Ankara is Turkey's capital — a high-altitude (938 m) city on the Central Anatolian plateau, founded as a Hittite settlement and now a political, diplomatic, and university town of about 5.8 million. It's the seat of the national government, the supreme courts, and almost all foreign embassies. Most foreign visitors use Esenboğa Airport (ESB), 28 km north of the centre, connected to downtown by 35-minute airport shuttles (Belko Air, BelkoAnkara) for about TRY 60, metered taxis (TRY 400-600), or a pre-booked hotel transfer.
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Getting to and around Ankara
The must-see is Anıtkabir — the vast hilltop mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Republic, with the adjoining War of Independence Museum. Allow 2-3 hours for the visit including the change of guard and the independence-war dioramas. The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations (inside a 15th-century bedesten near the castle) holds the world's deepest collection of Hittite, Urartu, Phrygian, and Neolithic artefacts from Çatalhöyük — it's a genuine top-tier museum and the one place in Turkey to put Anatolian prehistory in context. Ankara Castle's summit is a 15-minute walk up from the Roman-era Column of Julian; the view over the Hamamönü and Hisar neighbourhoods at sunset is worth the climb. Hamamönü itself is a restored Ottoman-era craft quarter good for a 1-hour walk and evening meze.
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Things to see & do in Ankara
Ankara is not a classical tourist city — most travellers come for work, Turkish-government business, or as a logistical base for Cappadocia (4-hour drive southeast) and the Hittite heartland (Hattuşa/Boğazkale, 2.5 hours east; Gordion/Polatlı, 1 hour west). The food is less celebrated than Istanbul's but the Iskender kebabı, köfte, and hacı-bayram tahinli pide are widely available.
Top tours & experiences in Ankara
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Neighborhoods & food in Ankara
Visit April-June or September-October for comfortable 15-25°C weather and clear plateau skies. Summer (July-August) is hot (30-35°C) but dry. Winter is cold (−5 to 5°C) and sometimes snowy. Turkey's visa rules are generous — US, UK, EU, Canadian, Australian passports are visa-exempt for 90 days; the e-Visa (evisa.gov.tr) covers most others. Turkish lira (TRY) is heavily inflation-affected — bring cards plus some USD/EUR for exchange.
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