Eskisehir – Turkey

 

I was planning to take my 9 years old to Eskisehir for a long time. I have been to this beautiful city maybe 15 years ago and even at that time I was impressed by its nature, people. And lately I was hearing that a new “castle for children” was built as well as a nice zoo.

Another reason having choosen Eskisehir as one of the targeted cities to visit was, that this city is pretty nearby and to travel by train would be a nice experience for Bora.

We picked one of the very early train from Kadikoy -Sogutlucesme and in 3.5 hours we were in Eskisehir. A nice October sun welcomed us in the city and encouraged to walk to Odunpazari.

Odunpazari is roughly 2,5 km away from train station. A nice walk! You recognize the environment once you start seeing typical colorful houses. Which color is your favorite? And does this color actually look good on Odunpazari houses?

 

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Some of these houses are also serving as small hotels. Note for the next trip: stay one night in these small hotels:)

There are also some museums in this district;

• OMM (Odunpazari Modern Museum),
• Balmumu Müzesi ( Wax Museum)
• Ahşap Eserleri Müzesi (Wood Works Museum)
• Cam Sanatları Müzesi (Glass Art Museum )
• Arkeoloji Müzesi (Archaeology Museum)

We were able to visit OMM and Glass Art Museum, both very impressive. Would recommend to everyone. Kids below 12 enter museums free and adult tickets are very reasonable. Final note, museum card is not valid in these museums.

Another attractive activity in Odunpazari is also to spend some time in glass workshops. There are sessions before noon and afternoon, you are welcomed to watch artists blowing, shaping glass.

If you are in Odunpazari, the best food (and typical for a tourist) is of course “Çiğ börek”. Almost in every corner you may find a cafe / restaurant where this food is served. We had 2 recommendations, both located in the same district:

• Eskisehir Ciborek Evi https://www.ciborekevi.com/
• Kırım Tatar Çiğ Börek Evi https://www.kirimtatarciborek.com/

Both were full and there was a waiting list. Turnover of tables are pretty quick, so you wouldn’t wait long. Another option is simply asking guests if their next chair is empty and organize your space:)

Sazova park is one of the attraction points in Eskisehir and not only for children. A very nice, quite big park with an artificial lake. A park where you can have a nice walk, rest on grass and enjoy the weather, watch children canoeing, have a cup of coffee and enjoy every moment.

There is also a zoo http://eskisehirhayvanatbahcesi.com/ and aquarium http://www.eskisehir.bel.tr/sayfalar.php?sayfalar_id=79 in the park. Both are very impressive, animals seem to be really in good shape. Zoo is pretty big, you may want to plan min. 3 hours for your visit.

If you are in Eskisehir one of the “must do” is to walk along the Porsuk River. Like other examples in many cities, you can also have a gondola ride. Unfortunately we were not able to have a ride, as the last one was at 17:00 and we were at place only at 17:30. Another reason to visit Eskisehir again:)

It was a very nice one day trip to Eskisehir, we walked more than 14 km. Amazing for a 9 year old, right?

My recommendation would be to plan 2-days trip to this lovely city. And take the train, leave your car at home for a change.

Let’s see which city will be our next destination.

Cheers

Bora & Buket