Ankara, Turkey

Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. It is centrally located at the heart of both Turkey and Central Anatolia. As well as being an important commercial and industrial city, Ankara is a very old city with various Hittite, Phrygian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman archaeological sites.

Historical attractions in Ankara include the Ankara castle which contains many fine examples of traditional architecture. Many restored traditional Turkish houses inside the citadel area have found new life as restaurants, serving local cuisine. There are also the remains of a Roman theatre, a Roman bath, the Temple of Augustus and Rome and the Column or Julian.

There are many interesting museums to visit in Ankara. These include Anitkabir, which is located on an imposing hill where the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk stands. Other museums include the State Art and Sculpture Museum, the Ankara Ethnography Museum and the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations.

Things to See & Do

* Anitkabir - mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk & Museum
* Atakule Tower
* Archeological remains & landmarks
* Museums
* Ankara Castle

General Information

Cruise Season – March - Dec
Currency – Turkish Lira (TRY)
Language - Turkish
Land Area – 2,516 km²
Population – 4,600,000 approx
Electricity – 2 round pins European style.
Time – UTC plus two hours
International Country Telephone Code – + 90

Travel Links – Ankara Esenbo?a International Airport (ESB) is located some 28 km northeast of the city. International flights are rather low in frequency and scope - apart from Turkish Airlines (THY), only Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and British Airways offer direct flights to their respective European hubs. Iran Air also has two weekly flights to Tehran. For other carriers flying into Turkey, a flight into Istanbul is necessary, followed by an air transfer to Ankara by Turkish Airlines or Anadolu Jet (a low cost brand of Turkish Airlines).

Being in a central location in Turkey, Ankara is also the centre of the Turkish rail network and can be reached from many cities. The train trip from Istanbul to Ankara takes around 5 hours and 36 minutes and most (but not all) daytime services involve changing from one of the older express trains from Istanbul to Eski?ehir onto the new high speed rail link to Ankara.

If you are traveling from places other than Istanbul, you will find buses fast, inexpensive, and modern.