TÜRKİYE IN COLOUR · REGION GUIDE
🕋 Central Anatolia in Colour
Rumi's Konya, Ankara, colourful Eskişehir and the Hittite capital
Written by Fatih, Turkish language and literature graduate & linguist
The heart of Türkiye is a high, wide plateau. Here is Konya, city of the poet Rumi and the whirling dervishes; Ankara, the capital Atatürk built; Eskişehir, a young student city of painted wooden houses; and Hattuşa, capital of the Hittite empire 3,500 years ago. Combine it with our Cappadocia guide.
At a glance
- Best time
- April to June and September to October. Winters are cold and summers dry.
- How long
- One week for the four places.
- Getting around
- Fast trains (YHT) link Ankara, Konya and Eskişehir in 1.5–2 hours. Use buses or a car for Hattuşa.
- Suggested route
- Eskişehir → Ankara → Hattuşa (day trip) → Konya → on to Cappadocia
The places
KONYA
2 days · The city of Rumi
Mevlana Museum
The green-tiled tomb of Rumi (Mevlana), the poet of love. Quiet, moving and full of pilgrims.
📍 Open in Google Maps ›Sema ceremony
Watch the whirling dervishes at the Mevlana Cultural Centre, usually on Saturday evenings. Every December, the Şeb-i Arus festival marks Rumi's death.
📍 Open in Google Maps ›Karatay Medrese
A 13th-century Seljuk school with a famous blue tiled dome, now a tile museum.
📍 Open in Google Maps ›Çatalhöyük
A Neolithic town about 9,000 years old, one of the first cities in the world. A UNESCO site, 1 hour away.
📍 Open in Google Maps ›
💡 Local tip: Konya is a conservative and spiritual city. Dress modestly at the Mevlana Museum.
ANKARA
1–2 days · The capital
Anıtkabir
The monumental tomb of Atatürk, founder of the Republic, with a museum. Watch the changing of the guard.
📍 Open in Google Maps ›Museum of Anatolian Civilizations
From the first farmers to the Hittites and Urartians. One of the best museums in the country.
📍 Open in Google Maps ›Hamamönü
Restored Ottoman houses painted in soft colours, with cafés and craft shops.
📍 Open in Google Maps ›
HATTUŞA
1 day · 2.5 hours east of Ankara
Hattuşa
The capital of the Hittite empire: city walls, a reconstructed wall section, the Lion Gate and temples. A UNESCO site.
📍 Open in Google Maps ›Yazılıkaya
An open-air rock sanctuary with a parade of Hittite gods carved in the stone.
📍 Open in Google Maps ›
ESKİŞEHİR
1–2 days · The young, colourful city
Odunpazarı
An old quarter of colourful Ottoman wooden houses, glass workshops and cafés.
📍 Open in Google Maps ›Odunpazarı Modern Museum
A modern art museum designed by the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, built from stacked wood.
📍 Open in Google Maps ›Porsuk River
Take a little boat or gondola along the river through the city centre.
📍 Open in Google Maps ›Meerschaum Museum
Eskişehir is famous for meerschaum (lületaşı), a white stone carved into pipes.
📍 Open in Google Maps ›
💡 Local tip: Eat çiğ börek, a thin fried pastry with meat, brought by the Crimean Tatars.
🍽️ What to eat and drink
- Etli ekmekKonya's long thin flatbread with minced meat.
- Fırın kebabıLamb slow-cooked in a stone oven, served on bread, a Konya classic.
- Ankara tavaLamb with orzo or rice baked in a pan.
- Çiğ börekEskişehir's crispy Tatar pastry.
- Met helvasıA white sweet from Eskişehir.
- Bamya çorbasıOkra soup, a Konya speciality.
✅ Good to know
- The YHT fast trains are cheap, fast and comfortable. Book online.
- Museum days and hours change. Check the official site before you go.
- Konya and Hattuşa have very little shade. Bring a hat in summer.
🗣️ Speak a little Turkish
Locals light up when you try. Tap a phrase for audio and a full lesson.
- Merhaba!mehr·hah·bahHello!Listen
- Teşekkür ederim.teh·shehk·kewr eh·deh·reemThank you.Listen
- Lütfen.lewt·fehnPlease.Listen
- Bu ne kadar?boo neh kah·dahrHow much is this?Listen
- Tuvalet nerede?too·vah·leht neh·reh·dehWhere is the toilet?Listen
- Hesap lütfen.heh·sahp lewt·fehnThe bill, please.Listen
- Burası çok güzel!boo·rah·suh chohk gew·zehlThis place is beautiful!Listen
- Afiyet olsun!ah·fee·yeht ohl·soonEnjoy your meal!Listen
▶ Video lessons
Turkish guides for your trip
⬇ Download the free PDF guide
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What's next
Next destination🍃 Black Sea🧭 Türkiye travel essentials
Istanbulkart, taxi apps, airport transfers, tickets, a SIM, money, 112 and the official e-Visa — plus the Turkish phrases you need.
Information checked in November 2026. Opening hours, ticket prices and visiting rules change often, so check the official site before you go.
More destinations
- 🕌 IstanbulThree days in the city on two continents
- 🎈 CappadociaFairy chimneys, cave churches and balloons at sunrise
- 🏖️ AntalyaOld town, ancient theatres and the turquoise sea
- ⛵ BodrumWhite houses, a crusader castle and the bays of the Aegean
- 🌊 İzmirThe Aegean city, Ephesus and the windmills of Alaçatı
- 🫒 Aegean TownsAncient cities, olive groves and white villages by the sea
- 🪂 Fethiye & ÖlüdenizRock tombs, the Blue Lagoon and a ghost village
- 🐢 Turquoise CoastLycian tombs, sunken cities and the bluest water in the Mediterranean
- 🐟 ŞanlıurfaGöbekli Tepe, the City of Prophets and my hometown
- 🍯 Southeast TürkiyeMesopotamia: mosaics, stone cities and the best food in the country
- ⛰️ Eastern AnatoliaMount Ararat, a lost medieval capital and a church on an island
- 🍃 Black SeaGreen mountains, tea fields and a monastery on a cliff
Photo credits
- Mevlana Museum, Konya, Türkiye — Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Odunpazarı houses, Eskişehir, Türkiye — Murat Özsoy 1958, CC BY-SA 4.0
- City wall of Hattusa, Central Anatolia, Türkiye — Murat Özsoy 1958, CC BY-SA 4.0
