Not just Istanbul 🇹🇷 Stroll around the old city of Ankara

Many people think that the capital of Turkey is Istanbul, right?

The capital is actually "Ankara", a city in the Anatolian region in central Turkey.

There are direct flights from Japan, but compared to Istanbul, there are far fewer, so it's true that you rarely stop there.

However, the transportation network in Turkey is overwhelmingly dominated by bus routes, and I think there are many opportunities to travel between tourist spots by long-distance night buses.

Perhaps because Ankara is the capital, it is also a transit point, so many buses use Ankara as a hub.

So this time, I'll introduce you to Ankara, which is often overshadowed by Istanbul, focusing on its cute old town and large mosques, which you can quickly visit even between bus stops.

The old town is the very image of the Ottoman Empire era 🇹🇷
Souvenir shops and stylish cafes in buildings made of stone and brick.

You can drink tea or Turkish coffee as easily as at a food stall 😋

More than anything, prices were about 20-30% cheaper than in Istanbul.

There were a lot of locals, especially young people, rather than tourists, so it was very lively ✨

You can see the whole city of Ankara from the hilltop, and there are many benches to take a rest.

Kocatepe Mosque is one of the largest mosques in Ankara and is a must-see if you come to Ankara 🕌
📍 Kocatepe Camii
Kültür, Dr. Mediha Eldem Sk. No:67, 06420 Çankaya/Ankara, Turkey

It's so big that it's hard to fit it all in a photo.

Maybe because it wasn't prayer time, there was no one in the magnificent mosque, so I was able to look around carefully.

The stained glass is so beautiful that I was mesmerized ☺️

It took about 4 hours to get here, including a break at a cafe.
There are many other tourist spots, but if you go this far, you can easily explore the city by taking a bus without using up too much energy. 🚶♀️

#overseastraveltrip #turkeytrip #turkey #ankara #solotravel #backpacker