Maçka Democracy Park

The experience

A sloping urban park in the valley between Beşiktaş and Nişantaşı, about five minutes' walk from Osmanbey metro. It has outdoor fitness areas, two playgrounds, running tracks, a dog park, cafes and a chain of interconnected ponds. Locals come to jog, picnic and hang out with the park's famously well-fed cats.

A genuine neighbourhood green lung where Istanbulites jog, walk dogs and feed cats away from the tourist trail.

What a membership adds.

Everything above is free: the name, the photo, the rating, the exact spot. What members get is the part you can't Google: the sourced insider tip for this place (what to order, when to go, what to skip), every day of your trips unlocked in full with the insider tip on every researched stop, and the concierge at full strength, answering with your own insider tips, no daily meter.