Stand on the cobbles below Ankara Castle and the city opens out beneath you: a sprawl of rooftops running to the steppe, with the double walls of the citadel at your back and the minarets of the old town below. This is the historic core, a rocky hill above the left bank of the Ankara River, and it is where a visit to the Turkish capital makes most sense.
Ankara suits travellers who care about layers of history rather than a single showpiece. The city has been Ancyra and Angora, capital of the Galatian state, of the Roman province of Galatia, and of the Republic proclaimed in 1923, and the evidence sits within walking distance of itself: a Roman theatre, a temple wall carved with the deeds of Augustus, Seljuk mosques, and the first parliament of the Turkish Republic.
This guide covers the sights of the citadel and the Ulus old city, plus the museums and monuments that string together into a manageable day. Everything below is reachable on foot or by a short ride, and the one-day plan at the end uses only the places named here.
Top things to do in Ankara
1. Ankara Castle
The volcanic outcrop at the heart of the old city has probably been fortified since the dawn of mankind, with the earliest traces dating to the Phrygians of the 8th century BC. The castle was later reinforced by the Galatians and then the Romans. You stroll up through cobbled streets to the double walls and can climb one of the towers for views over the sprawling city and the distant mountains.
Entry is free and it is open daily from 10:00 to 20:00. It sits about 1.3 km east of Ulus, and the walk up is part of the experience, so allow time for the streets rather than treating it as a single stop.
2. Museum of Anatolian Civilizations
This is the city's essential museum, with an excellent display ranging from prehistory through the proto-Greek and Roman eras. Statues recovered from the Roman Theatre are held here, so it is worth seeing the ruins and the museum in the same outing.
It is open daily from 08:30 to 17:30 on Gözcü Sk, about 800 m east of Ulus. Adult admission is 80 TL. The Kelime Museum and the Koç Museum are both a short walk away if you want to extend the visit.
3. Arslanhane Mosque
Built in 1290 in Seljuk style and repaired in 1330 under Ahi Şerafeddin, which gives the mosque its other name, this is well worth the hike up the hill for its finely carved interior, notably the ceiling supported by a forest of wooden columns. In 2023, five wooden mosques in Central Anatolia were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and Arslanhane was one of them.
It stands about 1 km north of Ulus and Kurtuluş. Combine it with the Ahielvan Mosque, 200 m below it, which was built in the late 14th and early 15th centuries and has a richly carved walnut mimber.
4. Ulucanlar Prison Museum
Built as a barracks and converted to a prison in 1925, this bleak place held almost 800 people in a mix of semi-open and maximum security wings. It was a brutal instrument of political repression, its inmates a long roll-call of literati and activists, and 19 were hanged in the prison yard. It closed in 2006 and became a museum in 2011.
It is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 16:00, on Ulucanlar Cd, about 1 km north of Dikimevi. Adult admission is 60 TL. The Chess Museum is nearby off Ulucanlar Cd, so the two pair naturally.
5. Hacı Bayram Mosque and the Temple of Augustus
The mosque was built in 1428, restored by Mimar Sinan in the 16th century, and given Kütahya tiles in the 18th. Hacı Bayram Veli was a poet and Sufi teacher, and his ornate tomb is a pilgrimage site. The mosque is open around the clock.
Next to it stands the Temple of Augustus, also known as the Monumentum Ancyranum, which contains the official record of the Acts of Augustus, the Res Gestae Divi Augusti, cut in marble on its walls. The Romans built over what had been a Phrygian temple, and in the 5th century the Byzantines converted it into a church. Only the side walls and ornate doorway remain, and entry is free.
6. Roman Baths
These are the ruins of a large Roman bath complex, built under Emperor Caracalla around 200 AD and in use for 500 years. They follow the classical design of frigidarium, tepidarium and caldarium, and their relative sizes show that Ancyra had winters as chilly then as now.
They are open daily from 10:00 to 16:30 on Çankırı Cd, with adult admission at 20 TL. This is a short, low-key stop that works well between the Ulus monuments and the citadel.
7. Roman Theatre
Scrappy remains of the stage and backstage survive here, and the seating has not been restored. Statues from the site are in the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations, so the two are best understood together.
It is open Monday to Saturday 09:00 to 19:00 and Sunday 10:00 to 17:00, about 1 km east of Ulus. Entry is free.
8. Victory Monument
This marble and bronze monument with Atatürk on horseback is the focus of Ulus Square. Erected in 1927, a year before the alphabet reform, it is one of the few republican monuments inscribed in Ottoman Turkish using Arabic script.
It is a natural starting point for the Ulus district, with the Museum of the War of Independence on the square and the Column of Julianus a short walk behind the İş Bankası building.
