Ankara

Ankara is the capital of Turkey, central within the country on the plateau of Central Anatolia. It's a sprawling modern place around an ancient citadel, and in 2022 had a population of almost 5.2 million (second in size to Istanbul), with a further 600,000 living in the wider metropolis.

Understand
Until 1923, Ankara was a provincial town of less than 30,000. Then Atatürk made it the capital of the new Republic of Turkey, a deliberate shift from the Ottoman capital of Istanbul with its literally Byzantine political life. The plateau was swiftly covered by drab concrete buildings and snarled highways, leavened by parks and woodlands, and occasional striking architecture. Although it never wrested the cultural crown from Istanbul, Ankara has a rich heritage in its museums, galleries and mosques, and tourists who just transit on the way to Cappadocia are missing an important chapter in the story of Turkey and Asia Minor. The city was already old when the ancient Greeks called it "the anchor", Аγκυρα, which to a sea-faring people indicated a base or home. Hattian, Hittite, Lydian, Phrygian and Galatian civilisations had risen and fallen before them; Persians, Romans and Byzantines were yet to come. In 1402 Timur - the Tamburlaine of legend - stormed all the way from Kabul, and won a battle that almost extinguished the Ottoman dynasty, but didn't stay to consolidate. So it was an Ottoman city and province for the next 500 years, giving the name "Angora" to long-haired cats, goats, rabbits and mohair textiles. Other European powers meddled in local affairs but concentrated on Istanbul, especially after Turkey was defeated in the First World War, and Greece was awarded much Turkish territory and tried to seize more. Atatürk rallied resistance in Ankara and the east, and the city's unconquered status made it a fitting capital.

Ankara acquired populations of government workers, university students, and incomers from the impoverished countryside. It didn't attract foreign immigration, but there's a stream of diplomatic visitors, and Ankara is more outward-looking than other Turkish cities bar Istanbul. Locals are generally friendly and helpful, and students / lecturers are keen to show off their English, but service staff such as hotel receptionists are not as widely fluent as in western capitals. You might want a translation app on your phone, especially if you're travelling further out.

Orientation
City centre is the broad strip from Ulus south through Sıhhiye to Kızılay:
 * - Ulus means "nation" as the republic's original parliament and other major institutions were here, grouped around the inevitable equestrian statue of Atatürk.
 * - Sıhhiye means "sanitary works" as the Ministry of Health stands here. This district is bisected by the railway tracks so on this page it's described as "south", with its rump north of the tracks described as Ulus.
 * - Kızılay was named for the headquarters of the Red Crescent, the Turkish equivalent of the Red Cross, now replaced by a shopping mall. It has the Metro interchange.

Citadel is the term used here to describe the older districts east of Ulus: Hisar around the hilltop castle, and Hamamönü just south down the hill.

Further south from Kızılay are the upmarket (and uphill) districts of Kavaklıdere, Gaziosmanpaşa and Çankaya. The city's most expensive hotels and restaurants are found here, as are the embassies.

Southwest from Kızılay is Bakanlıklar (meaning government ministries), then İsmet İnönü Boulevard leads into the district of Eskişehir Yolu (referring to the former highway to Eskişehir). It's lined by university campuses and public buildings, including the National Parliament. Interminable ribbon-development eventually gives way to the open steppe.

Climate
Ankara has a semi-arid, continental climate, with hot, dry summers and cold, snowy winters. Most rainfall is spring, with afternoon showers and thunderstorms.

Summers are hot, regularly topping 30°C in July and August, but humidity is low. Summer nights can be chilly, especially if a breeze starts up.

Early autumn has the best climate. Nights are cold but daytimes are mild and dry, unlike the wet spring months.

Winters are cold and often snowy, though the snow is seldom heavy, and cold below -20°C is very rare - not like the mountainous east of the country with perishing cold in mid-winter.

