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Travel tips for the city of Eskişehir, which is a great place to spend a day. It features a charming old town full of traditional Ottoman homes and makes a great base for exploring the Phrygian Valley.
Introduction to Eskişehir
Eskişehir translates to “Old City”, but that doesn’t correctly describe it. The city has been undergoing a transformation since the beginning of the 21st century that has turned a boring Anatolian city into an innovative model of progress for the rest of Turkey.
Eskişehir was founded by the Phrygians around 1000 BC on a site about a mile away from the current city center. It was called Dorylaeum in Latin or Dorylaion (Δορύλαιον) in Greek. The city became a Roman trading post and was later taken by the Seljuks in 1071. Today, it’s an attractive university city and the perfect base for exploring nearby smaller towns such as Söğüt, Osmaneli, Bilecik, Seyitgazi, and the Phrygian Valley.
Getting to Eskişehir
Eskişehir is well connected to major cities in Turkey by bus and rail.
Bus Terminal
Buses connect Eskişehir to several cities throughout Turkey. My bus trips ttook about five hours from Istanbul and three from Bursa. I used Metro Turizm, although there are several companies that travel there.
Railway Station
It’s possible to travel to and from Istanbul and Ankara via a Turkish Railways High Speed Train (TCDD Yüksek Hızlı Tren). From Istanbul it takes about 2 ½ hours and from Ankara 1 ½ hours. You can catch a train at the Eskişehir Railway Station (Eskişehir Garı).
The first railway station opened on December 31, 1892, and was replaced with the current station, which opened on November 4, 1955. It was undergoing much needed upgrades at the time of my last visit in November 2019.
Getting Around Eskişehir
From the bus terminal, it’s very easy to get into the city center with the EsTram light rail service. Individual tickets are 15₺ (as of December 2023) and can be purchased outside each stop.
Most of the attractions in Eskişehir are easily seen on foot. During my stays, I only used the tram to get to and from the bus terminal. It’s only a short walk between the modern city center and Odunpazarı, and both are easily walkable. As far as taxis, I only used one to get to the railway station.
Where to Stay in Eskişehir
There are some decent options for accommodation in Eskişehir.
Arasta Konak Boutique Hotel
The best hotel I’ve stayed at is the Arasta Konak Boutique Hotel. It’s located in the heart of Odunpazarı at the restored Arasta Bazaar. We were extremely happy with our stay and the quality of sleep.
The hotel is housed in a historic Ottoman mansion within walking distance of several attractions. There are a total of 24 comfortable rooms with 5 different designs. The only negative we could think of is that the toilet made a very loud noise when flushing.
The owners are wonderful people who speak excellent English, and are happy to help with whatever you need. The other staff members are also friendly, but it took a while to find them sometimes.
The Arasta Konak Boutique Hotel also has a restaurant on-site, the Sardunya Café. We didn’t have a chance to eat lunch or dinner there, but they serve an excellent Turkish breakfast that’s included in the room rate.
SRF Hotel
On my first trip to Eskişehir, I stayed at the SRF Hotel in the city center. It was a very nice hotel for a reasonable price. Rooms were large, comfortable, and clean. They had a very big breakfast buffet in the morning and the staff was helpful. It was only a short walk to many restaurants and shops. I enjoyed my stay there.
Where to Eat in Eskişehir
Eskişehir has a good variety of restaurants offering national and regional Turkish cuisine. We did all our dining in the Odunpazarı district. The only negative is that in Odunpazarı, it was difficult to find anything open for dinner. I don’t know if it’s because we visited in November, but it gives me an excuse to go back in the summer!
Arya Mantı (Permanently Closed)
We popped into Arya Mantı for lunch in Odunpazarı. It’s run by a wonderful, friendly family and set in a cozy historic Ottoman home. As the name indicates, they make delicious homemade mantı, which is tiny Turkish dumplings slathered in yogurt, butter, and tomato sauce. The mantı is stuffed with your choice of meat or lentils, and they also have a few other Turkish specialties available.
We both started off with a bowl of lentil soup (mercimek çorbası). The server brought us complimentary stuffed grape leaves to try.
For our main course, we couldn’t pass up a chance to try the mantı, which was absolutely delicious. After the meal, we had a cup of Turkish coffee served with cookies. We were very happy and would definitely eat there again.
Kırım Tatar Kültür Çibörek Evi
Since we failed to find a place that was open for dinner, we stopped into Kırım Tatar Kültür Çibörek Evi right next to our hotel at the Arasta Bazaar. (Note: Apparently they moved around the corner. This picture is from the old location.) They serve çibörek, which is a deep fried turnover filled with minced meat and onions. It’s the national dish of Crimean Tatars, and a large diaspora community lives in Eskişehir.
We ordered a bowl of yogurt soup to go along with our çibörek. The çibörek was a little greasy and heavy, but definitely delicious. Service was friendly and fast.
Kasr-ı Nur (Permanently Closed)
On my very first stay in Eskişehir in March 2013, I ate dinner at Kasr-ı Nur, which is in a restored Ottoman home in Odunpazarı. It turned out to be one of the most memorable and best tasting meals I had while living in Turkey.
I ate the keşli cevizli erişte, which are homemade buttered noodles topped with crushed walnuts and a dried yogurt called keş. They were served with a few dips and bread. I washed it down with ayran, and finished my meal with a Turkish coffee. Everything was incredible, and the setting added to the experience.
Fast forward to November 2019. I was visiting the city for the second time, this time with my wife, Marisol. I had been raving about the meal I had at Kasr-ı Nur since the moment I booked our stay in the city and wanted to repeat the experience with her. Unfortunately, the restaurant has lost its touch.
We started with a bowl of ezogelin soup and yaprak sarma (stuffed grape leaves). The soup was good and we enjoyed the yaprak sarma.
We also ordered the erişte, but it was nothing like I had six years earlier. Just compare the toppings in the earlier photo.
Overall, we were satisfied with the meal, but service wasn’t up to par and it simply wasn’t the same experience I had expected. It also seems as if they’ve switched their focus to Turkish breakfast.
Hafız Ahmet Efendi Konağı (Permanently Closed)
We sat down in the small garden of the Hafız Ahmet Efendi Konağı, a historic Ottoman mansion built in 1717, to warm up with a nice hot salep. The location was nice and service was friendly, but the salep was too watery and had way too much cinnamon on top. It wasn’t nearly as good as it should have been. The garden could also use a good cleaning.
Tüfekçizade Konağı
The Tüfekçizade Konağı, yet another historic Ottoman mansion, serves as a restaurant and café. Too full from lunch, we sat and had a Turkish coffee and salep. We’d like to go back and try their Turkish breakfast one day.
