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A photograph of Ankara

City guide · Türkiye

Theme: History in Ankara, Türkiye — page 2

Ankara is Türkiye’s republican capital, where Anıtkabir’s monumental presence, the institutions of the modern state and the layered streets of historic Ulus mee...

Photograph · Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0

5,060 Places
25 Districts
Suggested stay
Not recorded
Getting around
EGO buses, Metro, Ankaray and Başkentray; plan Gordion as a separate Polatlı excursion

Turn this list into a plan

Set your days, your pace and the hours you actually want to be out. The planner works around closing days and travel time, and leaves room to eat.

Plan Ankara

Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor

Ankara is Türkiye’s republican capital, where Anıtkabir’s monumental presence, the institutions of the modern state and the layered streets of historic Ulus meet in one inland city. Begin with Anıtkabir and the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, then follow the old citadel quarter, Roman remains and the museums around Ulus. Ankara also works as a base for district-scale excursions: Gordion in Polatlı and the wider cultural landscape beyond the centre reward travellers who allow time beyond the central museums.

Checked 2026-09-02

Practical information

Language spoken
Turkish
The official language of the Republic of Turkiye
Dialling code
+90
The international dialling code for Turkiye
Currency
Turkish lira (₺, TRY)
The official currency; one lira is divided into 100 kurus
Emergency number
112
One number for ambulance, fire and police
Plug type
European two-pin · 220 V
The national living guide records 220 V and European-style two-pin plugs
Tap water
Not recorded
No verified national source in the dataset

Planning a visit

September · The Turkish State Meteorological Service records a 26.1°C mean high and 11.9°C mean low for Ankara in September; this is among the most comfortable periods for long outdoor sightseeing days.

  1. January: recurring difficult conditions
  2. February: recurring difficult conditions
  3. March: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  4. April: best time to visit
  5. May: best time to visit
  6. June: good time to visit
  7. July: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  8. August: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  9. September: best time to visit — current month
  10. October: best time to visit
  11. November: good time to visit
  12. December: recurring difficult conditions

Sources

Top things to see

Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.

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65 places match

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Category

Historic monuments 31 Museums 25 Places of worship 9 Nature sites 0 Viewpoints 0 Food and drink 0 Markets and shopping 0 Entertainment 0 Nightlife 0 Family attractions 0 Art and culture 0 Activities 0

Typical visit duration

Up to 1 hour 40 1 to 2 hours 25

Interests

History 65 Art 17 Museums 33 Nature 26 Sea and beach 22 Viewpoints 4
  1. Victory Monument Victory Monument
    26 45 min

    Victory Monument

    Ankara Zafer Anıtı

    Victory Monument, also known as the Ulus Atatürk Monument, stands in Ulus Square in Ankara’s Altındağ district.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  2. Ankara Vakıf Museum Ankara Vakıf Museum
    27 1 hr 30 min

    Ankara Vakıf Museum

    Ankara Vakıf Eserleri Müzesi

    Ankara Vakıf Museum is a specialised Ulus collection centred on objects preserved through the charitable foundation tradition known as vakıf. Its displays connect religious practice with the material skills that supported worship, learning and public benefit.

    • Must see
    • Museum
  3. Gavurkale Hill Gavurkale Hill
    28 45 min

    Gavurkale Hill

    Gavur Kalesi

    Gavurkale Hill is a rocky archaeological landmark near Dereköy in Haymana district, roughly 60 kilometres southwest of Ankara.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  4. Tumulus MM Tumulus MM
    29 45 min

    Tumulus MM

    Midas'ın Tümülüsü

    Tumulus MM is a monumental Phrygian burial mound at ancient Gordion near Yassıhöyük in Ankara Province.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  5. Turkish State Cemetery Turkish State Cemetery
    30 30 min

    Turkish State Cemetery

    Devlet Mezarlığı

    Turkish State Cemetery is Ankara’s national memorial cemetery for presidents of the Republic and commanders of the Turkish War of Independence.

    • Must see
    • Place of worship
  6. Melike Hatun Mosque Melike Hatun Mosque
    31 30 min

    Melike Hatun Mosque

    Melike Hatun Camii

    Melike Hatun Mosque is a contemporary religious landmark in Ankara’s historic Ulus district, standing at İtfaiye Meydanı on Kosova Caddesi in Anafartalar Mahallesi, Altındağ.

    • Must see
    • Place of worship
  7. Ziraat Bank Museum Ziraat Bank Museum
    32 1 hr 30 min

    Ziraat Bank Museum

    Ziraat Bankası Müzesi

    Ziraat Bank Museum is a compact institutional museum about the history of Turkey’s state banking tradition. It opened in 1981 in the Honor Hall of Ziraat Bank’s Ankara headquarters, presenting the story within the institution’s own historic home.

