Ankara

Until 1923, Ankara was a provincial town of less than 30,000. Then Atatürk made it the capital of the new Republic of Turkey, a deliberate shift from the Ottoman capital of Istanbul with its literally Byzantine political life. The plateau was swiftly covered by drab concrete buildings and snarled highways, leavened by parks and woodlands, and occasional striking architecture. Although it never wrested the cultural crown from Istanbul, Ankara has a rich heritage in its museums, galleries and mosques, and tourists who just transit on the way to Cappadocia are missing an important chapter in the story of Turkey and Asia Minor.

The city was already old when the ancient Greeks called it "the anchor", Аγκυρα, which to a sea-faring people indicated a base or home. Hattian, Hittite, Lydian, Phrygian and Galatian civilisations had risen and fallen before them; Persians, Romans and Byzantines were yet to come. In 1402, Timur - the Tamburlaine of legend - stormed all the way from Kabul and won a battle that almost extinguished the Ottoman dynasty, but didn't stay to consolidate. So it was an Ottoman city and province for the next 500 years, giving the name "Angora" to long-haired cats, goats, rabbits and mohair textiles. Other European powers meddled in local affairs but concentrated on Istanbul, especially after Turkey was defeated in the First World War, and Greece was awarded much Turkish territory and tried to seize more. Atatürk rallied resistance in Ankara and the east, and the city's unconquered status made it a fitting capital.

By plane:

1 Ankara Esenboğa Airport (ESB IATA), Özal Blv, ☏ +90 312 590 4000. This has fewer international flights than Istanbul or the resort towns of Western Turkey, but Sun Express has direct flights from German-speaking cities with large Turkish expat communities, such as Munich. Turkish Airlines maintains a significant presence at the airport through its budget subsidiary AJet with thrice-weekly flights to London Stansted, Paris CDG and Madrid. Central Asia is well-served, with direct flights to Bishkek, Tashkent, Almaty and Astana, as are Baku (2-3x flights daily) and Tbilisi (4x weekly). The Gulf States, Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Iran are also all reachable directly from Ankara.International operators are scare, but include Iraqi Airways, Qatar Airways, AZAL, Uzbekistan Airways and FlyDubai.Most other routes involve a change in Istanbul at IST or SAW airports. Both have hourly flights to Ankara, taking an hour, by Turkish Airlines, their subsidiary AJet or Pegasus. Ankara has flights from most Turkish cities: from the beach resorts and Ercan in Northern Cyprus these connect with the direct flights into Europe. The airport has the usual facilities including baggage storage and car hire. See Sleep for hotels in or near the airport. 200 tl by coach to city centre.. (updated Mar 2026)

Transport is the major shortcoming of this airport. It's 30 km north of the centre, along a congested main road; there are no plans to extend the Metro here.

Two companies operate express coaches to the airport - Ankara Air (cash only) and Havaş (cash or card). Download the Havaş app for an unreliable timetable. Both companies run from Kızılay, and Havaş also runs from the main AŞTİ terminal. Both cost 200 tl per person, with capacity for luggage. The Belko Air service referenced in many online guides no longer exists.