Eskişehir

Eskişehir (pronounced Ess-KEE-shay-hear) is a city in Western Anatolia, 228 km west of Ankara. In 2021 it had a population of 898,369, with almost as many again in the wider metropolis. Its name means "old town" but the old quarter is compact; most of it is a new town with a buzzing student population, astride transport routes between Istanbul, Ankara and the Mediterranean coast.

Understand
Somewhere beneath these streets is Doryleaum, the city founded by the Phrygians when they abandoned Karachisar their stronghold further south. They emerged as a civilisation around 1200 BC and disappeared in the 7th century AD, assimilated into the Byzantines. Their heartland was the region to the south called the Phrygian Valley and the museums hold many of their artefacts, but little of their buildings or monuments survive. Conquering armies, earthquakes and plundering of masonry have taken their toll but ultimately a more destructive force here and elsewhere in Turkey has been Devrim, now in turn a museum piece. That was the name of Turkey's first home-produced car, hand-crafted in Eskişehir: it flopped as a model, as did the project to make the country self-sufficient in vehicles, but mass automobile ownership and manufacture certainly took off from 1960. Devrim also aptly means the future, one in which boulevards were carved through ramshackle Ottoman town centres, and modern industry supplanted traditional trades.

In Eskişehir development spared much of Odunpazarı, the compact old town surrounding Kurşunlu Mosque. New town is focused 2 km north on Köprübaşı, the main bridge crossing the Porsuk River via a small island. Boulevards of honking traffic radiate north from the bridge to the railway station (on the Istanbul-Ankara high speed line), business districts and airport. The lively riverside strip is called Adalar, "islands" though there's only one. Southeast from Adalar is Hamamyolu, a pedestrianised street with a broad leafy strip in the middle. Many buildings in these central areas are retro-Ottoman rather than the original.

For Eskişehir the future now means a knowledge economy not metal-bashing, and there are three large universities: Anadolu, ETI and Osmangazi. These total some 90,000 students, 10% of the city population. It was already a progressive-minded place through 19th century arrivals from Crimea and the Balkans, fleeing the last throes of the decrepit Ottomans and supporting Atatürk's secular republican reforms. Add all those students and their lecturers and it becomes a haven of liberalism in a largely conservative region. It also means that amongst the young, you will find more fluency in English and other major European languages than elsewhere in Turkey.

Climate is semi-arid and continental; summers are hot and dry, winters are cold and snowy, autumn and spring are mostly mild albeit with a short storm season in spring.

By plane
Best fly to one of the Istanbul airports or Ankara. Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen is the most convenient as you can take a taxi or bus 10 km to Pendik station, then train to Eskişehir.

By train
Eskişehir is near the fork in Turkey’s YHT high speed railway network, with frequent fast trains from Istanbul, Ankara, Konya and Karaman.

From Istanbul, 11 trains take 3 hours via Pendik, Gebze, Izmit and Arifiye (for Adapazarı), and mostly continue to Ankara. Change in Ankara for cities in the east.

From Ankara, 13 trains take 90 min via Polatlı. From Konya three trains take 90 min; one starts in Karaman. Change in Konya for buses to Antalya and Alanya, and connections to Adana. Buses to Bursa (2 hr 15 min) connect at Eskişehir with the YHT trains.

The overnight train between Istanbul and Ankara calls at Eskişehir at around 01:00 westbound and 04:00 eastbound. There is also a sleeper taking 11 hours from Izmir and a daytime train taking 6 hours from Denizli, for Pamukkale.

is in the modern district of Hoşnudiye, 3 km northwest of downtown and 5 km from the old quarter. Trams connect to the centre.

By road
The city is 335 km southeast of Istanbul, 228 km west of Ankara and 144 east of Bursa.

From Istanbul go east on O-7 (toll) to Adapazarı then D650 south to Bozüyük, then D200 east.

You could also leave O-7 at Gebze for O-5 south to Bursa, then O-22 onto D200 east through İnegöl.

From Ankara follow D200 / 90 southwest via Polatlı. Don't follow signs for Istanbul, as the direct highway sweeps well north via Bolu.

By bus
Buses from Istanbul run every hour or so and take 5-6 hours, for a fare in 2024 of 450 TL. They mostly continue to Ankara, another 3 hours.

Buses from Bursa take 2 hr 15 min via İnegöl. From Antalya is 7 hours, from Izmir 7 hours, and from Adana 10 hours.