    • Must see
    • Museum
  8. Mehmet Akif Ersoy Museum House Mehmet Akif Ersoy Museum House
    33 1 hr 30 min

    Mehmet Akif Ersoy Museum House

    Mehmet Akif Ersoy Evi ve Müzesi

    Mehmet Akif Ersoy Museum House is a two-storey wooden Ankara house beside Taceddin Dergâhı in Hamamönü.

    • Must see
    • Museum
  9. İnözü Valley İnözü Valley
    34 45 min

    İnözü Valley

    İnözü Vadisi

    İnözü Valley is an open rural landscape in Rüstempaşa, about 3 km from Beypazarı district centre. Its character comes from the meeting of rocky valley walls, village views, cultivated fields and visible birdlife.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  10. The Atatürk and War of Independence Museum The Atatürk and War of Independence Museum
    35 1 hr 30 min

    The Atatürk and War of Independence Museum

    Atatürk ve Kurtuluş Savaşı Müzesi

    The Atatürk and War of Independence Museum is a museum within Anıtkabir, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s memorial complex in Anıttepe, Ankara.

    • Must see
    • Museum
  11. Kuş Cenneti Kuş Cenneti
    36 45 min

    Kuş Cenneti

    Kuş Cenneti is a wetland in Davutoğlan village, within Ankara’s Nallıhan district, where the Aladağ Stream meets the Sarıyar Dam. Its character comes from the meeting of flowing water, reservoir shoreline, reed beds, rocky ground and bird habitat.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  12. Akkale Akkale
    37 45 min

    Akkale

    Akkale is the highest bastion of Ankara Castle, at the summit of the fortress above Ankara’s historic Ulus centre. Its identity is architectural and defensive: this is a prominent part of the castle complex, not a separate public museum.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  13. Estergon Castle (Ankara) Estergon Castle (Ankara)
    38 45 min

    Estergon Castle (Ankara)

    Estergon Kalesi Türk Kültür Merkezi

    Estergon Turkish Cultural Centre is a castle-inspired municipal complex in Güçlükaya, Keçiören, rather than a surviving medieval fortress.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  14. Altınköy Açık Hava Müzesi Altınköy Açık Hava Müzesi
    39 1 hr 30 min

    Altınköy Açık Hava Müzesi

    Altınköy Açık Hava Müzesi is a reconstructed Anatolian village landscape in Beşikkaya, Altındağ, dedicated to rural life in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s.

    • High
    • Museum
  15. Ankara Roma Tiyatrosu Ankara Roma Tiyatrosu
    40 45 min

    Ankara Roma Tiyatrosu

    Ankara Roma Tiyatrosu is an archaeological theatre in Ulus, Ankara’s historic core, within Altındağ district.

    • High
    • Historic monument
  16. Alagöz Karargâh Museum Alagöz Karargâh Museum
    41 1 hr 30 min

    Alagöz Karargâh Museum

    Alagöz Karargah Müzesi

    Alagöz Karargâh Museum is a preserved village headquarters associated with the Battle of Sakarya in 1921.

    • High
    • Museum
  17. CerModern CerModern
    42 1 hr 30 min

    CerModern

    CerModern is a contemporary arts centre in Ankara’s Sıhhiye district, bringing exhibition halls, the Flow digital exhibition, a shop, CafeModern and a library into one venue.

    • High
    • Museum
  18. Güvenlik Monument Güvenlik Monument
    43 45 min

    Güvenlik Monument

    Güven Abidesi

    Güvenlik Monument is a 1935 civic artwork inside Güvenpark, in Ankara’s Kızılay district. Its subject is not a private memorial or enclosed museum display: it places a statement about public trust within one of the capital’s busiest everyday spaces.

    • High
    • Historic monument
  19. Mehmetçik Monument Mehmetçik Monument
    44 45 min

    Mehmetçik Monument

    Mehmetçik Anıtı

    Mehmetçik Monument is a hilltop memorial at Kartaltepe, about 6 kilometres west of Polatlı in Ankara Province, beside the E-90 Ankara–Eskişehir highway.

    • High
    • Historic monument
  20. Turkish Bath Museum
    45 1 hr 30 min

    Turkish Bath Museum

    Türk Hamam Müzesi

    Turkish Bath Museum occupies the restored Rüstem Paşa Bath in Beypazarı, a sixteenth-century town bath whose original purpose remains visible in its architecture.

    • High
    • Museum
  21. Tomb of Karyağdı Hatun Tomb of Karyağdı Hatun
    46 45 min

    Tomb of Karyağdı Hatun

    Karyağdı Hatun Türbesi

    The Tomb of Karyağdı Hatun is a small Ottoman funerary monument on Doğan Sokak in Ankara’s Ulus area, close to İtfaiye Meydanı.

