Things to do in Ankara

Ankara became the capital in 1923 and was built to be one. It sits on the Anatolian plateau at about nine hundred metres, which gives it real winters and none of the coast's mildness. Most visitors are here for work.

What the city is for

Two buildings carry the day. They sit at opposite ends of the story, and everything else is the walk between them.

• Anıtkabir. Atatürk's mausoleum, approached along an avenue of stone lions. Free, and the changing of the guard draws the crowd.
• Museum of Anatolian Civilisations. The Hittite collection, housed in a restored Ottoman bedesten. Named European Museum of the Year in 1997.
• The citadel. Ulus, the old quarter, with walls above and copper workshops below.
• Kocatepe. The modern mosque on the hill, visible from most of the city.
• Roman Ankara. A temple of Augustus carrying the emperor's own account of his reign, and the baths beside it. Both are free and both are usually empty.

How it is sold

As one guided day. The tour runs about five hours with pick-up, and that is the right shape for it. The sights are far apart, the traffic is why, and doing it alone costs more time than money.

Practical

• Season. April to June and September to October. January nights go below freezing and August afternoons pass thirty-five degrees.
• Getting around. Two metro lines and a short Ankaray line. Taxis are cheap; the traffic is what costs you.
• Distances. Esenboğa airport is thirty kilometres north. The fast train from Istanbul takes about four and a half hours and beats flying door to door.
• Mondays. Most state museums close. Anıtkabir does not.
• Food. This is a civil-servant city, so lunch is the serious meal and dinner is quiet.