Is anyone off there soon?

Ankara is a great city,different to Istanbul in many ways but i love it just as much.I will be going in September i think.anyone else?? You should go,i think alot of people dismiss Ankara in favour of Istanbul but that would be a mistake!

I am not going to Ankara but hopefully Gazipasa leaving this saturday march 8th!!!

I love Ankara way more than Istanbul. Life seems different there, probably because there are fewer tourists Pubs, restaurants and cafes are best there! I'm sure you'll have lots of fun!

I love Ankara too. I think I prefer it over Izmir (I cant speak for Istanbul, yet, but I dont think I would enjoy living there all my life, I would probably see it as a stop just in between), the life isnt as chaotic and dirty as in Izmir. I loved the bars there as well, and just the whole atmosphere in the city!

Ankara may not have the 'physical beauty' as much as Istanbul and Izmir, with their locations near sea, with green mountains. But to say it is not beautiful (I heard many people sya that :-S) is really a misconception. You just have to know where to go!

As a tourist and a real Turkey lover you should at least see Anıtkabir and Atakule! Go and have a drink or something to eat in the döner cafe up there.

And you should 'gezmek' in Tunalı and Arjantin. Im not sure if I spell correctly..

If you like shopping, I can recommend you Panora Mall which is just outside the city in the direction of İncek. It is newly build and you need at least one day for each floor But it is nice if you are out for some nice clothes or something!

Anyway Im sure Daydreamer can recommend you loads more! I just enjoyed walking around the streets, or go to İncek.

Btw if you are a girl, I dont recommend to wear highheels very often, because sometimes the streets are rather steep. I once was there and we walked a looong way, and because I had high shoes I told Kadir 'We will walk but if I cant bare any longer we will take a cab!', to then find out that the street we were walking on was a one way street upwards whereas we needed to go down

Oh yes!! Kızılay!! Thats the one I forgot. But it is also the damned place that I bought those shoes

In kızılay you can buy lovely fresh fruitjuices on the street. They are close to where the dolmuş stop and you can get them freshly mixed any way you like. I always buy some bottles when Im there

Here's something I found in TC's archives:

Ankara's Nightlife

and:

Interesting Places in Ankara

my response was really only a joke, but I completely agree with Sui. If Daydreamer prefers Ankara nightlife to Istanbul nightlife, her boyfriend must have been hiding her from the city...

It has to be said that Ankara is an ugly city. It has neither the sprawling historical grandeur of Istanbul, the whitewashed prettiness of the Mediterranean resorts, nor the lush green scenery of the Black Sea harbours. Rather, it seems to have been designed first by Soviet architects fleeing Stalin's reign of terror, then by 60's town planners who were of the opinion that nothing soothes the eye more than a nice slab of concrete. There are, it is true, a few beautiful old buildings dating back to the early Republican period and beyond, but these are tucked away in the seedier parts of the city and coated carefully with grime so that no one will notice them.

However, there is one thing which redeems Ankara aesthetically. Turkey is a very young country, demographically speaking, and Ankara has more universities and colleges than anywhere else apart from Istanbul (which doesn't count, since it has a population almost twice that of Israel). This combination means that you are likely to see more bright young women per square mile here than almost anywhere else in the world.

Ankara is the best, forget the rest...

http://www.mymerhaba.com/Night-Train-to-Ankara-in-Turkey-3478.html

not kidding, i have been living in Ankara for a very long time.

Actually, I've been to Ankara and found it very pleasant. The lack of all the walking shorts wearing tourists looking for touristic sites was a relief.

I enjoyed my very short visit to Ankara when our flight was full and we were delayed 22 hours, in August. We went to the old part, which is quite pretty. Like any city there is always the nice parts and the not so nice parts.

I love this city and agree with what other have said about it being a city in which one could live. Where as Istanbul i think i would find it hard so spend long periods of time there,its very intense where are Ankara has a more relaxed and a feel of home. Even though it is a huge city and can seem never ending somehow to me i feel more comfortable there than Ist,although i do love it even if only for a few days at a time!!

Stop this glamorizations of Ankara!!
For me, the happiest moments of Ankara have always been the times when I was coming back to Istanbul..

I second this what you are saying thehandsome

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The best thing about Ankara is going back to Istanbul, diimii? But who said that? I'm googling and googling and nothing I hate having things on the tip of my tongue. Veli?