Kırıkkale is a mid-sized industrial city and province in Central Anatolia, situated approximately 80 km northeast of Ankara along the Kızılırmak River. Known primarily for its defense and steel industries — home to the MKEK (Makina ve Kimya Endüstrisi Kurumu) complex — the city offers an authentic glimpse into modern Turkish working-class life away from tourist crowds. The surrounding province features rugged river valleys, historic castles, and natural areas perfect for off-the-beaten-path exploration.
Top day trips
Handpicked excursions within easy reach.
Ankara – Turkey's Capital
Ankara is Turkey's political capital and a working city rather than a postcard one, built around government ministries, universities and the mausoleum of the republic's founder. A day trip here trades Kırıkkale's provincial pace for a full capital-city itinerary: a national museum, a hilltop citadel, and a memorial complex that explains modern Turkish identity better than almost anywhere else in the country. It suits visitors who want depth over scenery.
Highlights: Anıtkabir - the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, a vast ceremonial complex with a permanent exhibition on the War of Independence · Museum of Anatolian Civilizations - Hittite, Phrygian and Roman artifacts housed in a restored Ottoman bedesten in Ulus · Ankara Kalesi (Ankara Castle) - the old citadel above Ulus with narrow lanes and views over the modern city below · Kızılay - the commercial and dining core of central Ankara, useful for lunch and a look at daily city life outside the monuments
Kalecik – Wine Country and Castle
Kalecik sits on the Kızılırmak river and gives its name to Kalecik Karası, one of Turkey's better-known native red grape varieties, grown on the slopes around the town. Above the settlement stand the ruins of Kalecik Castle, a modest fortification rather than a restored monument, offering a view down over the river bend and the vineyards. It's a slower, agricultural day out rather than a sightseeing-heavy one.
Highlights: Kalecik Castle ruins - a hilltop fortification overlooking the Kızılırmak river bend, reachable on foot from the town center · Kalecik Karası vineyards - the surrounding slopes where the grape that gave the town its wine reputation is grown · Kızılırmak riverside - the river curve below the castle, the natural reason the town was sited here
Kırşehir – Cacabey Mosque and Ahi Evran
Kırşehir was a center of the Ahi brotherhood, the medieval guild movement that shaped craft and trade ethics across Anatolia, and the city's two key sites reflect that history directly. The Cacabey Mosque and Madrasa, built in the 13th century as an observatory-madrasa before being converted to a mosque, has a distinctive fluted minaret and star-patterned dome tiles. The Ahi Evran complex, built around the tomb of the movement's founder, is the reason Kırşehir still carries weight in Turkish craft history.
Highlights: Cacabey Mosque and Madrasa - a 13th-century Seljuk building with a turquoise-tiled fluted minaret, originally constructed as an astronomical madrasa · Ahi Evran Tomb and complex - the mausoleum of Ahi Evran, founder of the Ahi guild movement, with an adjoining mosque · Kırşehir Museum - a regional collection covering the Seljuk and Ottoman periods that gives context to the two religious sites
Sulakyurt Forest and Nature Reserve
Sulakyurt is a forested district of Kırıkkale Province built around the Sulakyurt Dam on the Kızılırmak, and the surrounding hills give the area a cooler, greener character than the drier steppe closer to Kırıkkale city. It's a picnic-and-air day rather than a sightseeing one: the appeal is the tree cover and the reservoir itself, not a specific monument.
Highlights: Sulakyurt Dam reservoir - the artificial lake on the Kızılırmak that the district and its forested shoreline are built around · Forested hillsides around the district - noticeably greener and cooler than the open plateau around Kırıkkale city itself
Keskin – Historical District and Crafts
Keskin is one of Kırıkkale Province's older districts and is known regionally for its felt-making (keçecilik) craft tradition, alongside an old town core with Ottoman-era residential streets. It's a modest, low-key destination that rewards an interest in traditional craft work rather than grand monuments.
Highlights: Keskin old town streets - Ottoman-era residential lanes that make up the district's historic core · Local felt-making (keçecilik) workshops - the traditional wool-felt craft the district is regionally known for
Çerikli Thermal Springs
Çerikli is a thermal spring facility in a village of Keskin district, part of the wider network of mineral hot springs across the Kızılırmak basin used for bathing and rheumatism treatment. It's a spa-and-soak day rather than a sightseeing one, and the trip out - a bus to Keskin followed by a taxi - is part of what keeps it low-key.
Highlights: Çerikli thermal pools - mineral hot spring baths used locally for rheumatic and skin complaints · Keskin as a stopover - the district town you pass through connecting to Çerikli, worth a short look if timing allows
Hirfanlı Reservoir – Watersports and Picnic
Hirfanlı is a large dam reservoir on the Kızılırmak straddling the Kırşehir-Kırıkkale border, and it's the closest thing this part of central Anatolia has to a lake resort: open water for boating and fishing, plus shoreline space for picnicking and camping. It draws day-trippers mainly for the water itself rather than any built attraction.
Highlights: Hirfanlı Dam Lake - the reservoir's open water, used for boating, jet skiing and recreational fishing · Shoreline picnic and camping areas - informal spots around the lake edge used by day visitors and campers alike
Trips by distance
How far you can go in a day.
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Getting there
Transport options for day trips.
Multi-day tours from Kırıkkale
If you have longer than a day, these are organised multi-day trips that start here.
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Day trip tips
Make the most of your excursions.
Start early — most popular day-trip destinations get crowded by mid-morning.
Check return transport times before you leave — missing the last train or bus can be costly.
Carry water, snacks, and layers — weather and food options can be limited at smaller destinations.