Ulus District Tour (Self Guided), Ankara

Situated in the center of Ulus square, one of the most crowded places in the city is the Monument of the Republic representing a man on a horse. This figure has a special meaning in the history of Turkey and was erected as a symbol of the victory in the War of Independence in 1927.

One of the most important buildings of the city is Ankara Palace. Founded in 1927 it functioned as a “Parliamentary Club” and was the place where decisions having an important influence on the life of the country were taken. The building is also an architectural attraction. It is rectangular in shape and has beautifully designed accessories both inside and outside.

Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Ziraat Bankası, also known as Ziraat Bankası, is the second biggest Turkish bank after İş Bankası. According to a report on the "Top 1000 World Banks in 2004" published by The Banker magazine, TC Ziraat Bankasi A.S. is ranked 115th. Homeland Funds was the first agricultural financial institution founded by the state and operated with a state guarantee. In 1888 Homeland Funds was renamed Ziraat Bankası, and Ziraat Bankası's head office in Istanbul began to function.The Greek Invasion Forces opened a Ziraat Bank Management Center in İzmir and occupied branches and funds were taken to the new Center's management. In 2001, Emlak Bankası was merged with Ziraat Bankası and closed.

Gençlik Parkı is a public park in Ankara. The 68 acres park is almost at the center of Ankara.

Its altitude is about 2,790 feet, which makes it one of the lowest points of Ankara. It is surounded by Ulus Square in the north, Opera house in the east, Selim Sırrı Tarcan Sports Hall and Ankara Central Station in the south and, 19 Mayıs Stadium in the west. During the early years of the republic, the place, where now the park is, was a marshland. After the marshes were dried up, the park was established and opened to public on 19 May 1943, the National Youth Day. There were coffee houses around the main pool, a swimming pool, a luna park, an open air theatre and tracks. In 1957, two miniature trains were established within the park area as a part of ammusement.

After restoration and renovation works, there are now a cultural center, youths' center and Ankara Municipality Convention Hall as well as 43 kiosks in the park. During nights light performances are held in the main pool, also a science museum is under construction.

Ankara Opera House of the Turkish State Opera and Ballet is the largest of the three venues for opera and ballet, the other two being Leyla Gencer Sahnesi in Ostim and Operet Sahnesi in Sıhhiye.

The building was originally designed by the Turkish architect Şevki Balmumcu as an exhibition center, who came first in an international competition for the project in 1933. It was later converted into an opera house by the German architect Paul Bonatz, and started serving this function on April 2, 1948. The same building also serves as a theatre venue for the Turkish State Theatres under the name Büyük Tiyatro. The construction of a new main opera house for Ankara, in the vicinity of the original and of considerably larger capacity, is underway since 2005.

Situated right beside the Youth Park, the Luna Park is the main attraction for the young tourists. It is a well known place in the city where both adults and children may spend some time at the amusement machines. The park is also popular with the newly-wed couples who can often be seen here at the "Wedding House".