Ankara sightseeing

Archaeological sites, museums, mosques, amazing parks, you name it and Ankara has it. The city has some of the most remarkable museums that definitely worth paying a visit. Starting with Anıtkabir, situated on an impressive hill, where you can discover the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Republic of Turkey.

It's an inspiring combination of ancient and modern architectural styles, with a museum housing wax statue of Atatürk, his writings, letters and personal items, as well as a photo exposition.

Drop by the Ankara Ethnography Museum and enjoy its fine collection of folkloric as well as Seljuk- and Ottoman-era artifacts. Nearby you can find the State Art and Sculpture Museum, with a rich collection of Turkish art
Positioned at the entrance of the Ankara Castle, be sure to visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, and old covered bazaar, fully restored housing unique and impressive collections of Paleolithic, Neolithic, Hatti, Hittite, Phrygian, Urartian, and Roman artifacts.

Be sure not to skip a visit to one of the magnificent mosques, the most notable one being the Kocatepe Mosque that became the landmark of the city due to its prominence and impressive style, also visit the Hacı Bayram Mosque constructed in the 15th century in Seljuk style, or the Yeni Mosque, the largest Ottoman mosque in the city, with an amazing architecture combining white marble with Ankara stone (red prophyry).

For those interested in architecture and archeology the Ankara Citadel is the perfect place to start your discoveries. The area around it and inside the citadel is the oldest part of the city, with many restored traditional houses housing today restaurants serving traditional cuisine and Rakı. Furthermore the [edit] Roman Theatre, the Temple of Augustus and Rome and the Roman Bath, with its typical frigidarium (cold room), tepidarium (cool room) and caldarium (hot room) are places that must be included in every trip to Ankara.

Relax and enjoy a stroll in one of the many parks of Ankara like the [edit]Gençlik Park (amusement park), the Botanical Garden, Kuğulu Park renowned for its swans, the Harikalar Diyan, or the Güven Park, where you can see the Monument to a Secure, Confident Future, displaying Atatürk's advice to his people: "Turk! Be proud, work hard, and believe in yourself." Least but not last plan a nice day, biking, hiking or just enjoying a picnic at Atatürk Forest Farm and Zoo an extensive recreational farming area which houses a zoo, several small farms, greenhouses, restaurants, a dairy farm and a brewery.

Ankara highlights