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Known for its architectural wonders like the Atatürk Mausoleum and the ancient Roman Temple of Augustus, Ankara anchors the countries political, administrative, and cultural spheres.
Exceeded my expectations on every level and would definitely return for another stay. If already in Turkey, worth a couple of nights to explore on holiday.
Having visited several cities on Turkey's southern coast, I made my way up inland, getting the bus from Adana. Having been dissuaded from anyone I had ever spoken to about visiting Ankara on the basis of it being an incredibly boring city, I was curious to see just how dull a metropolis of over 5 million people could be.
Airbnb always seems to be a bit hit and miss throughout the country and my experience in Ankara was no different. Depending on how long you're staying, you may want to consider a hotel for ease of convenience where the prices seem to be pretty competitive. I spent a week in the Kahya Otel Ankara which was a great place to explore the city from.
There's a strong selection of places to work from across the city with national chain Workinton operating in several places. I personally loved the time i spent at Ancowork which I've written about beneath.
Ankara was great value for both eating out with prices similar to those in Istanbul and the rest of the country for food, drink and coffees.
From everything I heard about Ankara before visiting, I was expecting it to have the ambience of a graveyard. I was pleasantly surprised. While it will always fall short compared to Istanbul, I found the area around Çankaya to be a great place to stay—lively and engaging throughout the day, with lots to explore for food, coffee and nightlife. There’s comfortably enough to keep you entertained for a month
Turkey adheres to GMT+2 in summer, reverting to GMT+3 in winter due to the absence of daylight saving time practices.
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Ankara is an enormous city and whilst it is moderately well connected with the metro, you'd be best off staying in one of the more lively hubs.
Based around a ten minute walk from bustling hub of Tunali, Ancowork provides a great base to work from, with a large open plan coworking space on the ground floor and meeting rooms available for calls below.
There's a number of great coffee shops within 5 minutes walk from the office with the only downside being a slightly aggressive hill leading up to it.
There didn't appear to be any fixed member of staff working there when I arrived, so if planning to visit i would enquire ahead to make sure they are present.
Visiting Atatürk's final resting place Anıtkabir, is a must when in the capital. Brushing up on Turkey's last century of history beforehand adds depth to the experience and if you have spent any period of time in Turkey prior, you are likely to have seen his face dotted around the country. I would suggest getting there early on the weekend to beat any potential queues on arrival.
Ankara has a radically different climate to the cities on the southern coast. November felt especially Autumnal with plenty of dry, clear and slightly chilly days. With no beach and sea access, you'd struggle to make a compelling argument on choosing it over other cities throughout the summer months, but I would certainly return again at that time of year.
You're less likely to find an international remote community in Ankara compared to that in Istanbul or Antalya with only few tourists passing by either. Like with the rest ofTurkey, I found the local people to be particularly warm and engaging.
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