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Photo: Berfu at Turkish Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
A private museum housed in a yalı, the traditional wooden waterfront mansions that line the banks of the Bosphorus. The exhibition includes a number of archaeological and ethnographical artifacts from the collection of the long-time entrepreneur and industrialist Koç Family, though just seeing the interior of a yalı is worth entering.
The Sadberk Hanım Museum is a private museum on the shores of the Bosphorus in the Büyükdere neighbourhood of Sarıyer district in Istanbul, Turkey. It was established by the Vehbi Koç Foundation in memory of Vehbi Koç’s deceased wife Sadberk. The museum is open every day except Wednesdays.
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Nr 1 place in the city for birdwatching.
Atatürk Arboretumu
From Bahçeköy village, follow the road into Belgrad Forest towards Kemerburgaz for 10 mins. The arboretum, surrounded by a natural oak forest, is planted with many non-native tree species (many turning crimson/golden/purple as winter approaches) and has a pond with feisty ducks. It's an almost mystic place during hazy autumn days, but is always very scenic no matter what the season. Watch for migratory birds in autumn. No eating, no picnicking, no video photography and no smoking.
Emirgan Korusu
Situated on the gentle hill overlooking the neighbourhood of Emirgan and the Bosphorus, Emirgan Park was for long the only place in the city where Istanbulites can admire the beauty of tulips. Having lost that distinction since the first decade of the 2000s as tulips are now everywhere, this is still a beautiful park with artificial ponds, small waterfalls, and impressive views of the Bosphorus. There are also cafes with open-air sections housed in pleasant former imperial hunting manors. Squirrels are there, too, in the middle of this metropolis of more than 15 million people, though you may have to look a bit deeper (or a bit upper on the branches!) to spot them.
Sakıp Sabancı Müzesi
Museum with a rich collection of calligraphy and paintings. It also hosts temporary exhibitions of works by some world-class artists such as Pablo Picasso from time to time.
Baltalimanı Japon Bahçesi
Built with support of Shimonoseki, one of Istanbul's sister cities, the garden features a tea room, ponds, waterfalls, as well as a cherry lane.