As the capital city of Türkiye, Ankara offers visitors a countless variety of shopping destinations that range from ancient bazaars to malls. These places will surely enhance your Ankara experience and make your visit memorable. Here are some of the most prominent shopping destinations that are popular among both the locals and visitors.
Kızılay Square
The name Kızılay is sure to pop into your mind when you think of Ankara. This means “The Red Crescent,” and the square gets its name from the historic Red Crescent Organization. It is the point where most parts of Ankara are connected to each other, and this makes the square the most popular shopping destination in the city. The marketplace is adorned with all kinds of shops that suit your many needs. From cafes and restaurants to bookstores and jewelry shops, Kızılay Square checks all the boxes. In Meşrutiyet, Sakarya and İzmir Streets, some of the most crowded streets of the square, you can shop from the chain stores or the local stores for a very reasonable price. The cheapness of the local stores is one of the allures of the square, and the variety of options is another. Enjoy shopping in the stores and later relax at a café or a bar, which also abound in the area. You can get to the district quickly as it is also a transportation center. Both subways of Ankara stop at Kızılay, and you can get there via bus through Güvenpark, which is where the majority of Kızılay’s bus stops are.
Tunalı Hilmi Street
Only a 15-minute walk from Kızılay Square, Tunalı Hilmi Street is also very crowded but, in part, a calmer place to shop from. There are more boutiques and small shops compared to the square, and this adds to the quiet atmosphere of the street. This is the right place for you if you are looking for unique fashion items. You can find clothes at different prices from small boutiques and thrift shops and find the best hand-made pieces of jewelry to match them. Tunalı Mart, which is a popular stop for shopping on the same street, contains many shops and antique stores where you can buy second-hand home decor and music records. Tunalı Hilmi Street also contains independent diners and bistros, and you can use these places to both take a break from shopping and discover new tastes. Either walk for 15 minutes or take a bus from Güvenpark, which is preferable during winter.
Ankamall
Ankamall, the most popular mall in Ankara, has been many people’s preferred place to go shopping since its opening in 1999. The mall occupies 176 hundred square meters and contains more than 330 stores. The enormity of the mall makes it easier to get lost in the crowd, so make sure to use the map of each floor before you exhaust your feet. The mall possesses stores both known worldwide and small local ones that will enrich your shopping experience. You can go shopping and rest afterward in the cafes and restaurants on the last floor. The mall is also child-friendly because of the playgrounds where you can safely leave your children. You can get to the mall via the subway or the bus. Keep in mind that it closes at 22.00.
Ulus District
Ulus District combines the historical and cultural layers of the city and provides you with a unique shopping experience. Its central position in Ankara makes the district another frequently visited destination by both the locals and the visitors. The bazaars that make up the district each offer you different shops that are sure to enrich your visit to the area. In Anafartalar Bazaar, you can purchase items ranging from clothing and cosmetics to electronics and kitchenware for a very reasonable price. Bakırcılar Bazaar is significant for its traditional copper work, which adds to the cultural layer of the district. From Rüzgarlı Street, you can buy electronic parts and accessories that are rare to be found in regular stores, and in Samanpazarı Bazaar, you can satisfy your curiosity about regional hand-made pots and intricately woven rugs and find the right souvenir to take home to. The flea market that is set up in the bazaar every weekend contains second-hand goods and antiques, so don’t forget to go to the bazaar on the weekend if you are interested. However, these unique bazaars are not the only shops you can find in Ulus. Regular chain stores also abound there, making sure you have the full shopping experience. Transportation-wise, the district is bustling, so you can take the bus or the subway to get there.
Bahçelievler District
One of the most social districts of Ankara, Bahçelievler District is known for its vibrant energy and is preferred by many people against the bustle of other districts such as Kızılay and Ulus. The most crowded part of the district is 7th Street, also known as Aşkabat Street, and it offers a multitude of stores from which you can shop. The street gives you the option to shop from internationally known stores or small local boutiques where you can find quality fashion items for a range of prices. The street’s popularity among the younger people of the city adds to the lively spirit of the district. The district also contains a large number of extensive bookstores and second-hand booksellers where you can find books written in different languages. The local shops and the weekly bazaars of the area cure your curiosity about what is unique about Ankara while giving you an unforgettable shopping experience. After finishing your shopping, you can go to the many bars, restaurants and cafes of Bahçelievler to rest. The best way to get to the district is via the subway, with only a ten-minute walk from the station.
Antique Bazaars of Ayrancı and Çayyolu
The antique bazaars of Ayrancı and Çayyolu are probably two shopping destinations that will leave the most significant mark on you in Ankara. The bazaars embody the city’s rich culture and offer you a journey through time with unique pieces that are never to be found elsewhere. You can find items of all kinds in the bazaars: from Ottoman-era furniture and hand-made copper pots to old books and records, you can find everything you need and even find yourself wanting things you didn’t even know existed before. You can also find clothes and accessories for a reasonable price. The grandeur of the bazaars makes it easy to lose track of time, and you can easily spend hours looking up venues.
The Çayyolu bazaar is a bit less hectic yet still crowded if you want to be able to roam through the shops leisurely, but it is a bit farther from the city center. You can get there via the subway; it is only a 5-minute walk from the station. The Ayrancı bazaar, on the other hand, is very close to the city center. You can take the subway or the bus to get there. But be warned, the bazaars are there only for a day of the month. While the antique bazaar of Çayyolu opens on the third Sunday of the month, the other one opens on the first Sunday of the month. Another important thing to note is that the bazaars are open until five in the afternoon, so make haste if you want to visit them.
Anatolium Mall
Anatolium Mall, located in Mamak district, is another popular shopping destination in Ankara. What significantly differentiates Anatolium Mall from other malls in Ankara is the fact that it contains the only Ikea store in the city. It is indeed one of the reasons many people go there. The mall also attracts people because of its abundance of outlet stores, so you can choose Anatolium Mall for quality clothes at a low price. Like Ankamall, the mall offers a range of shops where you can take care of all your material needs. It also neighbors another mall called Nata Vega, and if you can’t find a certain thing in Anatolium Mall, you are sure to find it in the other. There is no subway to the mall, so you can take the bus that stops right in front of the mall from Kızılay Square. The road there is long compared to most places listed here; keep that in mind, and don’t make shopping here a last-minute decision.
Conclusion
With its convenience of transportation and availability of shopping centers, Ankara is a city where you can travel and shop very easily. This list above proves that the capital city offers a variety of options to shop from and gives you a unique shopping experience that reflects both modern-day Ankara and Ankara with its cultural and historical aspects. It would be an incomplete visit if you came to Ankara and did not shop from at least some of these destinations, so include these places in your plans and don’t leave the capital city of Türkiye with regrets.