Eskişehir

Anatolia's young student city, with the Ottoman timber houses of Odunpazarı, a modern art museum by Kengo Kuma, and boat rides on the Porsuk River.

Eskişehir lies in the northwest of Turkey's Anatolian plateau, between Istanbul and Ankara. With around 900,000 residents and two universities, Anadolu University and Osmangazi University, it is widely regarded as Turkey's youngest and most livable student city. The Porsuk River divides the city in two: on the south bank, Odunpazarı is a well-preserved old quarter of colourful Ottoman timber houses, home to the Kengo Kuma–designed Odunpazarı Modern Museum, the Meerschaum Museum, the Kurşunlu Mosque Complex and a range of small specialist museums; on the north bank, the riverside Adalar area has gondola and boat rides, cafés and a bar street, while Sazova Park on the western edge, with its fairy-tale castle and pirate ship, is a family favourite. The climate is continental, with hot, dry summers and cold, snowy winters; April–June and September–October are best. Eskişehir is also a base for Phrygian sites to the south: Midas City (Yazılıkaya), about 70 km away, the Han underground city and the Seyitgazi shrine complex; about 95 km southeast, the Sivrihisar Great Mosque is a UNESCO-listed wooden-columned mosque. Getting around: high-speed trains link the city with Istanbul (about 2.5–3 hours), Ankara (about 1.5 hours) and Konya; there is a tram network in the city, the old town is easily walkable, and sights outside town require a car or hired driver. Plan on 1–2 days. Local specialities include meerschaum pipes, the fried pastry çiğ börek and the dessert met helvası.

Top sights

• Odunpazarı – The soul of Eskişehir: hundreds of colourful Ottoman timber houses on a hillside, stone-paved lanes, cafés, and craft workshops.
• Odunpazarı Modern Museum (OMM) – A contemporary timber museum designed by Kengo Kuma. Its stacked wooden beams echo the old timber houses, and it displays modern and contem…
• Porsuk River & Gondola Rides – The Porsuk River flows through the city. Take a gondola or a sightseeing boat to see the bridges and cafés along its banks. This is the cit…
• Sazova Science, Culture and Art Park – A large theme park known for its Disney-style fairy-tale castle. It also has a pirate ship, a Japanese garden, a zoo, and a science museum.
• Kurşunlu Mosque Complex – An Ottoman complex from 1525, with a lead-roofed mosque, a madrasa, and a caravanserai, which is often thought to show the early hand of Si…
• Meerschaum Museum – Eskişehir is the world's main source of meerschaum. The museum displays finely carved meerschaum pipes and crafts.
• Yılmaz Büyükerşen Wax Museum – A wax museum whose figures were sculpted by Eskişehir's mayor, featuring Turkish historical figures and world celebrities.
• Contemporary Glass Art Museum – Turkey's first contemporary glass art museum, housed in an old Odunpazarı mansion and displaying works by Turkish glass artists.
• Tayfun Talipoğlu Typewriter Museum – A quirky niche museum with hundreds of vintage typewriters donated by a famous Turkish journalist.
• Eskişehir Eti Archaeology Museum – Displays regional artifacts from prehistoric through Phrygian, Roman, and Byzantine times. A good starting point for visiting sites such as…
• Kentpark – A large urban park east of the city with an artificial lake, an artificial beach, boat rides, and a tourist train. A summer retreat for loc…
• Vecihi Hürkuş Aviation Park – An open-air aviation museum beside the air base in the north of the city, displaying retired F-4 and F-104 fighter jets and trainers.
• Midas City (Yazılıkaya) – A sacred site of Phrygian civilization. The 17-meter-high Midas Monument features geometric carvings and Old Phrygian inscriptions.
• Han Underground City – A rock-cut settlement from the Roman and Byzantine periods beneath the center of Han town, with dwellings, churches, tombs, and storerooms.
• Seyyid Battal Gazi Complex – A hillside complex of Seljuk to Ottoman-era saint tombs and dervish lodges, an important pilgrimage site in Anatolia.
• Sivrihisar Great Mosque – One of the UNESCO World Heritage Medieval Anatolian Wooden Columned Mosques, with 67 wooden columns supporting a painted timber ceiling.

Where to eat

• Kırım Tatar Kültür Çiborek Evi – A renowned Crimean Tatar restaurant in the Odunpazarı old town. Freshly fried çibörek are crisp outside and juicy insid…
• Abdusselam Balaban Kebap – A Balaban kebab house founded around 1938, considered the most authentic place for this Eskişehir local dish.
• Papagan Çiğborek – An old fried-pastry shop opened in 1975 near Köprübaşı in the city centre, often recommended by locals.
• Taninmış Helvacı – A historic halva shop founded in 1875. Its signature met helvası, a fine-thread halva, is made fresh daily and sells ou…