By plane


Transport is the major shortcoming of this airport. It's 30 km north of the centre, along a congested main road; there are no plans to extend the Metro here.

Belko Air bus runs downtown every 30 min 05:30-22:00 and overnight according to flight times. It runs via the railway station and Kızılay to AŞTİ bus terminal, which is on the Metro. With luck this takes an hour, traffic permitting, and in 2023 cost 11 TL. But belki is Turkish for "maybe" so the recurring joke is inevitable; the bus gets held up in city traffic.

Local (belediye, city council) bus Route 442 runs from the airport (arrivals level, watch for a crowd on the very far end of the dropoff lane on the arrivals level) and takes 40-50 minutes to the train station. Driver accepts cash, journey costs 25 TL (Jun 2023).

Havaş buses run to the bus terminal, AŞTİ.

A taxi downtown costs about 180 TL.

By train

 * Wikivoyage has an article on Rail travel in Turkey

Ankara is on the YHT high-speed rail network, with trains:
 * - from Istanbul taking 4½ hours, 13 daily via Pendik (for Sabiha Gokcen airport), Gebze, Izmit, Arifiye (for Adapazarı), Eskişehir (for Bursa) and Eryaman (for west Ankara suburbs). In April 2023 the fare is 248 TL economy, 372 TL business. The temporary terminus for Istanbul is Söğütlüçeşme, pending the interminable reconstruction of Haydarpaşa, but check for updates.
 * - from Konya taking 90 min, five daily, for a fare in 2023 of 112 TL economy, 268 TL business. Two trains per day start from Karaman, with connections from Adana and Cyprus.
 * - from Sivas taking 2½ hours, three daily, for 240 TL economy, 360 TL business.

Other mainline trains (anahat trenler) are slow and scenic, with the emphasis on slow, but are called "Express" to compensate.


 * - Ankara Ekspresi departs from Istanbul Halkali station at 22:00, picking up at Söğütlüçeşme, Bostanci and Pendik plus nine other intermediate stations, reaching Ankara before 07:00. The return service has similar times, taking nine hours, and there are seats and sleepers plus a dining car.


 * - Izmir Mavi departs from Izmir Basmane station at 18:00 and takes 14 hrs overnight via Kütahya and Eskişehir; the return departs Ankara at 19:00.


 * - Destinations east of Ankara are served by overnight trains. The main services are from Kurtulan and Diyarbakir (Güney Kurtalan Ekspresi), from Kars and Erzurum (Doğu Ekspresi), and from Tatvan (Van Gölü Ekspresi), linked by dolmus or ferry to Van. Van has a train once a week from Tehran and Tabriz in Iran. These services will be radically changed by the Ankara-Sivas YHT link, which cuts ten hours off that section.

Some of these trains have tourist versions, though all remain suspended in 2023. For instance the Turistik Doğu Ekspresi runs from Ankara to Kars with long stops for sightseeing eastbound at İliç (for Kemaliye), Erzincan and Erzurum; the westbound train makes long stops at Divriği and Bostankaya. Journey time each way is 30 hours.

For all times and reservations (strongly recommended) see TCDD Turkish Republic State Railways website.

Local trains (bölgesel trenler) run five times a day to Polatlı. These can't be booked.

The railway from Azerbaijan and Georgia was completed in 2017 and passenger trains have been promised ever since, but to date the line only carries freight. Trains from Syria and Iraq are all suspended indefinitely and the tracks are ruined.

Eryaman is a station in the west suburbs of Ankara where YHT trains also stop, and you can transfer to the cross-town Başkentray train. They no longer stop at Sincan (terminus of the Başkentray line) but slow trains from the west stop there not at Eryaman.

By bus
Buses from Istanbul depart every 15 min round the clock, and take six hours to Ankara non-stop, for a fare in 2023 of 250 TL. Slower services may stop at Gebze, Izmit, Adapazarı and Bolu. Many are running through to cities further east, all of which have good connections to Ankara, see individual pages.

