Editor's picks
A local's shortlist — the places worth your time first, each with a tip.
Anıtkabir
Landmark · Anıttepe, Çankaya
Atatürk's monumental mausoleum on its own hill — a colonnaded court, the Lion Road, and a museum of the War of Independence beneath it.
Local tip: Entry is free. Time your arrival for the hourly changing of the guard, and walk up the Lion Road rather than taking the vehicle entrance — the approach is the point.
Museum of Anatolian Civilizations
Culture · Ulus, Altındağ
Hittite, Phrygian and Urartian collections housed in a restored 15th-century bedesten below the citadel — the best single explanation of Anatolia anywhere.
Local tip: Do it in the same morning as the castle above it; the two are a five-minute walk apart and the museum takes about ninety minutes.
Ankara Kalesi & Hamamönü
Neighborhood · Altındağ (Ulus)
The old citadel walls with the whole city laid out below, and beneath them Hamamönü — a restored quarter of Ottoman timber houses, courtyards and craft workshops.
Local tip: Climb the castle late afternoon for the light, then drop into Hamamönü for a courtyard tea. Wear proper shoes: the castle lanes are steep, cobbled and genuinely uneven.
Kuğulu Park & Tunalı Hilmi
Neighborhood · Kavaklıdere, Çankaya
The swan park and the café-and-bookshop street running off it — the closest thing central Ankara has to a promenade, and the default place to arrange to meet someone.
Local tip: Tunalı is where the city actually socialises; walk south from Kuğulu towards Kavaklıdere for the older bars and north for the newer cafés.
Eymir Gölü
Hidden gemNature · Gölbaşı (managed by ODTÜ)
A long reed-fringed lake south of the city inside the METU campus land, with a flat loop road that Ankara runs, cycles and rows on at weekends.
Local tip: The standard Ankara Saturday: the loop on foot or by bike, then breakfast at one of the lakeside spots. Go early — the car park by the entrance fills by mid-morning.
Atakule & Seğmenler Parkı
Landmark · Çankaya
The 1989 observation tower on the highest ridge in the city, with a revolving restaurant on top and a big terraced park stepping down beside it.
Local tip: The view is best about an hour before sunset, when you can pick out Anıtkabir, the castle and the steppe behind the city in one sweep.
Explore 113 places across Ankara
Museums, landmarks, monuments, heritage sites and parks — mapped, with photos. The most notable spots first.
Museums & galleries
(27)
Museum
MuseumAnkara Painting and Sculpture Museum
Art museum in Ankara, Turkey
Museum
Museum
MuseumThe Atatürk and War of Independence Museum
Museum in Ankara
MuseumRepublic Museum
Museum of the Republic in the "second parliament building" in Ankara
Museum
MuseumWar of Independence Museum
War of Liberation Museum or the "First Parliament" building in Ankara, Turkey
MuseumMETU Science and Technology Museum
Science museum in Ankara, Turkey
MuseumFeza Gürsey Science Center
Science museum in Ankara, Turkey
Museum
MuseumTürkiye İş Bankası Economic Independence Museum
Bank museum in Altındağ District of Ankara
MuseumAtatürk's Residence and Railway Museum
Museum in Altındağ District
MuseumAnkara Vakıf Museum
Ethnography museum in Ankara, Turkey
MuseumMehmet Akif Ersoy Museum House
Building in Turkey
MuseumPolice Heritage Museum
Museum in Çankaya District
MuseumZiraat Bank Museum
Museum in Ankara.
MuseumHacettepe Art Museum
Art museum in Ankara, Turkey
MuseumMKE Sanayi ve Teknoloji Müzesi
Museum in Ankara.
MuseumAnkara Atatürk House Museum
Museum in Ankara.
MuseumHamiye Çolakoğlu Ceramic Museum
Ceramic museum in Ankara
MuseumCin Ali Museum
Museum in Çankaya District
MuseumCerModern
Museum in Ankara.
MuseumMother Museum
Museum in Ankara.
Mustafa Ayaz Müzesi ve Kültür Merkezi
Museum.
Haritacılık Museum
Museum.
Atlas Sanat Galerisi
Art gallery.
Landmarks & architecture
(12)
LandmarkAtakule
Observation tower and shopping mall in Ankara, Turkey
Landmark
LandmarkÇankaya Mansion
Official residence of Vice President of Turkey
LandmarkKızılay Meydanı
Urban square in Kızılay, Çankaya, Ankara
Landmark
Landmark
LandmarkEstergon Castle (Ankara)
Landmark in Ankara.
LandmarkOpera Square
Square in Ankara
LandmarkAnadolu Square
Landmark in Ankara.
