Photo: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA) · Source Ankara, the capital of Türkiye, brings Anıtkabir, the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations (European Museum of the Year in 1997) and the UNESCO World Heritage Arslanhane Mosque together with the citadel district in a single visit. Gordion, capital of King Midas, Beypazarı with its Ottoman mansions and the pine forests of Soğuksu are an hour from the city.
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21 places worth seeing in Ankara, from historic monuments to natural wonders, grouped by type. Open any of them on the map with a single click.
The mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, designed by Emin Onat and Orhan Arda and built on Rasattepe between 1944 and 1953. The Lion Road leads to the ceremonial square; the Hall of Honour holds the symbolic sarcophagus, and Atatürk's body lies in the tomb chamber on the lower floor. His body was moved here on 10 November 1953.
View on mapThe exact date the castle in Altındağ was built is unknown; it is known that the Roman emperor Caracalla had its walls repaired in AD 217. Repaired in the Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman periods, it is the historic core of Ankara, with narrow streets inside and views of the city from the walls.
View on mapThis district takes its name from the Karacabey Hammam in the complex of Karaca Bey, the Beylerbey of Anatolia, in the 1430s. It is a restored historic quarter where buildings of the 15th to 18th centuries stand alongside Republican-era houses; with its cafés and handicraft shops it is ideal for an evening stroll.
View on mapBeypazarı, one of the Ottoman timar-holding sipahi centres, is famous for its two- and three-storey mansions with stone ground floors and timber-framed upper floors; the small room on the roof called a 'guşgana' is the signature of these houses. In the Roman and Byzantine periods it was known as Lagania–Anastasiopolis.
View on mapThe temple beside the Hacı Bayram Mosque was built in the name of the emperor Augustus in about 25–20 BC. Its walls bear the Res Gestae inscription, known as the Monumentum Ancyranum, which recounts Augustus's deeds; it has been protected with the support of the World Monuments Fund.
View on mapAlso known as the Caracalla Bath, the building was constructed on a mound whose first layer goes back to the Phrygian period; it can be visited as an open-air archaeological site in Ulus.
View on mapGordion, the capital of Phrygia, is at Yassıhüyük, 29 km north-west of Polatlı and 94 km from Ankara. Continuously settled from about 2300 BC to the 4th century AD, it became Türkiye's 20th UNESCO World Heritage site in 2023; the Great Tumulus, associated with King Midas, and the Gordion Museum are the most important stops.
View on mapA column in Ulus believed to have been erected in memory of the Roman emperor Julian's visit to Ankara; it is one of the traces of Roman Ancyra still standing in the city.
View on mapA Seljuk mosque at the southern end of the castle, dating from the 13th century, with wooden columns and a wooden ceiling; it is one of the oldest and most important buildings in the city. It takes its name from the lion statue on the wall of the Ahi Şerafeddin Tomb and has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2023.
View on mapFirst built in 1427–1428 as a zawiya, the mosque takes its name from the Tomb of Hacı Bayram-ı Veli, dated 1429, in its garden. Its present building has the characteristics of 17th- and 18th-century mosques, and it stands right next to the Temple of Augustus.
View on mapBegun in 1967 and completed in 1987 to a classical Ottoman-style design by Hüsrev Tayla and Fatin Uluengin, the mosque is part of the city's skyline, close to Kızılay.
View on mapHoused in the Mahmud Paşa Bedesten and Kurşunlu Han, the museum began at Atatürk's wish as a 'Hittite Museum' and today displays Anatolia's civilisations in chronological order. On 19 April 1997 it was named 'European Museum of the Year' from among 68 museums, the first Turkish museum to receive the award.
View on mapThe building on Ulus Square served as the first home of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye until 1924, became a museum in 1961 and, as the War of Independence Museum since 1981, displays items relating to the War of Independence and the proclamation of the Republic.
View on mapDesigned by the architect Vedat Tek in 1923, the building housed the Grand National Assembly from 1924 to 1960 and was converted into a museum in 1981.
View on mapA building designed by the architect Arif Hikmet Koyunoğlu on Namazgâh Hill, where Friday prayers were held during the War of Independence; Atatürk's body stayed here from 1938 to 1953, until Anıtkabir was completed.
