Nezahat Gokyigit Botanical Garden

The garden occupies land left over between the slip roads of a motorway junction on the Anatolian side, separate parcels linked by bridges and underpasses, which is an unpromising description of what has become a serious botanical institution. It runs a herbarium and a seed bank, works on Turkish endemic plants and holds reference collections, alongside the ornamental planting most visitors come for: irises, roses, a rock garden, bulb beds and mature trees. The paths are well kept and the labelling is thorough. Entry is free, which for a garden of this size in Istanbul is unusual, and it gets used as much by local families and runners as by plant people.

What you actually see

• The linked parcels - separate sections joined by bridges and underpasses.
• Endemic collections - Turkish native and endemic species under study.
• The bulb and iris beds - spring planting at its peak in April and May.
• The rock garden - alpine and dry-climate species on built terrain.

When to go

Spring is the point of the place: bulbs and irises through April and May, roses into June. Autumn brings colour and easier walking. Weekday mornings are quiet, weekends fill with families. Opening hours shorten in winter and some sections close. Guided walks and events run mainly through the spring months.

Honest expectations

The setting is exactly what it sounds like: motorway on several sides, and traffic noise carries across most of the garden. The parcels are separated, so moving between them means underpasses and some backtracking. Catering is minimal. In midsummer the open areas are hot and dusty and the flowering is well past its best.

Nearby

Kozyatagi, the Asian shore at Kadikoy and the ferry piers there.