Bus lines include Metro Turizm, Pamukkale and Flixbus.

is by Highway D200 three km northeast of town centre. Take the tram downtown.

Get around
Walk: old town sights are in a compact area around Kurșunlu Mosque.

Trams: Line 1 starts from the bus station (Otogar) and loops through old town / Odunpazarı (Atatürk Lisesi), the modern centre / Köprübaşı (Çarşı), Doktorlar Cd (İsmet İnönü), the railway station (Espark), and the Yunus Emre campus (Anadolu Üniversitesi) to SSK interchange. There it connects with suburban Line 8 to Batikent and Line 9 to Çamlıca.

Line 4 also runs from the bus station through old town, then heads west to Osmangazi University. Line 3 makes the third side of the triangle, from Osmangazi University to Çarşı then with Line 1 north to the railway station, Yunus Emre campus and SSK interchange.

Line 7 from Osmangazi University runs through the south suburbs to Çankaya.

From the southeast, Line 10 runs from Sehir Hospital and Line 12 from Yil to old town. Line 12 there joins Lines 3 and 4 to Osmangazi University, Line 10 goes north to the Opera and Kimlubel.

Dolmuşes and public buses cover the rest of the city. The city also has a small fleet of 19th century-looking fayton horse-drawn carriages.

Taxis: On the main streets, you’ll see buttons looking like electric switches on walls, trees, etc. Push the switch and the taxi at the nearest rank will come and pick you up.

Odunpazarı
Colourful renovated Ottoman houses line the cobbled streets of Odunpazarı, the old town 2 km south of the modern centre.



Elsewhere

 * is a park on the banks of the Porsuk River, with an artificial beach and a lake. It's 3 km east of town centre, just south of the bus station, and accessible free 24 hours.
 * Love Island: don't get your hopes up. It's a small bosky island in the Porsuk River 500 m west of Kentpark, accessed by a bridge from the south bank, popular with smooching couples.
 * is a park on the banks of the Porsuk River, with an artificial beach and a lake. It's 3 km east of town centre, just south of the bus station, and accessible free 24 hours.
 * Love Island: don't get your hopes up. It's a small bosky island in the Porsuk River 500 m west of Kentpark, accessed by a bridge from the south bank, popular with smooching couples.
 * is a park on the banks of the Porsuk River, with an artificial beach and a lake. It's 3 km east of town centre, just south of the bus station, and accessible free 24 hours.
 * Love Island: don't get your hopes up. It's a small bosky island in the Porsuk River 500 m west of Kentpark, accessed by a bridge from the south bank, popular with smooching couples.
 * Love Island: don't get your hopes up. It's a small bosky island in the Porsuk River 500 m west of Kentpark, accessed by a bridge from the south bank, popular with smooching couples.
 * 5 km southwest of downtown is a huge leisure complex. Officially it's the Science, Culture and Art Park, but you won't be overly troubled by those. Its main attractions are
 * The Zoo, open Tu-Su 10:00-16:00. Bilim is an events venue within the zoo.
 * Underwater World is the aquarium, open Tu-Su 10:00-17:00.
 * Science & Space Centre, open Tu-Su 08:30-17:30.
 * Turkish World is a cultural centre.
 * Esminyatürk: scale models of landmark buildings from around the Turkic-speaking countries.
 * Japanese Garden, just west of the large parking lot.
 * Fantastical Castle (don't call it Disney or the lawyers will all descend) with games inside.
 * Noah's Ark near the castle is closed and derelict in 2024.
 * Pirate Ship open daily 09:00-19:00.
 * A miniature railway chunters round the extensive park.

Further out

 * Odunpazarı Botanik Park is on the road out to Karacahisar, open daily 08:00-00:00.
 * 10 km southwest of town is the scrappy ruins of a Byzantine hilltop fortress, open 24 hours. It was built (or re-built) around 1175 but soon after fell to the Seljuks or their allies the Germiyanids. In 1288 it was captured by the Ottomans, in those days a small semi-nomadic tribe based in nearby Söğüt. Ottoman mythology dates the capture earlier, to portray it as a first victory for Islam against the Byzantine Christians, but it was their fellow Muslims that the Ottomans hacked to bits here.
 * is on a hillside at the south edge of Seyitgazi town, 40 km south of Eskişehir. It's a Seljuk-built külliyesi or religious complex dedicated to the folk hero Battal Gazi (605-740 AD). He's probably fictional, but his deeds became intertwined with those of a real 8th century Islamic warrior, and have been embellished in films. The complex was extended by the Ottomans, and consists of a mosque, a madrasa, a dervish lodge, and a caravanserai serving traders and pilgrims.
 * is a village 27 km south of Seyitgazi and 70 km south of Eskişehir, with rock-cut reliefs in its valley walls. Best of these, just south, is "Midas Throne" built 7th century BC, but probably after that king's death. It was also a shrine to the Phrygian mother goddess Cybele, whose cult long preceded and outlasted Midas, as it was exported by the Romans across their far-flung empire.
 * Phrygian Valley is an unofficial name for the rocky countryside starting at Yazılı and extending over a wide area, with numerous Phrygian rock-cut tombs and other ancient sites.

