Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country’s second largest city. It’s an ancient city, with a rocky hill rising 150m to the Ankara Castle at its center. Finding a good place to run in Ankara can be a challenge. You can’t expect to walk out the door of a random hotel and start running — the city is crowded, and a bit of a concrete jungle outside the historic center. Note: running in Ankara can be very hilly!
There are some decent spots for running in central Ankara. The highlight is Gençlik Parkı, a nice green oasis, which can be combined with a nearby track and the stairs to Ankara Castle if you’d like to get the heart rate up. Another running ‘experience’ in Ankara is the approach to the Ataturk Mausoleum (Anıtkabir), which also has a running track nearby. Good additional parks for running include the combination Independence Park and 50th Year Park, and Dikmen Valley Park in the southern part of the city. The paths around Metu University (ODTÜ) are good for running. Trail runners will love then adjacent Metu Forest. A good spot for a running ‘excursion’ is the loop around Lake Eymir, which is near Metu Forest.
For getting around Ankara, a metro serves the central city pretty well. Runners should be aware that Ankara winters can be cool to cold and somewhat snowy.
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