Buses from Izmir take 8 hours and from Adana 7 hours, with hourly services. From Bursa is six hours, but the usual method is to take the bus to Eskişehir to join the YHT fast train. Similarly from Antalya you join the train at Konya.

The main bus operators are Metro Turizm, Pamukkale and Flixbus, who took over Kamil Koç. Buses are clean and comfortable, see Turkey for tips on using them and buying tickets.

Get around
The city has a dense bus network, a two-line Metro, and an east-west suburban railway called Başkentray. Good luck finding network information, even in Turkish.

There is no provision by any mode of public transport for travellers with restricted mobility.

By bus
There are two bus operations, competing on the same routes and using the same stops. EGO (Ankara Belediye Otobüsleri) are white and run by the city, who also run the Metro and the Yenimahalle - Şentepe cable-car. In 2009 the system was part-privatised: ÖHO buses (Ankara Özel Halk Otobüsleri) are blue. Central bus stops often have displays of real-time services. There are no indicators or announcements within buses, ask other passengers where to get off, or track your location on your phone.

EGO (white) bus fares cannot be paid in cash: you need to buy a card from a kiosk or metro station. A single trip is 1.65 TL, two trips 3.30 TL, three 4.95 TL, five 8.25 TL, ten 16.50 TL and twenty is 33 TL. The same cards are used for the Metro, and each trip permits a transfer between bus and Metro not exceeding 45 min. Note these are not the Ankarakart, a discount card for Turkish students, teachers and elderly Ankara residents.

ÖHO (blue) bus fares are cash, for a flat fare of 2.75 TL.

By Metro
The Metro, run by EGO the city transport operator, has three lines, which intersect at Kızılay. Remarkably, EGO have contrived to muddle their numbering.

Ankara Metro main line (M1, M2, M3) runs from the northwest suburbs of Sincan, Törekent and Eryaman to city centre (Ulus, Kızılay and Sıhhiye) then southwest to Çayyolu. Another line (M4) runs north from Kızılay to Keçiören.

Ankaray is styled differently yet is part of the same network. It runs east-west from Dikimevi via Kızılay to AŞTİ bus station.

Tickets are identical to the EGO buses and valid for transfer, see above for prices, and you buy them at kiosks or metro stations.

All stations are announced both on a display and by voice in the metros.

Suburban railway
Başkentray is the suburban line, transecting the city between Sincan and Eryaman in the west, through city centre and the main railway station, to Kayaş in the east. Trains run every 10 minutes from 07:00 to 21:00, then every 30 min to 23:00. Buy tickets in cash at any station. In 2022 a one-way ticket costs 1.70 TL and a return ticket costs 3 TL.

The line is shown in blue on transport maps and may be marked as B1. It's 37 km long, all above ground, and has 24 stations. There's nothing of visitor interest near the outlying stations, but to the west Eryaman is an interchange with YHT trains to Konya, Eskişehir and Istanbul, and Sincan is an interchange with other mainline trains. Kayaş to the east is also a mainline interchange, but not for YHT.

The system is owned and operated by TCDD Turkish State Railways, and until 2016 the same track carried mainline trains. That was incompatible with YHT and expansion of the suburban service so in 2016 the system closed for a couple of years while Ankara station was rebuilt and new tracks were laid parallel. It's planned to extend it northwest to Yenikent and Akçaören.

By taxi
Taxis are numerous: they are yellow, have the sign Taksi on top of the car, and the letter T in their license plates. Have nothing to do with unlicensed drivers.

Flagfall in 2022 is 7.50 TL, then 6 TL/km. The rates for day and night are same. Tipping is not usual but you round up to the next TL.

Scams are the same the world over: offering a fixed price way above the metered rate, special airport / luggage fees, failing to start the meter, going a silly route, tricks with banknotes / change, and so on.

By car
Avoid using a car in Ankara. Local drivers are fast, unpredictable and impatient even by Turkish standards, and parking is scarce.

