Ankara Airport Mini Guide
The Airport
Esenboga International Airport is located 17 miles North East of Ankara and has served the city since 1955. Last year, almost eight million passengers used the airport which was voted the ‘Best in Europe’ in 2009 for its green credentials. There are 8,000 parking spaces at the airport including covered multi-storey, uncovered, valet and disabled.
Getting There
21 airlines, all of them scheduled, fly in and out of Esenboga. The airlines include budget carrier German Wings.
Getting to Your Destination From the Airport
There are no trains from the airport but there are more than adequate numbers of buses and shuttles to make them unnecessary. The Havas shuttle service takes passengers to the city centre and on to the central bus station. Many public bus routes stop at the airport and the buses are modern, comfortable and air-conditioned. From the central bus station, long distance buses can be taken to many destinations including
Istanbul,
Izmir and
Antalya.
For details of the buses and routes visit www.ego.gov.tr - Car rental desks can be found at both terminals at the arrivals level and as the airport is often busy we’d recommend that a party member goes through to sort out the final paperwork whilst others collect the luggage. Pre-booking is also a good idea to avoid disappointment and to speed up the final paperwork process. On leaving the airport, the main airport road has recently been widened and leads onto Ankara’s ring road.
Public Information
There’s an airport information desk in the domestic terminal on the arrivals and departures levels and in the international terminal on the departures level. There they can deal with onward journey enquiries and accommodation together with general airport issues.
Facilities at the Airport
There is a branch of Yapi Credi Bank in the domestic terminal to the left of the main exit door as well as two branches of Interchange, a currency exchange company and six ATMs. In the international terminal there is only a branch of Interchange plus an ATM.
Shopping at Esenboga is very good with a beautifully designed, cool and elegant mall with designer boutiques, as well as gift shops selling traditional Turkish products. The duty free shop in the international terminal has a wide range of alcoholic drinks as well as tobacco products, perfumery, chocolate and gifts.
Eating at the airport offers a range of options from snack and take-away food from the likes of Burger King, to the elegance and sophistication of a la carte gourmet dining in the Sky Restaurant whilst Tadinda Anadolu offers meals made with only organic products.
The airport has its own medical centre, called Portclinic with trained doctors and nurses. It’s found in the arrivals section of the combined domestic and international terminal.
Wi-Fi is available free in the lounges but is chargeable across the rest of the airport
Special Assistance
Having a new terminal, Esenboga is well equipped to deal with the needs of passengers with reduced mobility. All areas are accessible by ramps or lifts and disabled toilet facilities are found at regular intervals. When you arrive at the airport, contact the information desk who will link you up with a dedicated member of staff for your journey through to boarding. The airport asks for 48 hours’ notice of the need for assistance so it can prepare for your arrival. General assistance is available for passengers with reduced mobility but it is wise to tell your airline before travelling so that they are ready to assist you.
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and a key element in its recent history. Hire a car to visit the various museums of the city that pay homage to the founder of the modern country, Kemal Ataturk, including his hilltop mausoleum, Anitkabir. The nearby museum chronicles his life and the road he took to becoming the first president of modern Turkey.
Industry and transport have also been important in the development of the country and open air museums of steam locomotion, aviation and an excellent industrial museum all tell of how these factors shaped the country after the Ottoman Empire.