Formerly Angora, the town had a thriving trade in fine, soft Angora goat hair and the garments made from it. Today this city at an altitude of 848 meters (2782 feet) is a sprawling metropolis of five million people, many of them employed in government ministries and embassies, in universities and schools, in hospitals and medical centres, and some in light industry on the outskirts.
Before the Turkish War of Independence brought Kemal Atatürk and his generals to Ankara as a wartime command post, Ankara was a small town with a Roman citadel on a high hill and a brisk trade in Angora wool, the long, fine hair of the Angora goat.
After Atatürk proclaimed Ankara to be the capital of the new Turkish Republic's new capital, it began to grow. After WWII, a constant influx of villagers from the countryside in search of a better life brought Ankara explosive growth. The city now sprawls through valleys and across hills in every direction, but on your visit you need only be concerned with a few specific areas.
Ankara's several interesting sights such as the citadel, Museum of Anatolian Civilisations, Anıtkabir (Atatürk Mausoleum) and Roman ruins, can fully occupy you for a day, but if your itinerary is rushed, spending half a day here may suffice.
Consider joining a half-day city tour. Excursions run from Ankara east to the Hittite capital of Boğazkale (Hattuşa-Yazılıkaya), and south to Cappadocia.
Ankara has plenty of good hotels and restaurants, of course, but again, you need be concerned with only a few for a one-night visit.
Centrally located, Ankara is a transportation nexus for all of Turkey's bus, train, plane and highway routes.
Ankara is Central Anatolia's transport nexus for train, plane, bus and highway routes.
Here's how to travel between Ankara and Cappadocia.
BUS
Ankara's huge AŞTİ (AHSH-tee) bus terminal is the hub of the country's road transport network, with bus service to all points at all hours of the day and much of the night.
TRAIN
Ankara Gar (train station) has good service to and from Istanbul (and Eskişehir), and useful services to Izmir, and several cities farther away. A train heads to eastern Turkey: the Doğu Ekspresi.
AIR
Turkish Airlines, AnadoluJet, Atlasjet, Pegasus Airlines, Onur Air and others thave frequent flights to/from Istanbul, and service to most other important cities more than about 300 km (186 miles) from Ankara.
Esenboğa Airport is 33 km (21 miles, about 50 minutes in normal traffic) northeast of Ankara's city center, reached byHavaş airport buses from the AŞTİ bus terminal or Ankara Gar train station, or by expensive taxi.
METRO/ANKARAY
Ankara has two underground trains: the Metro and Ankaray lines. More...
CAR
I certainly do not recommend driving in Ankara. The traffic is fierce, fast and intense, traffic patterns crazy, driving habits bizarre, and signage insufficient—to name only a few good reasons. However, here are distances and driving times between Ankara and various other Turkish cities.
If you want to rent a car in Ankara to drive elsewhere, or to return a rental car here, consider renting or returning at Esenboğa Airport, which may make the task a bit easier.
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