9. Museum of the War of Independence
This was the first site of the Turkish Republican Parliament, from 1920 to 1924, and the 1921–22 War of Independence was directed from here. Photographs and other memorabilia are on display, and the building later housed various government functions before becoming a museum in 1981.
It is on Ulus Square, open daily 09:00 to 17:00. Signage is only in Turkish, so pair it with the Victory Monument outside to anchor the visit.
10. Column of Julianus
This 15 m column stands in the square behind the İş Bankası building and was erected in 362 CE to commemorate the visit of Emperor Julian, who stopped off in town while marching against Persia. He rejected Christianity and revived earlier pagan rites, so Christians derided him as Julian the Apostate.
It is a quick stop rather than a destination in itself. Note that the Cardo Maximus, a stretch of Roman road discovered in 1995, courses north from Anafartlar Cd towards the column, though its artefacts have been taken to the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations.
11. Sultan Alaeddin Mosque
This is the city's oldest mosque, built in AH 574 (1178 AD) according to the inscription on its walnut mimber, though it has been much modified since. It sits 100 m west of the castle, which makes it an easy addition to a citadel walk.
12. Cenâbî Ahmet Paşa Mosque
Built by the famous architect Sinan in 1566, this mosque is in finely crafted Ankara stone, with a mimber and mihrap of white marble. It is on Ulucanlar Cd, close to the Ulucanlar Prison Museum.
13. Chess Museum
Run by the Gökyay Foundation, this holds more chess sets ancient and modern than you would think possible, including unusual versions such as the three-sided game. It is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00, with adult admission at 15 TL.
It sits on Basamaklı Sk off Ulucanlar Cd, so it fits neatly alongside the Ulucanlar Prison Museum and the Cenâbî Ahmet Paşa Mosque.
14. Koç Museum
Housed in Çengel Han, a caravanserai built in 1523, this museum is crowded with exhibits on transport, communication and science since the 1850s. It is a smaller version of the Koç museum in Istanbul.
It is open Tuesday to Thursday 10:00 to 17:00 and Saturday and Sunday 10:00 to 19:00, 100 m south of the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations. Adult admission is 625 TL, so decide whether it earns a place in a short trip.
15. Turk-Russian Friendship House
This bright modern art gallery sits below the castle at Kale Kapısı Sk 20 and has three floors, with Belarusian and Ukrainian sections as well. There is a gift shop selling Russian and English books and DVDs very cheaply.
It is open daily 10:00 to 17:00, with an entrance fee of about 20 TL. It works as a break in the middle of a citadel climb.
If you only have one day
Morning. Start at the Victory Monument in Ulus Square, then step into the Museum of the War of Independence on the same square. Walk to the Column of Julianus behind the İş Bankası building, then continue to Hacı Bayram Mosque and the Temple of Augustus next door. Finish the morning at the Roman Baths on Çankırı Cd.
Afternoon. Head east to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations and give it proper time. If you have energy left, walk the short distance to the Roman Theatre, then begin the climb to Ankara Castle, taking in Sultan Alaeddin Mosque 100 m west of it and the Turk-Russian Friendship House below the walls.
Evening. Return downhill towards Ulus and walk up to Arslanhane Mosque for its carved wooden interior, with the Ahielvan Mosque 200 m below it. If time allows before closing, the Ulucanlar Prison Museum and the Chess Museum are close together on the same side of the old city.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ankara Castle free to enter?
Yes. Ankara Castle is free and open daily from 10:00 to 20:00. You walk up through cobbled streets to the double walls and can climb one of the towers.
Which museums charge an entrance fee?
The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations charges 80 TL for adults, the Ulucanlar Prison Museum 60 TL, the Roman Baths 20 TL, the Chess Museum 15 TL and the Koç Museum 625 TL. The Roman Theatre, the Temple of Augustus and the Turk-Russian Friendship House are free or nearly so, with the Friendship House asking about 20 TL.
How do I see the citadel sights in a sensible order?
Work uphill from Ulus. Sultan Alaeddin Mosque sits 100 m west of the castle, the Turk-Russian Friendship House is below it at Kale Kapısı Sk 20, and Arslanhane Mosque is about 1 km north of Ulus and Kurtuluş, with the Ahielvan Mosque 200 m below it.
Where can I combine several sights in one stop?
Ulus Square holds the Victory Monument and the Museum of the War of Independence together. Hacı Bayram Mosque and the Temple of Augustus stand side by side. The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, the Kelime Museum and the Koç Museum are all within a short walk of each other.
Pick your base near Ulus, set aside a full day for the citadel and the old city, and the layers of Ancyra, Angora and Ankara will arrange themselves in front of you.