LandmarkAtatürk Republic Tower
Tower in Ankara, Turkey
LandmarkAkkale
Part of Ankara Castle
LandmarkSt. Petersburg Square
Urban square in Ankara
Monuments & memorials
(16)
Monument
Monument
MonumentGüvenlik Monument
Monument in Ankara
Monument
MonumentMarshal Atatürk Monument
Monument in Çankaya, Turkey
MonumentMETU Atatürk Monument
Monument for Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founding father of modern Turkey
MonumentMithat Pasha Statue
Statue in Altındağ District
MonumentAtatürk and the Youth Monument
Monument in Ankara
MonumentSarı Kız by Selim Turan
Monument, statue in Çankaya District
MonumentAtatürk Monument
Monument in Ankara, Turkey
MonumentNursultan Nazarbayev Monument, Ankara
Monument of the First president of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev in Ankara
Monument15 July Martyrs' Monument
Monument in Ankara, Turkey
MonumentMonument of Gendarmerie General Command
Military monument in Çankaya
Uğur Mumcu's House
Historic site.
Can Yücel
Public artwork by Bilinmiyor.
İhsan Doğramacı Statue
Historic monument.
Places of worship
(32)
Religious
ReligiousTemple of Augustus in Ankara
Historic temple in Ankara
Religious
ReligiousHacı Bayram Mosque
Mosque in Ankara, Turkey
Religious
Religious
ReligiousSt. Teresa Catholic Church, Ankara
Catholic church in Ulus, Ankara, Turkey
ReligiousAhmet Hamdi Akseki Mosque
Mosque in Ankara, Turkey
Religious
ReligiousSultan Alaeddin Mosque
Mosque in Ankara, Turkey
ReligiousKaracabey Mosque
Mosque in Ankara, Turkey
ReligiousBeştepe People's Mosque
Mosque in Ankara, Turkey
ReligiousHallaç Mahmut Mosque
Religious in Ankara.
ReligiousAbdülkadir İsfahani Masjid
Historical masjid in Ankara
ReligiousZincirli Mosque
Historical mosque in Ankara
ReligiousCenabi Ahmet Paşa Mosque
Historical mosque in Ankara
ReligiousAhi Elvan Mosque
Mosque in Altındağ, Ankara, Turkey
ReligiousTacettin Sultan Mosque
Mosque in Altındağ, Ankara, Turkey
ReligiousGazze Mosque
Mosque in Ankara, Turkey
ReligiousAhi Tura Mosque
Mosque in Altındağ, Ankara, Turkey
ReligiousHacettepe Mosque
Mosque in Altındağ, Ankara, Turkey
ReligiousHacı Arap Masjid
Mosque in Altındağ, Ankara, Turkey
ReligiousHacı Musa Mosque
Mosque in Altındağ, Ankara, Turkey
Religiousİbadullah Mosque
Mosque in Altındağ, Ankara, Turkey
Religiousİki Şerefeli Mosque
Mosque in Altındağ, Ankara, Turkey
ReligiousLeblebicioğlu Mosque
Mosque in Altındağ, Ankara, Turkey
ReligiousSakalar Mosque
Mosque in Altındağ, Ankara, Turkey
ReligiousTabakhane Mosque
Mosque in Altındağ, Ankara, Turkey
Religiousİsmet Oğultürk Mosque
Religious in Ankara.
Şehit Salim Akgül Anıtı
Monastery.
Boyacı Cami
Place of worship.
Ağaçoğlu Cami
Place of worship.
Heritage & archaeology
(5)
Archaeological
ArchaeologicalYumurtatepe Tumulus
Archaeological mound in Yenimahalle, Ankara, Turkey
Yalıncak
Historic ruins.
Yalıncak Cemetery
Historic ruins.
METU Tree of Science Old Site
Historic ruins.
Parks & nature
(18)
Park
Park
Park
Park
Park
Park
Park
ParkMeclis Park
Public park in Ankara, Turkey
ParkAnkara Botanic Park
Park in Turkey
ParkOrange Blossom Park
Park in Ankara.
Park
ParkKurtuluş Park
Park in Turkey
ParkAli Dinçer Park
Park in Yenimahalle
ParkVedat Dalokay Park
Park in Ankara.
ParkBaşkent Millet Bahçesi
Park in Ankara.
Uğur Mumcu Parkı
Public park.
Barış Manço Parkı
Public park.
Botanik Parkı
Public park.
More to explore
(3)Seyir Tepesi
Viewpoint.
Speed Games
Theme park.
Castle Gate and Clock Tower
Altındağ
Visitor attraction in Altındağ.
Data from Wikidata (CC0) & OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Images via Wikimedia Commons — see each credit. Listings are community-maintained and may be incomplete or out of date — verify hours and access before visiting.
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