Budget/Backpacker Travel Guide: Ankara
Experience authentic local culture on a shoestring budget with hostels, street food, and public transport
Daily Budget: 860-2,150 TRY ($21-54) per day
Complete breakdown of costs for budget/backpacker travel in Ankara
Accommodation
400-900 TRY ($10-23) per night
Dorm beds in small hostels and budget guesthouses cluster near Ulus and Kizilay districts. Expect clean sheets, shared bathrooms, and the faint smell of brewing tea drifting from communal areas. Pack earplugs. The scent of cay is everywhere.
Browse budget/backpacker accommodation →Food & Dining
300-700 TRY ($7.50-18) per day
Grab simit with white cheese from street carts. Devour lahmacun and ayran at hole-in-the-wall spots. Worker-style lokantasi restaurants serve hearty lentil soup steaming hot, and the bread is always warm. Cheap. Filling. Delicious.
Transportation
60-150 TRY ($1.50-4) per day
Ankara's Ankaray light rail and Metro lines plus municipal dolmus minibuses accept one rechargeable transit card. Swipe once, ride everywhere. The card cuts per-ride costs noticeably. Keep it topped up.
Activities
100-300 TRY ($2.50-7.50) per day
The Ataturk Mausoleum (Anitkabir) offers free admission. Wander self-guided through the old Ankara citadel quarter. Some national museum collections charge occasional paid entry. Budget accordingly.
Currency: ₺ Turkish Lira (TRY)
Money-Saving Tips
Eat at lokantasi worker restaurants in the Ulus district. Skip tourist-facing eateries along Kizilay's main pedestrian strip. The same hearty stew and fresh bread costs roughly half the price. Save cash.
Load a rechargeable Ankarakart transit card. Skip paying single fares each time on the metro and bus network. Savings run around 20 to 30 percent across a multi-day stay. Simple math.
The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations offers free or heavily discounted entry on specific national holidays and culture days. Time your visit if your schedule allows. Check dates online.
Base yourself in the Ulus old quarter instead of Cankaya business district. Proximity to the covered bazaar and citadel means shorter walks. Fewer costly taxi rides in between. Walk more.
Street pastry shops near the old bazaar sell gozleme and pogaca for a fraction of sit-down cafe prices. A simit-and-tea breakfast from a cart near the citadel costs less than one hotel lobby coffee. Bargain.
Book accommodation mid-week and outside Turkey's major national holidays and government conference windows. Business hotels in Ankara raise rates noticeably when official delegations fill rooms. Plan smart.
Common Budget Mistakes to Avoid
Avoid taking taxis repeatedly between Ulus and Cankaya. Use the direct metro connection instead. Taxis cost three to four times more per journey. The expense compounds across several days in Ankara.
Resist eating every meal along the Kizilay pedestrian zone. Prices run 50 to 80 percent higher than identical dishes at neighborhood lokantasi restaurants just a few streets back. Walk a block.
Do not route all Turkey travel through Istanbul and bypass Ankara entirely. You will miss the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations and convenient Hittite day-trip access. Istanbul's accommodation and restaurant prices are notably higher for the same number of nights.