Ankara, hitchhiking expedition

Hitchhiking 2025

I honestly didn’t think I’d be hitchhiking again anytime soon. From the outside it probably seems dangerous and pointless, but that’s exactly the kind of adrenaline I love. From a spontaneous chat in one of Turkey’s parks, the idea for this crazy little expedition was born. Without overthinking it, we booked bus tickets and some cute hotel in Ankara.

The beginning of our hitchhiking adventure started early in the morning, when Asia and I headed to Kötekli, the place where our small journey was supposed to begin. We met up with our arkadaş and took our places at the hitchhiking spot. For the first twenty minutes we stood on the main road leading straight to Ankara. We pulled out our cardboard signs and we were waving to the drivers with full enthusiasm. There wasn’t much traffic and most cars didn’t even slow down. After a while we decided to move a little closer to the gas station. To my surprise, within just five minutes we found a car. And not just any car, it was the golden shot! The driver was going exactly to Ankara. It honestly couldn’t have worked out better.

We drove along listening to Turkish music, chatting, and soaking in the good vibes. The weather was perfect, the atmosphere even better. The eight hour ride passed in conversations, naps, and watching the stunning scenery. We made a few short stops for coffee and snacks, which made the whole journey feel light and pleasant.

Arriving in Ankara in the evening felt like stepping into a different world. The city greeted us with crowds of people, bright lights, and enormous shopping malls. It felt like the city was breathing with us. We happily let ourselves get carried away by the rhythm of the capital.

For dinner we decided to try Aspava, one of the city’s most popular restaurant chains. The whole concept is about getting a bunch of side dishes with your main order. It sounded fun, but let me tell you, zero out of ten. The food was cold and tasted like it had been microwaved. Nothing was fresh. The staff was unpleasant. The starters and main dishes were completely flavorless. The portions were tiny and the prices ridiculously high. Literally not a single positive thing. Hands down the worst food I’ve had in Turkey so far. I fully, fully do not recommend it.

To make up for that disappointing choice, we headed out to explore the lively center. We wandered through local stalls, did a bit of shopping, enjoyed the city lights, and ended up at Krispy Kreme for the best donuts ever—something Asia had been impatiently waiting for all day.

Later in the evening we returned home, enjoyed the cozy atmosphere of our place, sang, and talked about everything and anything. Eventually we went back out to explore Ankara’s nightlife. It’s totally different from what we know in Poland or Europe in general, but it was still interesting to observe. In the end, the highlight of the night wasn’t the clubs. It was the long walks and deep conversations, which honestly felt perfect anyway.

The next day in Ankara

A lazy morning and warm pastries with cheese and olives grabbed straight from the bakery, that’s how our Saturday began. Slow, cozy, and delicious. We strolled through a beautiful autumn landscape all the way to Kuğulu Park. It felt like the perfect pace for our second day in the capital. We admired elegant swans and tiny waterfalls.

Next on our list was moving to another part of the city, where we had booked our second hotel, Hitit Otel. The traffic was heavy and the ride took quite a while, but honestly, that’s just the charm of a big city, chaos, poverty, and luxury all blending together in one giant urban jungle. Our new hotel welcomed us like an elegant little palace, offering us tea and a surprisingly cozy vibe.

Later we went out to eat and ended up having the most delicious meal at Oz Gaziantep, fresh rice with chicken, vegetables, and a bunch of tasty side dishes. Simple but insanely good. We spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in the park. The day was exhausting, but in the best possible way, full, warm, and unforgettable.

Last taste of Ankara

We started the day together with Asia in our cozy little hotel overlooking beautiful Ankara. The sun was shining and, despite all the gloomy forecasts predicting rain, the weather felt almost like spring. Cheerful, rested and ready for the day, we headed to our hotel breakfast. It was incredibly rich and colorful. We savored Turkish specialties, homemade hummus, eggs, yogurt, menemen, eggplants, zucchinis, an explosion of flavors, colors, and scents. And of course, coffee and a brownie on the terrace to complete the picture.

The day promised to be intense. We made our way to the old town and wandered between Arabic style stalls. We bought colognes, natural soaps, and soaked up the atmosphere of Ankara bathed in sunlight and wrapped in an autumn glow of orange trees.

From there, we hopped on a bus, which, miraculously, arrived and waited exactly as promised and headed to the highlight of our trip: Anıtkabir. The surroundings were stunning and solemn. Elegantly dressed soldiers guarded the place from every side. The mausoleum itself was built with incredible attention to detail: beautiful columns, class, simplicity. Luck was on our side, we even managed to see the changing of the guard from the closest possible distance. We stepped into every museum room we could find, learning new facts about Atatürk. The entire place was honestly impressive. A bit surprising, but definitely worth visiting, even for the architecture and gardens alone.

We walked back through the gardens and returned to the city, where we treated ourselves to a delicious mocha and pumpkin spice latte at Espresso Check. The café was cozy, already decorated in a december mood, and the best part a fluffy dog acting as the unofficial owner of the place.

In the evening, I fulfilled one of my little wishes and went to the hammam again, Hammam Ankara. The best money spent. It was pleasure not only for the body, but also for the soul. Massage, sauna, exfoliation, everything was absolutely perfect.

At the very end of the day, we had a few adventures with missing sidewalks and chaotic buses that apparently didn’t care much about the schedule. But eventually, we made it to the station and safely boarded the bus heading toward Muğla.