Those who want to see the capital Ankara and are curious, gather together! I have prepared a complete Ankara travel guide for you!
You can often hear bad things about Ankara: “The best part of going to Ankara is to return.”. you don’t listen to them. Ankara is a very beautiful and livable city with its history, nature and being a city.. With its unique people and very interesting culture, it is necessary to go and see Ankara and live in its place.. In fact, it is necessary not to return without talking to a real Ankara native.. Since Ankara is located in the center of our country, it is easy to reach from anywhere.. So what are we waiting for? Here is the Ankara guide I prepared for you to organize your Ankara travel plan
Ankara Which Side?
Ankara is located in Central Anatolia, just above Konya and below Kastamonu.. It is neither fully affected by the Black Sea nor by the Mediterranean.. it’s somewhere in the middle of the two. It forms the easternmost part of the western half of Turkey.. It is in a relatively central area. If we move Ankara a little further to the east, it will be exactly in the center of Turkey.
A Brief History of Ankara
Anatolia is already a paradise of civilization. Since Ankara is exactly in its heart, it is at the heart of civilization.. Life has been seen here since prehistoric times.. Especially during the Neolithic and Copper Ages, important settlements were established here.. Hittites, Phrygians, Lydians, Persians, Macedonians, this place has hosted all civilizations in an average history book.
In ancient sources, the founder of Ankara is known as the Phrygian King Midas.. It is thought to have been named by Midas.. It was known as Ankyra, which means ship anchor.. According to legend, Midas finds an anchor and hides it in the temple of Zeus.. Ankara and its anchor are a bit interesting, right?
Ankara has been conquered by many other civilizations: Romans, Arabs, Byzantines, and eventually Seljuks and Ottomans.. At the turn of 1900, only about 30 thousand people lived in the city.. During the War of Independence, it was declared the capital city and the parliament was moved here, as it was difficult to reach militarily due to both the difficult climate and the very interior location.. However, at that time Ankara was just a small and dull town.. He already provided all the protection in this way.. It developed rapidly with the Republican Period, and a process that eventually progressed to the dinosaur statue began.
Ankara’ How Many People Live in Turkey?
The population of Ankara consists of approximately 5.5 million people. In fact, almost all of this population lives in the city.. Very few people live in rural areas.. Its area is 25 thousand square kilometers, which is many times larger than Istanbul in this sense.. It is already one of our largest cities.
Ankara Economy
Three quarters of Ankara’s population work in the service sector. Since it does not have a developed industry to open a working area for the immigrant population, people have turned to the service sector.. However, its industry is still large enough to not be underestimated.. It has very important businesses and Ankara’s economy thus makes up 12% of Turkey’s income.
Although we have said that the rural population is low, agricultural areas are well above the average of Turkey.. Approximately 60% of Ankara is used as agricultural land.. Mostly wheat, barley and sugar beet are grown.
Ankara’s Weather
I’m talking about climate, climate. We haven’t gotten there yet. They didn’t say for nothing that the Ankara frost would cut my soul.. Ankara really has a filthy frost.. The cold of winter pierces your bones. It can be observed that the temperature drops below 0 in winter. -3’s have seen. It spends half of the year already cold.. If we take into account the frosty weather, it is better to dress tight and be careful.
Ankara climate is a continental climate, so spring months are almost non-existent.. The weather heats up quickly and stays around 30-40 degrees in summer.. It can be quite overwhelming, especially in the city.. If you happen to be in Ankara in July and August, I say accept defeat from the beginning.
Ankara’ how to get there
You can choose many ways to go to Ankara. Departure by land is already clear, buses depart from everywhere.. You can also choose rail and airline.. If you’re in a hurry, I’d say airline.. You can easily reach the city from the airport.. If you have relatively little time, we definitely recommend the railway.. Since it is possible to travel to Ankara by fast train, time will not be a problem.. The railway is very comfortable for the passengers, and you have the opportunity to watch the scenery.. We often forget what a beautiful country we live in.. The railway is one of the areas that reminds us of this.. I hope you enjoy the outdoors!
Public Transportation in Ankara
Since Ankara is a metropolis after all, you will not have any problems with public transportation.. Ankara buses are called EGO. They thought it appropriate to name the company like this.. You can travel very comfortably with buses.. You can find a bus that goes anywhere you want.
There is also a metro in Ankara. It is not very comprehensive, but it will be very useful for you as it passes through many central points.. If you have a metro option, make sure to use the metro.. Unless it’s raining of course! In some extreme rainy weather, the subway can be flooded.
Where to Stay in Ankara?
