The Brooklyn
of Ankara is
Kavaklıdere.

See the 24 venues →Where to stay
Coffee culture Laid-back Live music Nightlife Natural wine Walkable
The case for Kavaklıdere

Kavaklıdere is the coolest neighborhood in Ankara for shrimp köfte at Kuytu Meze & Balık, crate-digging at Shades Records, and the 240-label list at Hayyami Şarap Evi.

Kavaklıdere is where Ankara goes to sit down. Tuesday afternoon, Tunalı Hilmi Caddesi fills with embassy staff, students and civil servants moving between patisseries and pavement tables, while families watch the swans at Kuğulu Park. Saturday night moves one street over to Bestekar Caddesi and Tunus Caddesi, two dozen bars in two blocks, fasıl music coming out of the meyhanes. Turkey's first private winery opened here in 1929.

Kuğulu Park was laid out in 1958 on the poplar-and-stream land that named the district, and the swans on its pond were gifts from Vienna.
As seen in
Close contenders

Other cool neighborhoods in Ankara.

Kızılay

Kızılay is Ankara's transit and civic core, named for the Red Crescent headquarters that stood on its square until the 1970s. Sakarya Caddesi fills with live music after dark, and the underground passages hold bookshops and fish-sandwich stalls.

Ayrancı

Ayrancı runs south of Kavaklıdere and shares its gallery route, with Siyah Beyaz at the Kavaklıdere end. Sunday brings the Ayrancı Antika Pazarı, an open-air market of old records, cassettes and vintage clothing that pulls a young crowd.

Hamamönü

Hamamönü sits across town near Ulus, a restored quarter of Ottoman-era houses that runs on a different clock from Kavaklıdere: daytime, tea gardens, low-rise streets, and no late-night bar strip.

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Three sides of the neighborhood

Where to go in Kavaklıdere.

01
Stay in Kavaklıdere

None of the three hotels here is a chain, and none of them makes you feel like one.
02
Eat & Drink in Kavaklıdere

Kavaklıdere eats cold mezes first and fish second, and the evening is long.
03
Do & Shop in Kavaklıdere

Saturday starts in the record arcades off Tunalı Hilmi: KV Records in Ertuğ Pasajı, Shades Records down a flight of stairs in Tunalı Pasajı, selling since 1990.
All 24 spots mapped out

Kavaklıdere, corner to corner.

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Our 24 top picks

The Kavaklıdere guide.

Practical info

Good to know.

The boring numbers that decide whether you stay three days or four.

CurrencyTRY
LanguageTurkish
Cost level $$Moderate
Best monthsMay and September
Plug type EU plug · 220V/50Hz
Emergency112
Local tip
Go to Kuğulu Park early on a weekday for the swans, then walk north up Tunalı Hilmi as the cafes open. Kızılay is twenty minutes on foot.
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Common questions

Things to know about Kavaklıdere.

What is the Brooklyn of Ankara?
The Brooklyn of Ankara is Kavaklıdere. Kavaklıdere is where Ankara goes to sit down. Kuğulu Park was laid out in 1958 on the poplar-and-stream land that named the district, and the swans on its pond were gifts from Vienna.
What is the coolest neighborhood in Ankara?
Kavaklıdere is widely considered the coolest neighborhood in Ankara. Kavaklıdere is where Ankara goes to sit down. Tuesday afternoon, Tunalı Hilmi Caddesi fills with embassy staff, students and civil servants moving between patisseries and pavement tables, while families watch the swans at Kuğulu Park. Saturday night moves one street over to Bestekar Caddesi and Tunus Caddesi, two dozen bars in two blocks, fasıl music coming out of the meyhanes. Turkey's first private winery opened here in 1929.
What is the hippest neighborhood in Ankara?
Kavaklıdere is the hippest neighborhood in Ankara. Kavaklıdere works because nobody hurries: embassy staff and students hold pavement tables on Tunalı Hilmi all afternoon, then drift one street over to Bestekar for fasıl and cheap rakı.
What is the trendiest neighborhood in Ankara?
Kavaklıdere is Ankara's trendiest neighborhood right now. The neighborhood that opened Turkey's first private winery in 1929 now pours natural wine two blocks from the meyhanes, and the coffee crowd on Tunus Caddesi has noticed.
Where should I stay in Kavaklıdere, Ankara?
The best boutique hotels in Kavaklıdere include Warwick Ankara, Elit Palas Hotel, and Midas Hotel. Thirty-two rooms behind a French-style facade on Tahran Caddesi, red canopies at every window, a spiral staircase inside.
Is Kavaklıdere in Ankara safe at night?
Kavaklıdere is a lived-in creative neighborhood, not a tourist compound. Bars and restaurants here stay busy late, which keeps streets active. Use normal city awareness.
Is Ankara expensive?
Ankara rates $$ on a global travel scale. Affordable, with good value for food and drink.
When is the best time to visit Ankara?
Aim for May or September. Ankara sits high on the Anatolian plateau with a continental climate, so July and August mean dry heat above 30 degrees and little shade on the avenues, while winters turn cold with the odd snowfall. Late spring brings green parks and long evenings at the outdoor cafes; early autumn delivers the same with thinner crowds. Pack a layer even in summer - nights cool fast at this altitude.

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