View on mapOpened in 2005 in the 16th-century Çengel Han and Safranhan opposite the castle gate, this is Ankara's first industrial and transport museum; it displays vintage cars, machines and scientific instruments.
View on mapThe bird sanctuary around the Sarıyar Dam in Nallıhan is the district's most important nature-tourism spot; it can be visited together with the nearby Ilıca (Uyuzsuyu) Waterfall.
View on mapEstablished in 1959 at Kızılcahamam, 80 km from the city, the national park is the weekend escape of Ankara residents, with forests that are 65% Scots pine, hot and cold water springs and about 160 bird species.
View on mapLake Eymir, south of the city, lies within the METU campus and is a training ground for rowing crews; Lake Mogan at Gölbaşı, with its shoreline walking paths, is suitable for weekend nature walks.
View on mapThe tower in Çankaya, where Cinnah and Çankaya avenues meet, is one of Ankara's symbols, with its revolving restaurant and views over the city.
View on mapA place to relax in Ulus, with an artificial lake and walking paths, one of the first large city parks of the Republic.
View on mapAnkara is a city set in the heart of Central Anatolia that has been the capital of Türkiye since 13 October 1923. Although it is known today for its modern ministry buildings, wide boulevards and universities, its history goes back thousands of years.
The area around the city was one of the centres of Phrygian civilisation: Gordion, the capital of Phrygia, was continuously settled near Polatlı from 2300 BC to the 4th century AD and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023. Of Ancyra, an important city of the Galatians and then of Rome, the Temple of Augustus, the Roman Bath from the time of Caracalla and the Column of Julian survive today. On the walls of the Temple of Augustus is the inscription, known as the Monumentum Ancyranum, that recounts the deeds of the emperor Augustus.
The grandest work of the Seljuk and Ahi period is the Arslanhane (Ahi Şerafeddin) Mosque at the southern end of the castle; in 2023 it joined the UNESCO list under “Medieval Anatolian Mosques with Wooden Columns and Beams”. The mosque and tomb bearing the name of the 15th-century Sufi Hacı Bayram-ı Veli were built right next to the Temple of Augustus.
During the War of Independence Ankara was the centre of the national struggle: in 1920 the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye met in the building that is now the War of Independence Museum. After Atatürk’s death in 1938 his body remained in the Ethnography Museum for 15 years and was moved to Anıtkabir on 10 November 1953.
Ankara has a continental climate: summers are hot and dry, winters are cold and snowy. Averages for 1927–2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service:
| Month | Avg. high | Avg. low | Rainfall | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.4 °C | −3.1 °C | 40 mm | 12 |
| February | 6.5 °C | −2.2 °C | 35 mm | 11 |
| March | 11.6 °C | 0.8 °C | 39 mm | 11 |
| April | 17.4 °C | 5.5 °C | 42 mm | 11 |
| May | 22.4 °C | 9.7 °C | 52 mm | 12 |
| June | 26.7 °C | 13.0 °C | 37 mm | 9 |
| July | 30.4 °C | 15.9 °C | 15 mm | 4 |
| August | 30.6 °C | 16.1 °C | 13 mm | 3 |
| September | 26.1 °C | 11.9 °C | 18 mm | 4 |
| October | 20.0 °C | 7.2 °C | 27 mm | 7 |
| November | 13.1 °C | 2.6 °C | 31 mm | 8 |
| December | 6.6 °C | −0.6 °C | 44 mm | 12 |
The best times for a city visit are April to June and September to October. Summer days are hot but dry, and evenings cool down. Commemorations are held at Anıtkabir on 10 November and visitor numbers rise sharply; on national holidays such as 29 October and 23 April, Anıtkabir and the Ulus area are also crowded.
By air: Esenboğa Airport, which opened in 1955, is about 25 km north-east of the city centre.
By high-speed train: Ankara High-Speed Train Station, which opened in 2016, is the starting point of the Ankara–Istanbul and Ankara–Sivas high-speed railways; YHT services to Eskişehir and Konya also leave from here. It is right next to the historic Ankara Station.
