2 Days in Ankara: Day-by-Day Itinerary

Historic & Cultural

Anıtkabir

Anıtkabir is a mausoleum complex located in the Çankaya district of Ankara, Turkey. It serves as the resting place of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder and first President of the Turkish Republic. Designed by architects Emin Onat and Orhan Arda, the construction of Anıtkabir began in 1944 and was completed in 1953. In addition to the mausoleum, the complex consists of various structures and monuments, as well as a wooded area known as the Peace Park.

Plan 2 hours

Museums

The Atatürk and War of Independence Museum

Atatürk and the War of Independence Museum, or officially Anıtkabir Atatürk and the War of Independence Museum, is a museum located in the 3,000-square-meter colonnaded area beneath the Hall of Honor, where Atatürk's mausoleum is located in Anıtkabir, opened to visitors on June 21, 1960.

Museums

Ethnography Museum of Ankara

The Ethnography Museum of Ankara is dedicated to the cultures of Turkic civilizations. The building was designed by architect Arif Hikmet Koyunoğlu and was built between 1925 and 1928. The museum temporarily hosted the sarcophagus of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk from 1938 to 1953, during the period of the construction of Anıtkabir, his final resting place.

Closed every Monday

Museums

Museum of Anatolian Civilizations

The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations is located on the south side of Ankara Castle in the Atpazarı area in Ankara, Turkey. It consists of the old Ottoman Mahmut Paşa bazaar storage building, and the Kurşunlu Han. Because of Atatürk's desire to establish a Hittite museum, the buildings were bought upon the suggestion of Hamit Zübeyir Koşay, who was then Culture Minister, to the National Education Minister, Saffet Arıkan. After the remodelling and repairs were completed (1938–1968), the building was opened to the public as the Ankara Archaeological Museum.

Plan 1.5 hours

Historic & Cultural

Temple of Augustus in Ankara

The Temple of Augustus and Rome is an augusteum located in the Altındağ district of Ankara. It is thought to have been built around 25–20 BC. Besides being one of the most important Roman-period ruins in the city, it is also known for the Monumentum Ancyranum. This is an inscription about the works of Augustus, who was considered the first Roman emperor. It is the most complete copy of Res Gestae Divi Augusti that has survived to the present day, even as the original in Rome had disappeared.

Historic & Cultural

Roman Baths of Ankara

The Roman Baths of Ankara are the ruined remains of an ancient Roman bath complex in Ankara, Turkey, which were uncovered by excavations carried out in 1937–1944, and have subsequently been opened to the public as an open-air museum.

Religious Sites

Kocatepe Mosque

The Kocatepe Mosque is the largest mosque in Ankara, Turkey. It was built between 1967 and 1987 in the Kocatepe quarter in Kızılay, and its size and prominent situation have made it a landmark that can be seen from almost anywhere in central Ankara.

Historic & Cultural

Hittite Sun Course Monument

The Hittite Sun Disc Monument is a memorial dedicated to Hittites created by sculptor Nusret Suman and placed in Sıhhiye Square, Ankara, Turkey, in 1978.

Museums

Ankara Painting and Sculpture Museum

The State Art and Sculpture Museum is a museum dedicated to fine arts and sculpture in Ankara, Turkey. The museum was opened in 1930 upon the direction of Turkish president Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first President of Turkey. It is located close to the Ethnography Museum and houses a rich collection of Turkish art from the late 19th century to the present day.

Closed every Monday

Historic & Cultural

Victory Monument

Zafer Monument is a monument built in 1927 to commemorate the National Struggle in Anatolia, located in Ulus Square in the Altındağ district of Ankara. The monument, built as a result of an international competition opened in 1925 under the leadership of the Yeni Gün newspaper, was designed by Austrian sculptor Heinrich Krippel. Its opening was held on November 24, 1927.

Historic & Cultural

Ankara Castle

Ankara Castle is a historic fortification in the city of Ankara, Turkey, constructed in or after the 7th century. The earliest fortification on the site was constructed in the 8th century BC by the Phrygians and rebuilt in 278 BC by the Galatians. The castle was rebuilt or renovated under the Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, and Ottoman Empires.

Museums

Ankara Palas

Ankara Palas is a historical building, which is used as an official state guest house in the capital Ankara, Turkey. Initially designed as the Ministry of Health building, it was used as a hotel for the members of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey following the completion of its construction in 1928.