Citadel

 * North Tower is another bastion of the citadel, 200 m north of the castle. You're aiming for the fluttering Turkish flag.
 * Turk-Russian Friendship House (Türk-Rus Dostluk Evi) is a bright modern art gallery at Kale Kapısı Sk 20 below the castle, open daily 10:00-17:00.
 * Turk-Russian Friendship House (Türk-Rus Dostluk Evi) is a bright modern art gallery at Kale Kapısı Sk 20 below the castle, open daily 10:00-17:00.
 * Turk-Russian Friendship House (Türk-Rus Dostluk Evi) is a bright modern art gallery at Kale Kapısı Sk 20 below the castle, open daily 10:00-17:00.

Ulus
Altındağ is the correct name for this district, but that also includes the Citadel. For traveller purposes it's worth distinguishing the more modern district close to Ulus Metro Station, extending south to the mainline railway station and tracks. Its south end merges into Sıhhiye district.
 * (Zafer Anıtı) in Ulus Square is the focus of the district, a marble and bronze monument with Atatürk on horseback. Since it was erected in 1927 a year before the "alphabet reform", it's one of the few republican monuments inscribed in Ottoman Turkish, using Arabic script.
 * Cardo Maximus is a stretch of Roman road 216 m long by 7 m wide, coursing north from Anafartlar Cd towards the Column of Julianus. It was discovered in 1995: its artefacts have been taken to the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations.
 * (Julian Sütunu, Belkıs Minaresi) is a 15 m column in the square behind the İş Bankası building. It was erected in 362 CE to commemorate the visit of Emperor Julian (331-363 AD), who stopped off in town while marching against Persia. He rejected Christianity and revived earlier pagan rites, so by Christians he was derided as "Julian the Apostate". His campaign in Persia started well then was a debacle and he was fatally wounded; his successor Jovian reinstated Christianity so Julianus was the last pagan emperor. His story is retold, with many artistic liberties, in the 1964 novel Julian by Gore Vidal.
 * Korean War Memorial just west of the Aviation Museum commemorates the Turkish Brigade, which fought under UN command in the Korean War. Their biggest engagement was the series of battles at Kunu-ri in late 1950. Some 15,000 rotated through the Brigade, with 721 killed in action, 2111 wounded and 168 missing.
 * Korean War Memorial just west of the Aviation Museum commemorates the Turkish Brigade, which fought under UN command in the Korean War. Their biggest engagement was the series of battles at Kunu-ri in late 1950. Some 15,000 rotated through the Brigade, with 721 killed in action, 2111 wounded and 168 missing.
 * Korean War Memorial just west of the Aviation Museum commemorates the Turkish Brigade, which fought under UN command in the Korean War. Their biggest engagement was the series of battles at Kunu-ri in late 1950. Some 15,000 rotated through the Brigade, with 721 killed in action, 2111 wounded and 168 missing.
 * Korean War Memorial just west of the Aviation Museum commemorates the Turkish Brigade, which fought under UN command in the Korean War. Their biggest engagement was the series of battles at Kunu-ri in late 1950. Some 15,000 rotated through the Brigade, with 721 killed in action, 2111 wounded and 168 missing.
 * Korean War Memorial just west of the Aviation Museum commemorates the Turkish Brigade, which fought under UN command in the Korean War. Their biggest engagement was the series of battles at Kunu-ri in late 1950. Some 15,000 rotated through the Brigade, with 721 killed in action, 2111 wounded and 168 missing.
 * Korean War Memorial just west of the Aviation Museum commemorates the Turkish Brigade, which fought under UN command in the Korean War. Their biggest engagement was the series of battles at Kunu-ri in late 1950. Some 15,000 rotated through the Brigade, with 721 killed in action, 2111 wounded and 168 missing.
 * Melike Hatun Mosque next to Vakif Museum was built in 2017 but in traditional Ottoman style.
 * Gençlik Park stretches east from the railway station to Hatun Mosque. It has a large ornamental lake and is sometimes a venue for open-air events.
 * Gençlik Park stretches east from the railway station to Hatun Mosque. It has a large ornamental lake and is sometimes a venue for open-air events.

