Trees Lead the Way

How beautiful trees are, especially in this season, the colours take your breath away. And if you get a mellow breeze to move those leaves, then they’re a sight to see…

There are so many spots to go on an enjoyable walk to watch the leaves turn in Istanbul.

You don’t even have to travel far away to do so.

Have you ever noticed the Japanese Garden in Baltalimani?

The garden, which you can walk through with taking just a little break from your daily routines, is a 30th anniversary gift from the Shimonoseki City in Japan, which has been Istanbul’s sister city since 1972.













While you are taking in the beauty of this garden you can learn about Shimonoseki and Japan.

If you wish to travel further away from the city center, before making your way to the Belgrad Forest- which is the lungs of our city- you can take the first left before the last traffic lights and find your way to the Atatürk Arboretum.


The arboretum was opened in 1949, and it greets its visitors with a marvelous diversity of trees and plants. The arboretum also contains Turkey’s first nursery garden, which was founded in 1912 and sent the first trees to the famous Ankara Gazi Osman Farm.

You can spend hours in this spot, relaxing and taking
in the beauty either by yourself or with loved ones.






Don’t forget to taste the fresh and ice cold fountain water that comes from a natural source within the arboretum. 

And now, a very old Istanbulite: This plane tree, that is assumed to be 400 to 600 years old, has grown so much to the point it’s branches resemble an octopus, hence its nickname- the Octopus Plane Tree.

The notorious tree resides on the Bilezikci Farm Property and though it still stands tall, it needs the care and protection from us humans.

 Beautiful and unoccupied farmhouses also reside on the property.







Unfortunately, the tree and the farmhouses are not open to general public since the Farm and its 800 hectares land belongs to the Istanbul University’s Faculty of Forestry, and can only be visited with special permissions.





In hopes of always following trees, which lead us to serenity, calmness and happiness…

Until next time,
Tracer of Istanbul