Located down the hill from Ankara Castle near Ulus, Hamamonu is an entire neighborhood of narrow streets, old houses and historic buildings. Most old houses are now restaurants, cafes or souvenir shops.

In addition to the neighborhood itself, there are 4 historic mosques to visit: Haci Mussa Mosque, Tacettin Sultan Mosque, Karacabey Mosque, Sarikadi Mosque. Mehmet Akif Ersoy, the famous Turkish poet also writing the lyrics of Turkish National Anthem, had his house here, which is now a museum named after him. His statue is also placed in the central square.

The Art Street is full of shops selling local art crafts and souvenirs, and the Hand Crafts Market is where local women sell their crafts and works. Hamamönü can be visited day or night, but especially in good weather, it is more alive after dark.

During the month of Ramadan, the local municipality organizes lots of events in Hamamönü, and the area gets entertaining after dark, but also very crowded.

Hamamönü is one of the best places to get a feeling of what an Ottoman town was like centuries ago, and get a sip of Turkish coffee, a breath of nargile – smoke pipes, or just gather around. Don’t expect alcohol in the restaurants in this neighborhood for conservative Turkish taste.