Planning a trip to Ankara
There's a tourist information office at the airport (tel. 0312/398-0348) as well as downtown at Gazi Mustafa Kemal Bulv. 121, Maltepe (across from the Maltepe subway entrance; tel. 0312/231-5572). A third provincial tourism office is located at Anafartalar Cad. 67, Eski Adliye, Ulus (tel. 0312/310-0446).
If you're here for an extended stay, why not think about Turkish-language classes? Tömer offers courses at two locations: Ziya Gökalp Cad. 18, in the neighborhood of Kizilay (tel. 0312/434-3090), and Tunali Hilmi Cad. 97, in Kavaklidere (tel. 0312/426-2047), or check out their website at www.tomer.ankara.edu.tr.
City Layout
The city's major thoroughfare, suitably named Atatürk Bulvari, runs the length of Ankara from north to south, from the Equestrian Statue of Atatürk at Ulus Meydani all the way down to the Presidential Mansion in Çankaya, about 5km (3 miles) away.
The area around Ulus Meydani forms the oldest section of the city. From Ulus Meydani, located about a 5-minute walk uphill on Hisarparki Caddesi, east of the Atatürk statue, is where you will find the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. A detour from Hisarparki Caddesi onto Çikrikçilar Yokusu will take you through the market; eventually, all roads uphill lead to the old fortress, a living, breathing mix of modern Turkey and the Turkish heartland. The neighborhood directly opposite the main entrance to the fortress recently got a face-lift thanks to the support of one of Turkey's wealthiest businessmen and a great benefactor of Turkey's patrimony; here you'll find the newly preserved Çengelhan, a caravansary dating to 1522 and housing what else but the Rahmi M. Koç Museum, along with a number of newish cafes and teahouses.
To the north of the open-statued square are remnants of ancient Rome. Immediately west of the statue runs Cumhuriyet Bulvari, home to several museums and monuments to Republican Turkey. ASTI, Ankara's otogar (bus station), is located southwest of Ulus at the end of the metro line. The train station is more centrally located closer to Ulus at the southwestern end of Cumhuriyet Bulvari. Not surprisingly, the closer you get to the transport hub, the seedier it gets.
South of the starting point at the Atatürk statue along Atatürk Bulvari is the modern section of Kizilay, a bustling zone of modern shopping, outdoor cafes, and bookstores. On the south side of Gazi Kemal Bulvari is the neighborhood of Yenisehir, or "New City," the modern business heart of Ankara; here you'll find airline and bus-ticket offices, restaurants, and a few recommendable three- and four-star hotels.
Still farther south on Atatürk Bulvari is Kavaklidere, an old vineyard now home to the Sheraton, Hilton, residential housing, and easy living. The cluster of neighborhoods that includes Kavaklidere, Çankaya, and Gaziosmanpasa is where you'll find most of the foreign embassies, and a robust infrastructure of modern, middle-class, and business-level shopping, accommodations, and dining.
Getting There
By Plane
Ankara's new and improved Esenboga International Airport is a major hub for domestic flights on Turkish Airlines (tel. 0312/590-4000 at the airport; www.esenbogaairport.com). Direct international flights arrive from Amsterdam, Brussels, Cologne, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Kiev, London, and Munich, as well as some other cities, with increased service in the summer.
The Esenboga International Airport is 32km (20 miles) from the city center. Havas (www.havas.com.tr) provides bus transportation from the airport daily to the Havas City Center Office in Ulus, with departures tied to the arrival times of domestic and international flights. The ride takes about 35 minutes and costs 10TL. The fares is 25% higher between midnight and 6am.
Half-hourly buses to the airport leave from the Havas office (located at 19 Mayis Stadium, Gate B, in Altindag) daily between 3:30am and 9:30pm, and then in coordination with flight departures from 9:30pm to 3:30am. (Havas buses also leave from the ASTI bus station, but Ulus is more convenient.) For information on Havas buses back to the airport, call the national Havas call center (tel. 444-0487). There's also a cooperative taxi arrangement at the airport that will get you and three other passengers to Ankara center for around 60TL. The service runs round the clock but reservations must be made at least 24 hours in advance (tel. 0312/398-0897; www.esenbogataxi.com).
