Ankara Entertainment

Tourists should have no trouble finding ways to entertain themselves during the evenings and nights in Ankara as there are fine restaurants serving international and local cuisine as well as trendy bars to drink in until the early hours of the morning. For something a little more cultured, tourists may opt to attend one of the performances at the Ankara Opera House. There are also quaint little boutiques in the Old Town and many modern shopping malls in the new city to pick up souvenirs for friends and family at home.

Ankara is famed for being the hub for opera, ballet and modern dance in Turkey. The city houses its own opera house, the Ankara Opera House, which is located close to the Old Town. Here there are regular performances to watch and if you get the chance, you should see a performance by the Presidential Symphony Orchestra or the Turkish Ballet Company. Ankara also has many cinemas screening the best Turkish and foreign films and plays host to the Sevda Cenap and International Arts and Music Festival in April each year.

Shopping in Ankara is ideal for Shopaholics as there is so much variety, not only in items available but also in the type of places to shop at. Ankara is one of the best places in Turkey to buy carpets and you are sure to pick up a bargain on many of the other products.

The Old Town has lots of cheap fruit and vegetables and also sells antiques, gold jewellery and souvenirs. Visitors can have lots of fun bargaining here and if the sellers dont give you the price you want, usually 20 to 30 per cent less than the initial price, you can walk away. Sometimes the sellers will call you back and reluctantly give you the product at the price you originally offered.

The new part of town has many shopping malls and even hosts a Marks & Spencers. There are also shops filled with every conceivable item, including furniture, books, paintings, clocks, carpets and antiques.

Eating out

The Turkish population enjoy a good food and wine and as a result there is a wide choice of restaurants, cafs, bars and stalls to be found in Ankara serving a range of local and international cuisine. There are also a number of fast food outlets such as Pizza Hut, McDonalds and Burger King.

Visitors should not leave Ankara without having tried some of its very tasty local dishes. The Turks usually begin their meals with meze, a vegetarian starter. The main course is usually lamb or fish. Iskender, spit cooked sliced lamb with tomatoes, yoghurt and butter, is something that all visitors must taste as it is excellent. A popular way to end meals in Turkey is with something very sweet such as lokma and sutlac, traditional Turkish desserts. This is usually washed down with either raki or ayran, which is a mixture of water, yoghurt and salt.

The restaurants which can be found in the Old Town are particularly pleasant because of the ambience of the area. The more trendy restaurants and bars can be found in upmarket Cankaya and Gaziosmanpassa, while the street stalls found at Kizilay are noted for their good quality and tasty products.