3 Amazing Day Trips in Ankara With Family
When you take your family to Turkey (Türkiye) on your next vacation, you shouldn’t miss out on seeing these top three attractions in Ankara. These are the top three distinct day trips that you and your family or friends can do to have a wonderful time together.
You have to apply for a Tourist visa for Turkey in order to explore these 3 different day trips in Ankara, Turkey. Here you can check different Turkey visa types that you can apply for online.
Visit the Art Galleries of Ankara
Though Ankara lacks the vibrant modern art scene of Istanbul, there are still a few galleries in the downtown area that are definitely worth a visit.
In this group, the Ankara Painting and Sculpture Museum (Türkocagi Sokak, Hacettepe) stands out as the most important. Its permanent collection of Turkish art from the 19th and 20th centuries is quite substantial. All of the major players in the contemporary Turkish art world have contributed pieces to this exhibition.
Cer Modern, located at 3 Altinsoy Caddesi in Sihhiye, is the best site in Ankara to see contemporary art. Located near Ankara’s train station in a building that was once a depot, this gallery regularly hosts rotating exhibitions that feature the work of artists from Turkey and elsewhere.
A Day Trip to the Historic City of Hatuşa
Boazkale is a quiet village 192 kilometers east of Ankara, and on the outskirts of town are the ruins of Hattusa, the capital of the Hittite empire during the Bronze Age in Anatolia. It is recommended that visitors stay in Ankara and travel to Bozkale for the day rather than staying in the town itself.
During the Bronze Age, the Hittites ruled over a vast territory that encompassed a large section of what is now Turkey and even some of neighbouring Syria. Atop the cliffs above Bozkale are the remnants of their greatest city.
The most prominent surviving ruins are the fortifications that encircle the hillside and belonged to Hattusa. Particularly impressive are the earthen mound that once marked the entrance to the city and is now known as the Sphinx Gate, the stone sphinxes that adorn the Aslanl Kap (Lion’s Gate), and the stone lions that decorate the Aslanl Kap.
Major ruins may be reached in less than two kilometers from Yazlkaya, the site of Hattuşa’s sacred sanctuary. Important Hittite kings are depicted in reliefs that have been painstakingly etched into the rocks here, and they have been remarkably well preserved.
A Day Trip to See Gordion
Gordion, the capital of the Phrygians in the Iron Age, is conveniently located a day’s journey away from Ankara. Historically, this was the location where Alexander the Great cut the Gordion knot and where the legendary King Midas ruled.
Yassihoyük is a tranquil rural town where you can visit the remnants of an old Phrygian city (96 kilometers southwest of Ankara). Check out this guide on how to get a Turkey visa for African citizens.
There are two main parts to this community. The best-known of these is the Midas Tumulus, a manmade earthen mound that towers over fifty meters in height and contains the remains of a Phrygian king. Even though it bears the name “Midas’ Tomb,” there is no proof that the ruler buried there was the legendary King Midas.
The tomb is accessible by a tunnel dug into the tumulus, however, the grave goods unearthed there are currently on display at the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Istanbul.
On one side of the road sits the tumulus, and on the other is a little museum housing some of the artifacts that were unearthed during the excavations. On the other side of the settlement sits the citadel mound, whose ancient ruins span multiple eras.
There are various panels on the citadel mound that describe not only the sight but also the history of Gordion, which is helpful for tourists who may be confused by the ruin pattern of the many walls, arches, and foundations.