By Bus
Virtually every city in the country, no matter how small, has at least one bus company with service to Ankara, offering almost as many fare options as buses. For example, Varan (tel. 444-8999) runs about 15 buses daily from Istanbul (travel time 5 1/2-7 hr.; average price 49TL), as does Metro (tel. 444-3455; www.metroturizm.com.tr), including two nonstop buses (5 and 5:20am) from Istanbul (5 1/2-7 hr.; around 30TL). From Konya (23TL), hop on an Özkaymak bus (tel. 0312/224-0055 in Ankara; tel. 0352/265-0161 in Konya). To get to town from Ankara's ASTI Otogar (tel. 0312/207-1000) hop a cab -- about 20TL, depending on your final destination. There is a handy metro station just outside the bus entrance, but whoever designed it didn't think of travelers with luggage; you must navigate an insurmountable number of steps to get to the platform.
By Train
The system of railways in Turkey is operated by Turkish State Railways (Türkiye Cuhuriyet Devlet Demiryollari, tel. 444-8233). There are currently six conventional (read: slow) trains serving the Istanbul/Ankara route, the Baskent Express, the Cumhuriyet Express, the Fatih Express, the Bogaziçi Express, the Anadolu Express and the Ankara Express ("Express" is expressed as "Ekspresi"). Of all these, the modern, air-conditioned, and dependable Ankara Ekspresi night train from Istanbul's Haydarpasa train station to Ankara is the most reliable for service and comfort. A bunk in one of the sleeper cars costs 85TL; two beds cost 60TL per person. Cabins sleep (tightly) up to three passengers, and they don't penalize you for taking up the whole cabin as a single traveler. (There's also a nominal "conductor fee" collected by the car attendant at the end of the journey; this is a legal and modest surcharge of about 2TL.) You'll need a reservation for a spot on this train, so don't leave your ticket purchase until the last minute. The train departs nightly at 10:30pm (travel time: 9 hr., 40 min.).
There are nine additional daily departures of very slow trains heading through Ankara to points east, with fares as low as 16TL, depending on which train you take (night trains with sleeping cars are also available). Tickets can be purchased at both Istanbul's Haydarpasa (tel. 0216/336-4470 for reservations or tel. 0216/336-0475 for information) and Sirkeci (tel. 0212/527-0050) train stations, as well as via a number of authorized ticket agents (mostly travel agencies) and post offices. The list of purchase points, as well as detailed information on routes, prices, and schedules, is now available on the TCDD's new and improved website (www.tcdd.gov.tr).
One of the major railway projects under way in Turkey is the laying of tracks for a fast train between Istanbul and Ankara. Upon completion, this new fast train will take just 4 to 5 hours. Stay tuned to www.tcdd.gov.tr for progress. For now, if you want a taste of the high-speed rail, you can take a regular train to Eskisehir (4 hrs), and change for the Yüksek Hizli Tren, departing Eskisehir at 7am, 9:05, 11:15, 1pm, 3:10, 6:10, 8, and 9:52, arriving in Ankara 90 minutes later. The fare for the fast train leg is 20TL one way and 32TL return economy class; 30TL/48TL Business Class each way.
Remember that all trains from Istanbul to Ankara leave from Haydarpasa Station on the Asian side. Ferries depart from Karaköy and Kadiköy for the 15-minute or so trip to the train station (be sure the ferry you board is heading to the Haydarpasa dock, not the main Kadiköy dock). You should book your tickets in advance from June to September either via the website (www.ido.com.tr) or by phone (tel. 0212/444-4436). The short crossing costs 1.50TL with a token, 85kr with the Akbil.
Getting Around
By Car
The Anatolian highway system is uncomplicated enough that a visitor can easily make his or her way to the greater Ankara area. Problem is, once you get there, one-way streets and avenues wind around until you unexpectedly pass your destination in a no-turn lane. And the population boom has resulted in an absence of adequate parking. If you'll be navigating by car, get your hotel to spell out the route in advance -- or leave the car at the hotel in lieu of a taxi.
