Belgrad Forest: Escaping the City

Belgrad Forest is the biggest of Istanbul's natural green areas. It has an area of ​​5,000 hectares within the borders of the Bahçeköy neighborhood of Sarıyer. The forest is a good alternative for an escape to nature. With Belgrad’s recreation areas, aqueducts, hiking trails, sports fields, and the quiet environment during quiet days, you will feel away from the city while in the city.

The people of Istanbul relieve the tiredness of the busy city tempo by spending time alone with nature in the Belgrad Forest. Special areas have been prepared for those who want to have a picnic and relax. Also, those who want to do sports in the forest can use the hiking trail and sports equipment. Especially children can have fun on the walking track in the forest, which is closed to vehicles and adult cyclists.

In the last century, the Belgrad Forest, starting from Istranca mountains and extending to the Black Sea, was much larger than today because the region had heavy rainfall. It is a transition point between Central European and Mediterranean climates.

Belgrad was not only been a promenade throughout history but met the city's water needs. Aqueducts and dams in the forest, dating back to the Roman period, explain the water distribution system of that time.

Today: the forest full of beech, oak, white poplar, pine, sycamore, and beech trees is one of the most popular places to come for a picnic. Here, it is possible to walk and jog on a 6.5-kilometer trail with a lake view..

Belgrad is considered to be the lungs of Istanbul, and these lungs were once outside the city but today they are almost in the heart of the city.

How to go to the Belgrad Forest?

If you want to go to the Belgrad Forest by car, you should make the U-turn at the Tarabya junction in the direction of Maslak Sarıyer and follow the Bahçeköy signs. The road will bring you through the trees into Bahçeköy and then into the forest. If you want to come to the Belgrad Forest on foot, you can use the bus lines 42T, 42M, 42R, and 153.