Taking the Teleferik in Istanbul

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Istanbul, Nisantasi, Taksim, teleferik

Selasa, 26 Februari 2013

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Have you ever gone from nowhere to nowhere?

Well, that�s kind of what my husband and I felt like this weekend when we took the teleferik at Ma�ka Park in Istanbul.

Riding the teleferik (cable car) has been on our Istanbul �bucket list,� and we finally got to cross it off after almost three years of living here. Although the 3-minute ride did offer some great views over the park, I can tell you that you aren�t really missing much if you don�t get to ride the teleferik.

What�s odd is where the teleferik is located, and the fact that it doesn�t connect to or even near another mode of public transportation. But this is hardly surprising here in Istanbul. I�ve had several moments where I thought the city planners (or lack thereof) didn�t think or plan the public transportation stops/connections very well. Burasi T�rkiye!

Looking out from my "pod" over Ma�ka Park.

If you walk down from Nisantasi heading toward the shore road, you will run into the Ma�ka Park starting point of the teleferik. Using your akbil or with a 3-lira jeton, you can hop on one of the space-ship looking pods. Each pod can hold six people.

We timed our ride so it would be close to sunset and shared our pod with two couples. It was �ok romantik! Actually, I can see how young children would really enjoy this short voyage.

The ride takes you about 300 meters above Ma�ka Park, also called Demokrasi Parki, which is a pleasant enough park with wooden benches, jogging paths and plenty of greenery.

The ride ends (or also begins depending on you look at it) in Taksim near the �Taskisla� building of Istanbul Technical University. The Grand Hyatt Hotel also is located on the other side of the street.

A night view of the Taskislabuilding of the Istanbul Technical University.

For university students rushing to class, I can see how this cable car provides a convenience to avoid walking all the way around the park � about 10 minutes or so. I wish I had this option when I lived in Nebraska, but my campus was as flat as a pancake.

Seriously, taking the teleferik is one of those only in Istanbul moments I�m glad we experienced together. And the short ride offers a unique panoramic view of this city that I love and will miss greatly!

The cable car, which opened in 1993, runs daily from 8 a.m.-7 p.m.

This is the Taksim entrance/exit of the teleferik in Istanbul.

Here you can see the pulley and brake system that helps operate the teleferik.