South
Most sights are in Sıhhiye beyond the railway tracks or a couple of km further in Kızılay.
 * is an extensive hilltop site centred on the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938), founder of the Republic of Turkey. He died at Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul and lay for 15 years at what is now the Ankara Ethnographic Museum before transferring here in 1953. It's a 20th century Giza, a pharaonic collection of tombs, monuments and museums in Art Deco style, with individual opening hours. The site is free to enter 24 hours, walk south up the parkland avenue from AnkarayLogo.png Tandoğan / Anadolu. The last section is the 262 m "Road of Lions", flanked by statues of lions representing the ancient Turkic tribes. (The gaps between paving stones imbue visitors with a suitably reverent attitude, apparently.) This concludes in the Ceremonial Plaza, where the coloured flagstone patterns are those of traditional rugs and kilims. Expect military pageantry and flag-waving here on all state occasions.
 * Hall of Honor holds the tomb. What you see is the symbolic ground-level sarcophagus. Atatürk lies 7 m below in an ornate but private Tomb Room, where he mingles with soil from all the Turkish regions of his day, including from Salonica his birthplace now in Greece, parts of Hatay now in Syria, and northern Cyprus.
 * Mausoleum of İsmet İnönü (1884-1973) is southwest side of the Ceremonial Plaza. He was Atatürk's right-hand man, the country's second president and had three spells as Prime Minister, embedding the Republic's modernisations. The tomb is small at ground level but below is an exhibition hall - this is only open for one week from Oct 29 Republic Day and for two weeks from Dec 25 the anniversary of his death.
 * Ten towers line Ceremonial Plaza, but they're set within the colonnade and don't stand tall. Their low pitched roofs are meant to symbolise Turkic tents, and they contain various statues and inscriptions of an uplifting patriotic nature. For example the tower west side of the Hall of Honor depicts the opening of the Turkish Grand National Assembly on 23 April 1920, and holds Atatürk's Cadillac. So it's called 23 Nisan Kulesi but he didn't own 23 Nissans.
 * is the twee structure on Atatürk Blv as it enters Sıhhiye beneath the railway tracks. Its deer, two oxen and sun disc are supposed to commemorate Anatolian Hittite culture - a powerful realm from 18th to 12th century BC then gobbled up by Egyptian and Assyrian rivals. If you were disappointed at Anitkabir by not finding 23 Nissans, they're right here nose-to-tail in the traffic snarl.
 * is the twee structure on Atatürk Blv as it enters Sıhhiye beneath the railway tracks. Its deer, two oxen and sun disc are supposed to commemorate Anatolian Hittite culture - a powerful realm from 18th to 12th century BC then gobbled up by Egyptian and Assyrian rivals. If you were disappointed at Anitkabir by not finding 23 Nissans, they're right here nose-to-tail in the traffic snarl.
 * Abdi Ipekci Park is just east of Ankara Metro logo.svg Sıhhiye station and the Hittite statue.
 * (Türk, Öğün, Çalış, Güven Anıtı) is the sinister focus of Güven Park just outside Ankara Metro logo.svg AnkarayLogo.png Kızılay. "Turk! Be proud, work hard, and believe in yourself" is Atatürk's sage advice to his people, above which two gun-toting thugs pose, the "or else!" of the police and army. It was erected in 1935.
 * is an oh-so-Seventies telecoms tower, 125 m high, with a rotating observation deck and restaurant. However it's closed as the shopping mall at its foot is demolished, and in 2023 it's not known when it might re-open.
 * Botanical Park is the large green space north of the tower, bounded by Cinnah Cd west and Çankaya Cd east. It's free 24 hours.
 * is an oh-so-Seventies telecoms tower, 125 m high, with a rotating observation deck and restaurant. However it's closed as the shopping mall at its foot is demolished, and in 2023 it's not known when it might re-open.
 * Botanical Park is the large green space north of the tower, bounded by Cinnah Cd west and Çankaya Cd east. It's free 24 hours.