Ankara offers a wide range of hotels. It’s all up to your pocket and your imagination.. Accommodation in Ankara is not that expensive. However, if you want to get a good hotel and have my breakfast in the morning, of course, the price will increase.. Moreover, these hotels are spread all over the city.. You can find it in the region you want.. As the star and services of the hotel increase, so do the prices.
What to Eat in Ankara?
My favorite episode! Central Anatolia already knows how to cook very well.. They have their own delicious flavors: We definitely recommend meat dishes such as Ankara pan, mash, forest kebab, shepherd’s roast, sizing, eggplant meat and siyel.. Especially if you like meat, this is heaven for you.. If you want to drink soup with it, there are dutmaç, keskek, miyane and toyga.. Did you want a dessert after you? You can choose from quince borana, höşmerim, kaygana, snow candy, sweet and chervil compote.
Shopping in Ankara
There are many shopping malls in Ankara. You don’t have to search for a place to shop.. Almost every neighborhood has a mall.. If you want to buy local products, we can take you to Samanpazarı and Cikrikcilar Yolu.. Apart from that, when you go to Ankara Castle, you can see very interesting products.. If you go, you can find many products in Beypazarı.. Handicrafts, decorative items, jewelry, ornaments and more.
Ankara Nightlife
Ankara nightlife
strong> quite famous. Not just the aforementioned pavilions. If you want to go out in the evening, you can find many places.. There are many bars and nightclubs in Kızılay Square, Sakarya Street, Argentina Street, Palestine Street.. Mostly students go there and they know how to have fun too.. If you want to have a good time outside, I recommend these places to you.
If you are wondering about Ankara pavilions, you may be a little disappointed.. They do not treat you as a human being, they also have very high prices.. However, it may be a different experience for you.
Festivals in Ankara
- Ankara International Jazz Festival (2 – 27 February): This festival, which dates back to the 90s and was organized under the leadership of a few jazz lovers, has turned into a very comprehensive and prestigious festival these days.. If you like jazz, don’t miss it, you can see important musicians from both abroad and Turkey.
- Ankara International Film Festival (28 April – 2 May): Here you can catch the chance to watch with important guests.. It is possible to watch very interesting festival films from Turkey and especially from Europe.. Besides, it can be a good opportunity to meet with Eastern cinema.. It can be considered for those who are looking for alternatives in cinema.
- Ankara Theater Festival (18 – 28 November): A very comprehensive theater festival. The festival has been held since 1996 and so far 453 plays have been exhibited, and many workshops and conversations have been held.
Places to Visit in Ankara
Anıtkabir
The trademark of Ankara and Turkey. It is impossible to go to Ankara and not see it.. Sometimes people get emotional, sometimes goosebumps. My advice to you is to walk around all over the place in silence.. Even if you prefer hours with as few people as possible, you can have a very interesting experience.. Especially if you are going to organize a day trip to Ankara, you can visit it like this.
Ankara Castle
This is a place as old as Ankara. It has a history of 4,000 years and has been used by many civilizations.. It is not known by whom it was commissioned, which is what makes the work a bit mysterious.. Festivals are held here, there are museums in it.. Moreover, Ankara has a beautiful view.
The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations
I talked about how important Ankara’s history is. When this is the case, a civilization museum would not be indispensable.. You can embark on a journey from the Paleolithic Age to the present.. The most valuable part of the museum is the BC.. A map containing the city plan of Çatalhöyük, dating to around 6200 BC.
The Museum of the War of Independence
This is where the first Grand National Assembly once convened. It was built as the meeting building of the Committee of Union and Progress.. Played an important role during the War of Independence. It was later converted into a museum.. You can find the important agreements of the War of Independence and the correspondence that built today’s Turkey.
Cumhuriyet Museum
As you know, there were two parliament buildings before today’s parliament.. This is the second place.. It was later converted into the Republic Museum.. You can see what happened and how it happened in the period following the War of Independence with documents.
Eymir Lake
It remains within the territory of METU.. A wonderful place. A paradise in the heart of the city. If you are interested in Ankara head resting places, you can visit here. With its beautiful nature and scenery, it will take you away from all kinds of stress in life.
Atatürk Orman Çiftliği
This is a heavenly place where things have been mixed in recent years.. An important forest area and the farm in it produces very tasty animal products.. Moreover, it is an important national heritage. It is said that it will be opened for development recently.. If this happens, I say go and see before these places turn into concrete and witness what we can lose.
Kuğulu Park
A park identified with Ankara. The park’s pond features swans, ducks, geese. sweet place. You can go and listen. Places to go with your lover in Ankara. Recommended for romantic travelers! It is an ideal place to have a good time.
Now you can decide what the best part of going to Ankara is! Have a nice trip!
ankara travel guide