By bus: Intercity buses arrive at AŞTİ (Ankara Intercity Bus Terminal Operations); from the terminal, the Ankaray line takes you to Kızılay.
The Ankara Metro, which opened in 1997, is Türkiye’s second metro system after Istanbul’s. In addition to the M1 (Kızılay–Batıkent), M2 (Kızılay–Koru), M3 (Batıkent–Törekent) and M4 (Kızılay–Şehitler) lines, the Ankaray light rail system runs between AŞTİ and Dikimevi. The historic centre of Ulus and the castle district can be explored on foot; Anıtkabir is reached by a short journey from Tandoğan (Ankaray) or Kızılay.
Day 1 – Ulus and the castle district: In the morning visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations (allow at least 2 hours), then go in through the castle gate and climb the walls of Ankara Castle. See the Arslanhane Mosque at the southern end of the castle and the Çengelhan Rahmi M. Koç Museum opposite it; in the afternoon move on to the Hacı Bayram Mosque, the Temple of Augustus and the Roman Bath. End the day among the restored Ottoman houses of Hamamönü.
Day 2 – Ankara of the Republic: Visit Anıtkabir early in the morning (at least 2–3 hours for the Lion Road, the Hall of Honour and the Atatürk and War of Independence Museum). In the afternoon see the War of Independence Museum (First Grand National Assembly) and the Republic Museum (Second Grand National Assembly) in Ulus, then the Ethnography Museum on Namazgâh Hill.
Day 3 – Outside the city: At Gordion, 94 km to the west, see the Midas Tumulus and the museum, or tour the mansions of Beypazarı, about 100 km to the north-west, and the İnözü Valley. For those who want nature, Soğuksu National Park, 80 km to the north, is a good alternative.
The best-known dish of old Ankara cooking is Ankara tavası: sautéed meat and vegetables are baked in the oven in meat stock with rice or vermicelli, and it is traditionally eaten on communal occasions such as weddings, hıdrellez and mesire picnics, with cacık, pickles and hoşaf. At breakfast, Ankara simidi, Beypazarı kurusu (which received a geographical indication in 2013) and Çubuk pickles stand out. Cevizli tatlı sucuk, made from strings of Beypazarı walnut kernels, is also a souvenir with a geographical indication.
Ankara province has 25 districts. Explore the places to visit, local dishes and transport in each one.
An old Ankara dish in which sautéed meat and vegetables are baked in the oven in meat stock with rice or vermicelli; at weddings, hıdrellez and mesire picnics it is eaten with cacık, pickles and hoşaf.
An indispensable part of the Ankara breakfast.
A biscuit baked in stone ovens from flour, milk, butter and yeast, which stays fresh for a year; it received a geographical indication on 14 May 2013.
A sweet with a geographical indication, made by dipping strings of walnut kernels in molasses dough and drying them.
The best-known pickle of Ankara breakfast tables and dinner tables.
The main stops are Anıtkabir, the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations, Ankara Castle, the Arslanhane Mosque, Hamamönü, the Temple of Augustus, the Hacı Bayram Mosque, the War of Independence and Republic museums, the Ethnography Museum and the Çengelhan Rahmi M. Koç Museum. Outside the city, Gordion, Beypazarı and Soğuksu National Park stand out.
Anıtkabir, designed by Emin Onat and Orhan Arda, was begun in 1944 and completed in 1953. Atatürk's body was moved here on 10 November 1953.
Yes. The Gordion Ancient City in Polatlı and the Arslanhane (Ahi Şerafeddin) Mosque in the castle district were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023.
Esenboğa Airport is about 25 km north-east of Ankara city centre.
Besides Anıtkabir and the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations, Ankara is known for Ankara tavası, Ankara simidi and Beypazarı kurusu, which has a geographical indication.
Gordion, 94 km to the west, Beypazarı, about 100 km to the north-west, and Soğuksu National Park, 80 km to the north, are the most popular day-trip routes.
The information in this guide has been compiled from and checked against the sources below (last checked: 7 October 2026). If you spot an error, please let us know.