Elsewhere
This covers all other districts out to the ring road O-20 some 20 km out.
 * (200 m north of Ankara Metro logo.svg Akköprü) means "white bridge" though it's rosy basalt. With seven arches, it was built from 1222 to carry the main highway across the Çubuk River. Modern traffic rushes past on Fatih Sultan Mehmet Blv: this may be your best viewpoint, as in 2020 the bridge was barricaded off as a construction site.


 * is a 5 km long recreational lake south side of the town of Gölbaşı, 20 km south of city centre. It has camping areas, coarse fishing, picnic spots and walking trails. In 2023 you pay 5 TL per car.
 * Tulumtaş caves are by the intersection of O-20 and Turgut Özal Blv. They're extensive decorated caves discovered during construction of the ring road. As of Feb 2023, people are finding their way in but they're not yet officially open as show caves.

Do

 * IF Performance Hall is a live music venue at Tunus Cd 14 in Kavaklıdere.
 * Cinema: one that occasionally shows films in English is Cinemaximum to the northwest (Ankara Metro logo.svg Akköprü).
 * Ankara International Music Festival is in April, with the next on 4-28 April 2023.
 * Bilkent Mayfest is organised by Billkent University but events are open to the public. It's unlikely to happen in May 2023.
 * Burn Sonance Festival of music is next held 9-10 June 2023.
 * Jazz Festival is in Oct / Nov, dates for 2023 TBA.
 * Ankara Film Festival is next held on 3-11 Nov 2023.
 * Şefika Kutluer Festival of music is in December, dates for 2023 TBA.
 * Şefika Kutluer Festival of music is in December, dates for 2023 TBA.

Sports

 * Football: MKE Ankaragücü were relegated in 2024 so they play soccer in TFF First League, the second tier. Their home ground Eryaman Stadium (capacity 20,560) is in the western suburbs, take the Metro to Devlet Mahallesi. MKE, since you were wondering, stands for Machinery and Chemical Industry.
 * - Gençlerbirliği SK share Eryaman Stadium. They too play in TFF First League.
 * - Ankara Keçiörengücü SK also play in First League. Their home ground is Aktepe Stadium (capacity 5000) 8 km north of city centre on Adnan Kahveci Cd.
 * - Ankaraspor were known as Osmanlıspor from 2014 to 2020 but have re-adopted their former name. They play in Second League, the third tier, at Osmanlı (Yenikent) Stadium, capacity 18,000, west edge of the city. Take the Ankaray train to its west terminus at Sincan then a local bus onward to Yenikent.


 * Golf: courses and ranges within the city remain closed in 2023. Regnum Golf Country Club is 50 km southwest near Halaçlı village.

Buy

 * Useful to know: AVM stands for Alışveriş Merkezi, shopping centre.


 * Citadel approaches up Kale Kapısı Sk have been a merchandising area for centuries. There are lots of tourist-trappy outlets for carpets, leather and fake antiquities. At least you hope they're fake, because if genuine it's illegal to export them.

Eat
Ankara has trad Turkish fare, with classics such as döner kebap, and seafood. It lacks the international variety of western capitals, though there are a handful of Chinese / Korean places. That's because in modern times it never had international immigration, but it did have incomers from other parts of the country, so regional cuisines are represented.

Budget

 * Meşhur Adıyaman Çiğköftecisi and Meşhur Köfteci are chains serving meatballs, multiple locations.
 * Kızılay has a pedestrianised block full of little cafes and takeaways. It's east of Atatürk Blv and north of Ziya Gökalp Cd.