    • High
    • Historic monument
  22. Maltepe Mosque Maltepe Mosque
    47 30 min

    Maltepe Mosque

    Maltepe Camii

    Maltepe Mosque is a functioning place of worship in Maltepe Mahallesi, within Ankara’s Çankaya district. Construction began in 1954 and finished in 1959, while the design adopts the visual language of classical Ottoman mosques.

    • High
    • Place of worship
  23. Suluhan
    48 45 min

    Suluhan

    Suluhan is a sixteenth-century urban han in Ankara’s Ulus district, known in historical records and local heritage inventories as Hasanpaşa Hanı and Ankaravî Hanı.

    • High
    • Historic monument
  24. Bazaar
    49 45 min

    Bazaar

    Turistik Demirciler Çarşısı

    Turistik Demirciler Çarşısı is a historic market quarter in Beypazarı district centre, around İrfan Gümüşel Caddesi.

    • High
    • Historic monument
  25. TCDD General Headquarters Building TCDD General Headquarters Building
    50 45 min

    TCDD General Headquarters Building

    TCDD Genel Müdürlüğü

    TCDD General Headquarters Building is the Ankara headquarters of Türkiye's State Railways, at Hipodrom Caddesi beside Ankara railway station in Altındağ. Its identity is tied to railway administration rather than a museum collection or a station's passenger functions.

    • High
    • Historic monument
Show 15 more places

Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·

Where to base yourself

District boundaries come from OSM administrative relations, so a district page holds exactly the places inside it — plus, for the islands and the coast, the nearest district by proximity.

How the city is laid out

Ankara is easiest to understand as a set of distinct urban areas rather than one continuous sightseeing centre. Ulus is the historic core, with the citadel above it and major museums, Roman-era remains and civic landmarks concentrated nearby. Anıtkabir stands separately on the central Anıttepe ridge, while Kızılay and Tunalı Hilmi form the contemporary central axis for shopping, cafés and everyday city life. The metropolitan municipality’s rail network links these areas, but the final approach to hilltop and citadel sights is still best planned as a walk or short local connection. Gordion, west of the capital in Polatlı district, is a separate excursion rather than a central neighbourhood stop.

Checked 2026-09-02

Getting around

Use Ankara’s municipal public-transport network to connect the main urban areas: EGO buses serve the metropolitan road network, while Metro, Ankaray and Başkentray provide rail links across the city. Check EGO’s current route, timetable and fare information before travelling, because service details can change. For a museum-and-Ulus day, rail or bus can bring you close to the historic core, followed by walking between nearby sights; Anıtkabir is a separate stop. Reaching Gordion requires an intercity or district connection to Polatlı and onward local travel, so treat it as a planned day trip. Ankara’s scale and slopes make comfortable shoes and extra transfer time worthwhile.

Checked 2026-09-02

Nearby districts and related places

Nearby places

Common questions

Why is Anıtkabir essential on a first visit to Ankara?

Anıtkabir is the mausoleum and memorial complex of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Türkiye. Its ceremonial approach, courtyards and museum make it the clearest starting point for understanding Ankara as the republican capital. Check the official visitor information before going, as access arrangements and visiting details can change.

What should I see in historic Ulus?

Build a compact Ulus circuit around the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ankara Castle and the Roman-era remains in and around the old centre. The district is where Ankara’s ancient, Ottoman and early republican layers are most legible together. Allow time for uphill walking around the citadel and verify each museum’s current visitor information on its official site.

Which museums are most useful for understanding Ankara?

The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations provides the strongest archaeological introduction, while the Republic Museum and the Independence War Museum place Ankara in the political history of the Turkish Republic. The Ethnography Museum adds cultural context. They are a good counterpoint to Anıtkabir: together, the collections explain both the deep history of central Anatolia and the capital’s modern national role.

Can I visit Gordion from Ankara?

Yes. Gordion is in Polatlı district, west of Ankara, and is best treated as a full excursion rather than a quick central-city stop. The archaeological site and museum are associated with the Phrygian capital and the Gordion archaeological landscape. Plan the transport connection and confirm current site information with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism before travelling.

How many days do I need in Ankara?

No official source used for this fragment publishes a recommended stay length, so there is no sourced number to give. The practical answer depends on whether your plan is limited to Anıtkabir, Ulus and the central museums or includes Gordion and other district-scale excursions. Treat the stay as an itinerary choice, not a fixed official rule.

What is the best way to get around Ankara?

For the metropolitan area, combine EGO buses with Metro and Ankaray, using Başkentray where its rail corridor fits your journey. Walking is especially useful for linked sights in Ulus, although the citadel approach is uphill. Gordion is outside the central sightseeing area in Polatlı district, so check the relevant rail, bus and local connection information before setting out.