Ankara Travel Forum

hi, everybody! I am planning to go to Ankara on february, for about 2 weeks, with my best friend. Do you think it's a good moment? And what about the hotels? Are there some cheap but comfortable and safe hotels for 2 young women wanting to discover this place? I've been told that less than 3 stars hotels are not very good...? If someone could answer my questions...Thanks a lot!!

ankara will most likely be cold in ankara so be prepared for that.
it'øs still an interesting city though and i would recommend it.

i have been happy staying in one star hotels in ankara, but it's all a matter of what you are looking for.

being women i think your main concern would be the part of town you stay in.
ulus, where most hotels are located is the red light district of ankara and you might not be too comfortable walking around there at night, so you might want to look at other parts of town.

2 weeks in Ankara? The capitol is considered one of the most boring city in Turkey because of the diplomatic traffic. The university students enjoy the life there so follow them for fun. However, I still think it is better to spend sometime of those 2 weeks in another city. If you like skiing, go to Bolu Kartalkaya which you can reach in 2 hours from Ankara.

That's right what Murat says. Better stay in Istanbul . You will have better time. only 2 days are enough for Ankara.

I will look for hotel prices in Ankara.

I have been living in Ankara for the last 10 months, and altought I really enjoy it, I must say that there is very little to attract a tourist here.

The good thing is that from Ankara, you can go easily and cheaply to other interesting cities in Turkey. Cappadocia is only 4h by bus; Safranbolu is 2h30. There is also some very, very convenient night train (sleepers with bed and blankets, clean and confortable to sleep, costing around 50 YTL one-way each if you are sharing the cabin with your friend)to Istanbul, Izmir and Adana. So instead of staying two weeks in Ankara, what would be absolutely boring, I would plan to use it as a base to explore Turkey!

About the time... well, it`s winter, so it`s cold in Ankara. You need a winter coat, and there is snow! It will be also rainy. The coast (Izmir) will be warmer. In another hand, there will be no other tourist!

Turkey in general is very safe. I'm a young woman and I never feel worry about going alone in any part of the cities.

I often stayed in 2 stars hotel; some are good, others no. Anyway, in Turkey, you don`t have to book ahead. Just walk in the hotel, ask to see the room, ask the price and then offer what you want to pay! The rates you can see at the front desk are "fictionnal" prices, you will always pay something like 50 to 75% of it, depending of is the hotel is full are not, if you are good in barginning, etc.

I agree with all the others. Ankara is an interesting place with a couple of good museums, the old town and Ataturks mausoleum. Shopping is quite good fun but after that there isn't much else to see. A long weekend is quite enough. Be prepared for very cold weather. I went in February and had heavy snow.

Here are some hotels for you double price 90 YTL
They are all in the distric called "Kizilay". Kizilay is a very safe place in the nights also.

Eyuboglu Hotel 90.-TL
www.eyubogluhotel.com

Otel Elit 95.- TL
Olgunlar Sok. No:10 Bakanlıklar
elithotel@superonline.com

Hotelevkuran 130.- TL
www.evkuranhotel.com

Hotel Ergen 80.- TL
www.hotelergen.net

Ankara Regency Hotel 90.-TL
www.ankararegencyhotel.com

I also live in Ankara and, although I like it, I would not pick it as a place to spend too much of a short trip in. However, it does make a nice stopping point between Istanbul & the interior of the country.

I liked Otel Elit that another person mentioned. The location is great & the room we stayed in was nice. It was a few years ago, though