you: the Atatürk Arboretum.
An arboretum – as per the English pamphlet provided upon entrance – is ‘a living museum for scientific and educational purposes where indigenous and exotic trees, shrubs and other woody plant species with known origin and properly labeled with botanical names take place.’ If you can get past the awkward English you will find that we are basically talking about a botanical garden, one that I didn’t know existed in the 14 years I’ve called Istanbul home.
The Atatürk Arboretum, a 296-hectare large space near the Belgrade Forest, houses close to 2000 varieties of green living things. There are a couple of bodies of water with ducks and turtles, and if you are willing to walk deep into the arboretum you can also find gazelles. What’s clear from the moment you enter the arboretum is that this isn’t a place for picnicking or playing ball. Although there are benches along the routes and near the ponds, the best way to explore this space is by walking the set trails that take you through huge groves of trees. The park is specially known for its oaks, with about 18 different types of oak trees being grown in one corner of the arboretum alone.
What is particularly pleasing about this place is that it doesn’t attract a lot of traffic, being a bit away from the city center. Most people who come all this way end up going to the Belgrade Forest instead; but the peace of the Arboretum is something of its own. The variety of greenery is impressive and the layout of the trails provides the perfect environment for a relaxing evening stroll. At the entrance, you are greeted with a fountain, from which several trails branch out, a pond on the right side and several stray dogs.
The only downsides are that there is an entrance fee and no food is allowed nor is it available inside the premises. However, come with good walking shoes and an even better camera and you won’t be disappointed.
Getting there and back: From Taksim you can take the 42T bus to Bahçeköy, which is a scenic ride in itself, following the Bosphorus almost all the way to the Black Sea. However, this ride can be unbearably long on weekends, when the traffic on the sahil yolu moves at a snail’s pace. A faster route would be to take the metro to Haciosman and board the 42HM bus to Bahçeköy. Get off at the “Kemerburgaz Yolu” stop, and the Atatürk Arboretum is 1km walk on the Kemerburgaz Bahçeköy Yolu.
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Especially in Autumn you have to go. Atatürk Arboretum is a great place.
It really is a place worth seeing in Istanbul.