Macka Park

The park is a wooded valley built in the mid-19th century. It is a favorite place for Ottaman residents to picnic, ride horses and walk along the stream that flows through the park. Today, the park retains trails, two playgrounds, a cafe, and a man-made lake with a 42-meter (138-foot) deep valley.

In the 1970s, this was a dangerous area frequented by criminals and the homeless. In addition, the park is also very polluted. It was restored and cleaned up in 1993, and is known as Democracy Park. Its official name is Maçka Democracy Park (Maçka Demokrasi Parkı).

On April 11, 1993, the Maçka Gondola cable car opened to the public. This is a cable car route connecting the two campuses of Istanbul Technical University (İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi), namely the Maçka campus and the Taşkışla campus. Taşkışla Station is a short walk from Taksim Square. Every five minutes and it takes about 3 ½ minutes there is a cable car to cross. This cable car route is 333.5 meters (1,094 feet) long and is mainly used by university students.

Next to the Maçka Gondola station is the Abdülhamid II Fountain (Sultan II.Abdülhamit Çeşmesi). It was built in 1901 by the Italian architect Raimondo

Locals enjoy walking their dogs, and it is also equipped with a children's playground, several outdoor sports equipment, a decorative swimming pool and loungers. A small "Art Park" in the northern corner of the park houses busts of important Turkish emperors. Stairs leading downhill from here will lead you to the tea garden and playground. The KüçükÇiftlik area in the park is also a multi-purpose outdoor venue for year-round festivals and concerts.

To get there, take a short walk from Taksim to the Taşkışla tram line. Then use the Maçka Gondola cable car to go from Taksim / Gümüşsuyu to Maçka. The area is also home to a number of historic Ottoman-era buildings, so it's ideal for strolling the nearby streets.

Ticket price: free

Opening hours: daily