Maçka Park and its cable car: the green lung of Nişantaşı

Updated on October 4, 2026

Maçka Democracy Park (Maçka Demokrasi Parkı) is a large public park of about fifteen hectares, in a wooded valley between Nişantaşı, Harbiye and Beşiktaş. This valley was used for picnics in the 19th century; it was landscaped as a park in the 1990s. It has lawns, tall trees (oaks, acacias, lindens), ponds, children's playgrounds, sports grounds and cafés. Entry is free and the park is open every day. Its urban cable car, opened on 11 April 1993, links the park to the Taşkışla hill, on the Taksim side, in three and a half minutes. Allow an hour for the park and the ride, longer with a coffee.

Highlights

The cable car

The TF1 line (Maçka–Taşkışla) crosses the valley over about 333 m, with a drop of some forty metres, in six-seat cabins. It is urban transport, run by Metro İstanbul, not a tourist attraction, but the crossing gives a view down over the trees of the park.

The cabin at the station

The line has only two stations, Maçka on the park side and Taşkışla on the hill: you go up, you go down, and the crossing takes about three and a half minutes.

The park entrance

An arched gateway marks the entrance to the park, which then spreads out in paths, lawns and ponds where local people come to walk, run or picnic. It is a quiet break between the shopping of Nişantaşı and the palaces of Beşiktaş.

Infos pratiques

Tips

The park is free. The cable car is paid with the Istanbulkart: 46.20 TL full fare in 2026 (check Metro İstanbul for the fare in force). It runs from 08:00 to 20:00 in summer and from 08:00 to 19:00 in winter (Metro İstanbul summer and winter timetable). For a day in the area, continue with the shopping of Nişantaşı, then head down to Dolmabahçe Palace or Ihlamur Palace. See also our guide to the Beşiktaş district.

How to get there

Maçka Democracy Park, Maçka Caddesi / Kadırgalar Caddesi, Şişli, Istanbul. On foot from Nişantaşı (the park lies just south of the district, at the end of Abdi İpekçi Avenue on the Maçka side); or metro M2 to Osmanbey or Taksim, then a 10 to 15 minute walk. The upper cable car station (Taşkışla) is on the hill next to Taksim, near the architecture campus of Istanbul Technical University. More information in our guide to transport in Istanbul.