By Taxi
Taking taxis makes the most sense in Ankara, especially for short stays. Gasoline costs less here and taxi fares are slightly lower than in Istanbul.
By Public Transportation
Ankara's rapid transit system is composed of a light metro (called the Ankaray) and the Ankara Metro. There is also a suburban rail system. Currently, construction is under way for the addition of three new metro lines (serving, roughly, areas southwest, west, and north), while five more connections are in the planning stages. The only problem is that the entire system, however efficient and clean, caters to residents of the suburbs and not tourists. So unless you need to get from Kizilay to Ulus (not a great connection, as the stop in Ulus is still a hike from the Roman ruins and the citadel) or to the ASTI bus station, my recommendation is don't bother. One single ride costs around 1.70TL; a pack of 10 costs 14TL. The system runs from 6am to midnight.
Metropolitan buses and dolmuses depart from Güven Park in Kizilay and from Ulus to all points around the city. But if you're trying to catch a bus somewhere along the middle of a route, the system can be perplexing. Unless your stay here is extended, it's not worth wasting the time to decipher the local system.
Fast Facts
Airline Information -- The general number at Esenboga Airport is tel. 0312/465-5555. Turkish Airlines has a downtown office at Atatürk Bulv. 154, Kavaklidere (tel. 0312/428-0200). They're open weekdays from 8:30am to 7:45pm and Saturdays from 8:30am to 5:15pm.
Ambulance -- In a medical emergency, dial tel. 112 or take advantage of one of the private ambulance services. Medline provides emergency response along with a suite of health care options (tel. 0312/459-4000 in Ankara, tel. 444-1212 from anywhere in Turkey). Ankara Ambulance is at tel. 0312/431-1111.
Bus Companies -- Companies include Kamil Koç (tel. 444-0562), Kent (tel. 444-0038), Metro (tel. 444-3455), Pamukkale (tel. 444-3535), Ulusoy (tel. 444-1888), and Varan (tel] 444-8999).
Car Rental -- Avis has a location in the domestic terminal (tel. 0312/398-0315) and at Tunus Cad. 68/2, Kavaklidere (tel. 0312/467-2313); Alamo, in the airport (tel. 0312/398-2166); Europcar, in the domestic terminal (tel. 0312/398-0503) and at Tunus Cad. 79/2, Kavaklidere (tel. 0312/426-4606); Hertz, at the airport (tel. 0312/468-6290) and at Kenedi Cad. 144, Gaziosmanpasa (tel. 0312/468-6290); and the Turkish company Decar (tel. 0312/398-2188), in the domestic terminal.
Courier Services -- DHL Worldwide (tel. 0312/444-0400), FedEx (tel. 444-0606), TNT (tel. 444-0868), and UPS (tel. 444-0033) all have locations in Ankara and offer convenient pickup services.
Hospitals -- Among the private hospitals in town are Çankaya Hospital, Bülten Sok. 44, Kavaklidere (tel. 0312/426-1450); Baskent University Hospital, Fevzi Çakmak Cad. 10, Sok. 45, Bahçelievler (tel. 0312/212-6868); and Bayindir Hospital, Atatürk Bulv. 201, Kavaklidere (tel. 0312/428-0808) and Eskisehir Yolu, Sok. 2, Sögütözü (tel. 0312/287-9000). The last also has a dental clinic on the premises.
Post Office -- The main post office is located in Ulus on Atatürk Bulvari. There is another branch in Kizilay Square and countless others around town, all open from 8:30am to 5:30pm, Monday through Friday. In addition to the regular postal services, the PTT also has competitive currency exchange rates.
Telephone -- Dial tel. 115 for an international operator (and remember to dial 0 before a city's prefix). For calling cards and collect calls via AT&T, dial tel. 0811-288-0001.
Turkish Railways -- Ankara's Gar, or train station, is located at Talatpasa Bulvari at the bottom of Cumhuriyet Bulvari. For information on schedules and trains, call tel. 444-8233 or 0312/311-0620; for tickets and reservations, call tel. 0312/310-6515. You can also check out their website for information and schedules (now also in English) at www.tcdd.gov.tr.