Do

 * Hamams: a dozen traditional Turkish baths are in the streets around Çarşı Mosque. Women and men have separate sections.
 * Kılıç Lunapark is a family-oriented funfair on İsmet İnönü Cd, west side of Capella Hotel. No overall admission, you pay for separate rides.
 * Football: Eskişehirspor were relegated in 2023 from TFF Third League, the fourth tier, so they now play soccer down in the regional amateur leagues. Their home ground New Eskişehir Stadium (capacity 32,500) is west edge of town on Sazova Science, Art and Culture Park.

Learn

 * Anadolu University has 22,622 undergrads and 1672 postgrads on site, but almost 2 million participate in its distance education. It has about 1700 academic and 1800 non-teaching staff. Its main Yunusemre Campus is 6 km north of town centre.
 * Osmangazi University has about 30,000 undergrads, 5100 postgrads and 1500 academic staff. The main campus is 5 km west of town centre.
 * Eskişehir Technical University (ESTU), established in 2018, has 12,000 students and 600 academic staff. Their campus is by the airport, which they run.

Buy

 * Lots of ATMs and small stores. Credit cards are accepted in most places.
 * Meerschaum souvenirs are often in the form of tobacco pipes.
 * Atlıhan is a shopping centre off Pazaroğlu Sk in a renovated caravanserai, with handicraft shops ranged around its courtyard.
 * Espark is a modern shopping mall northeast side of the railway station, open daily 10:00-22:00.
 * Haller Gençlik Merkezi 100 m east of Espark is a smaller but more interesting bazaar with cafes, bars and small shops.

Eat

 * Donas is a wrap of chicken meat, potatoes, and a dash of vegetables, all slathered with sauce. It's sticky, tasty, hearty, and cheap.
 * Çi börek (or çiğ börek) is a Crimean Tatar delicacy, a deep fried pastry of thin, half moon-shaped dough filled with minced meat and onion lightly sprinkled with black pepper. True Tatars eat it by hand, perhaps with a napkin, so they don't provide forks in their eateries. Examples are at Şeh Şemşettin Sk 11 just north of Kurşunlu Mosque, at Atatürk Blv 97 west near ETI Museum, Papağan Çiğbörek (below), and Porsuk Çibörek nearby.
 * Pizza and other western fast food outlets are near the roundabout just east of the Ibis Hotel and down the strip southeast to the Porsuk bridge.

Drink

 * Haller Gençlik Merkezi near the railway station (see Buy) has several pubs and wine bars.
 * Vural Sk leading downtown from the railway station has Campus (formerly Station), Las Vegas Live, Beer O'Clock, Varil Pub, Beerschot Eskişehir, Cuba Bar, Tuttis Super Pub, Sünger Teras, No 46, Peyote, Social and Fedfull.

Mid-range

 * Soyic Otel is next to Atışkan Otel at Yunus Emre Cd 95.
 * Arslan Otel is next along the street at Yunus Emre Cd 101.
 * Arslan Otel is next along the street at Yunus Emre Cd 101.

Connect
The city and surrounds have 4G from all Turkish carriers. As of Feb 2024, 5G has not rolled out in Turkey.

Go next

 * Kütahya to the southwest makes beautiful faience tiles, which decorate its mosques.
 * Çavdarhisar has the Roman site of Aizanoi, with the Temple of Zeus.
 * Söğüt is the unremarkable little town to the northwest where the Ottomans emerged to bestride the continent and history.
 * Konya to the south was the base of the "Dancing Dervishes".
 * Sivrihisar to the east is an attractive old town with a UNESCO-listed wooden mosque.
 * Polatlı further east is where the Greek invasion was turned back in 1921 in the War of Independence.
 * Unmissable Ankara lies another 80 km east of Polatlı.