Mid-range

 * Sudem is a tavern at Konur Sk 63 with tapas / meze-style servings and Turkish music, open daily 11:00-01:00.
 * Ege (which means Aegean) serves seafood on Tunali Hilmi Cd, open daily 12:00-01:00.
 * Sudem is a tavern at Konur Sk 63 with tapas / meze-style servings and Turkish music, open daily 11:00-01:00.
 * Ege (which means Aegean) serves seafood on Tunali Hilmi Cd, open daily 12:00-01:00.
 * Ege (which means Aegean) serves seafood on Tunali Hilmi Cd, open daily 12:00-01:00.
 * Ege (which means Aegean) serves seafood on Tunali Hilmi Cd, open daily 12:00-01:00.
 * Ege (which means Aegean) serves seafood on Tunali Hilmi Cd, open daily 12:00-01:00.
 * Ege (which means Aegean) serves seafood on Tunali Hilmi Cd, open daily 12:00-01:00.
 * Aşkabat Cd is a street west side of Anıtkabir with a slew of eating places. La’lozi Ocak Başı is a grill at the corner of 72nd Sk open daily 11:00-00:00.
 * Aşkabat Cd is a street west side of Anıtkabir with a slew of eating places. La’lozi Ocak Başı is a grill at the corner of 72nd Sk open daily 11:00-00:00.
 * Aşkabat Cd is a street west side of Anıtkabir with a slew of eating places. La’lozi Ocak Başı is a grill at the corner of 72nd Sk open daily 11:00-00:00.
 * Aşkabat Cd is a street west side of Anıtkabir with a slew of eating places. La’lozi Ocak Başı is a grill at the corner of 72nd Sk open daily 11:00-00:00.
 * Aşkabat Cd is a street west side of Anıtkabir with a slew of eating places. La’lozi Ocak Başı is a grill at the corner of 72nd Sk open daily 11:00-00:00.
 * Aşkabat Cd is a street west side of Anıtkabir with a slew of eating places. La’lozi Ocak Başı is a grill at the corner of 72nd Sk open daily 11:00-00:00.

Drink
Most cafes and restaurants serve beer, wine and rakı. Free-standing bars are uncommon in Turkey away from the beach resorts, but Ankara has a strip flanking Atatürk Blv from Sıhhiye station south down to Kavlıdere Cd. Try Bestekar Cd and Tunus Cd.

Meyhanes are taverns with fixed meze-style menus, drinks and traditional Turkish music and dancing. "Meyhane" is Persian for "house of wine" though it's more likely to be rakı nowadays. They're along the same stretch as the other bars. There used to be a cluster around the citadel, but these relied on the tourist trade and disappeared during covid.


 * Hayyami wine bar is next door at Bestekar Cd 82B.
 * Zodiac Pub is next to James Cook Cafe at 17 Tunus Cd.
 * Manhattan Rock Bar is at Üsküp Cd 11, open W-Sa 20:30-04:00.
 * Hayyami wine bar is next door at Bestekar Cd 82B.
 * Zodiac Pub is next to James Cook Cafe at 17 Tunus Cd.
 * Manhattan Rock Bar is at Üsküp Cd 11, open W-Sa 20:30-04:00.
 * Zodiac Pub is next to James Cook Cafe at 17 Tunus Cd.
 * Manhattan Rock Bar is at Üsküp Cd 11, open W-Sa 20:30-04:00.

Sleep
Accommodation is clustered in Ulus north of the railway station, in Sıhhiye south of the tracks, and in Kızılay further south. A strip of mid-range business hotels follows D200 a few km west - these are more convenient for the bus station.

