On a sunny weekend afternoon, you’ll find this slender green oasis in central İstanbul full of picnicking families, canoodling couples and slackline-balancing teens. Year-round, it’s beloved by neighbourhood dog-walkers, joggers and anyone else seeking a bit of open space and fresh air as a respite from the city’s crowds and chaos. The park’s facilities include a well-equipped children’s playground, some outdoor exercise machines, a small dog run and a public toilet.
©Jennifer Hattam/Lonely Planet
Maçka Park
Nişantaşi, Bomonti & Harbiye
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
2.62 MILES
Right in the heart of İstanbul’s historic center, this sacred Byzantine building remains an important symbol of power.
2.3 MILES
Topkapı is the subject of more colourful stories than most of the world's museums put together. Libidinous sultans, ambitious courtiers, beautiful…
2.98 MILES
İstanbul has more than its fair share of Byzantine monuments, but few are as drop-dead gorgeous as this mosaic- and fresco-laden church. Nestled in the…
2.49 MILES
The Süleymaniye crowns one of İstanbul's seven hills and dominates the Golden Horn, providing a landmark for the entire city. Though it's not the largest…
2.63 MILES
This subterranean structure was commissioned by Emperor Justinian and built in 532. The largest surviving Byzantine cistern in İstanbul, it was…
2.85 MILES
İstanbul's most photogenic building was the grand project of Sultan Ahmet I (r 1603–17), whose tomb is located on the north side of the site facing…
2.67 MILES
The colourful and chaotic Grand Bazaar is the heart of İstanbul's Old City and has been so for centuries. Starting as a small vaulted bedesten (warehouse)…
1.27 MILES
There's plenty to see at this impressive museum, but its major draw is undoubtedly the 2nd-floor exhibition of paintings featuring Turkish Orientalist…
Nearby Nişantaşi, Bomonti & Harbiye attractions
0.38 MILES
This sprawling museum located in a former 19th-century military school 1km north of Taksim has a huge collection of militaria dating from the 13th century…
0.52 MILES
These days it’s fashionable for architects and critics influenced by the less-is-more aesthetic of Bauhaus masters to sneer at buildings such as…
0.61 MILES
Occupying the warehouse-like Dolmabahçe Palace kitchens, this museum exhibits items used in the royal palaces and pavilions during the late Ottoman Empire…
4. National Palaces Painting Museum
0.62 MILES
The Veliaht Dairesi (Apartments of the Crown Prince) in Dolmabahçe Palace are now home to the palace's collection of paintings. Highlights include the…
0.64 MILES
The beating heart of Beşiktaş, this bustling backstreet area packed with shops, restaurants, bars, cafes – and the neighbourhood’s youthful crowd – is…
0.67 MILES
This monument in the middle of Taksim Meydanı was designed by Italian sculptor Pietro Canonica. It commemorates the Turkish War of Independence and the…
0.67 MILES
Named after the 18th-century stone taksim (water storage unit) on its western side, this square is the symbolic heart of modern İstanbul. Hardly a triumph…
0.7 MILES
Established over a century ago to celebrate and commemorate Turkish naval history, this museum's architecturally noteworthy copper-clad exhibition hall…