Erbil's ancient citadel mound dominates everything else in the city — you can see it from almost everywhere, and it is the reason to come. Below the citadel, the bazaar district and Qaysari Bazaar give a sense of the city's commercial character before oil money changed everything. The Kurdistan Museum and Kurdish Textile Museum both deserve time if you are interested in the region's history and material culture.
For a gentler afternoon, Sami Abdulrahman Park in the western part of the city is where Erbil's families come to walk and sit in the evenings. The Christian district of Ankawa, with its churches and pleasant cafes, is a short taxi ride from the centre and has a noticeably different atmosphere from the rest of the city.