Mid-range

 * Airport : the hotel within Esenboğa airport remains closed in 2023. Ibis is 1 km south, and Holiday Inn Express is a further km south.
 * Airport : the hotel within Esenboğa airport remains closed in 2023. Ibis is 1 km south, and Holiday Inn Express is a further km south.
 * Airport : the hotel within Esenboğa airport remains closed in 2023. Ibis is 1 km south, and Holiday Inn Express is a further km south.
 * Airport : the hotel within Esenboğa airport remains closed in 2023. Ibis is 1 km south, and Holiday Inn Express is a further km south.
 * Airport : the hotel within Esenboğa airport remains closed in 2023. Ibis is 1 km south, and Holiday Inn Express is a further km south.
 * Airport : the hotel within Esenboğa airport remains closed in 2023. Ibis is 1 km south, and Holiday Inn Express is a further km south.
 * Airport : the hotel within Esenboğa airport remains closed in 2023. Ibis is 1 km south, and Holiday Inn Express is a further km south.
 * Airport : the hotel within Esenboğa airport remains closed in 2023. Ibis is 1 km south, and Holiday Inn Express is a further km south.
 * Airport : the hotel within Esenboğa airport remains closed in 2023. Ibis is 1 km south, and Holiday Inn Express is a further km south.
 * Airport : the hotel within Esenboğa airport remains closed in 2023. Ibis is 1 km south, and Holiday Inn Express is a further km south.
 * Airport : the hotel within Esenboğa airport remains closed in 2023. Ibis is 1 km south, and Holiday Inn Express is a further km south.

Stay safe
Ankara is generally safe, even for single females at night, since as the capital it's well-policed. (The cops are looking for traffic offences, dissident trouble-makers and squaddies in town without a liberty pass.) Take usual care of valuables. The main hazard is traffic - vehicles are driven at silly speeds with scant regard to traffic lights and pedestrians. The side walks are often in poor condition: anyone with restricted mobility will be forced onto the roadway, and on ill-lit streets at night you risk falling into uncovered drains.

For emergencies call the national police number 155 or approach any officer or go to the nearest station. Ankara nominally has a tourist police section with multilingual staff, based at AŞTİ bus station. The covid slump in tourism saw them redeployed to other duties, but perhaps staffing will resume as tourism and related incidents increase.

Embassies
Ankara is the national capital so most countries have an embassy or equivalent consular service. Most are in the southern districts of Kavaklıdere, Gaziosmanpaşa and Çankaya.
 * 🇩🇿 Algeria
 * 🇦🇺 Australia
 * 🇦🇹 Austria
 * 🇧🇩 Bangladesh
 * 🇧🇪 Belgium
 * 🇨🇦 Canada
 * 🇨🇱 Chile
 * 🇨🇳 China
 * 🇨🇺 Cuba
 * 🇩🇰 Denmark
 * 🇪🇨 Ecuador
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Connect
Ankara has 4G from all Turkish carriers. As of Jan 2024, 5G has not rolled out in Turkey.

Go next

 * Northwest, Highway D140 follows an ancient trade and pilgrimage route from Baghdad to Ankara and Constantinople. Towns along it westbound are Ayaş, Beypazarı, Çayırhan and Nallıhan.
 * Kızılcahamam 80 km north has thermal springs amid forests — bears and wolves lurk in Soğuksu National Park.
 * Boğazkale northeast is the hub for visiting ancient Hattuşa, the capital of Hittites.
 * Çağırkan Japanese Gardens are 10 km past Kaman on the road southeast to Kırşehir.
 * South you pass Tuz Gölü ("Salt Lake") on the road to Aksaray.
 * Aksaray is a laid-back city and great base for the attractions near Güzelyurt.
 * Haymana 80 km southwest is a down-at-heel spa town with hot springs. Gavurkale and Kulhoyuk nearby have rock friezes and Hittite burial grounds.
 * Gordion (Yassıhöyük) is 96 km west, near Polatlı off the highway to Eskişehir. One of the most important ancient cities in Turkey, it had been home for Hittites, Phyrigians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans since 3000 BC. The remnants of the city are displayed in Gordion Museum and Anatolian Civilizations Museum in Ulus.