Hey guys! If you read Tanderlust, you’ll know that I literally love going off-beat as much as I love going to the main attractions. There’s some kind of crazy feeling in exploring places which are generally not on the radar of most of the travelers. One such beautiful city, which is apparently also the smallest city I have ever been to is Eskisehir. This city although small is exactly opposite in terms of what it has to offer to explorers like us. That’s why I’ve taken the lead & compiled a list of 10 things to do in this Euphoric town. Go ahead & scroll down 🙂
1) Balmumu Heykeller Museum:
This museum walks you through all the popular & influential people of in the world. Not only the present, but also from the past. As you stroll through the museum, you’ll begin with all the influential people from Turkey. There are sports players, journalists, celebrities and so much more, perched on each side of the aisle. On heading deeper inside, you’ll be introduced to the most influential & popular people from around the world. I was shocked yet proud when I found Mahatma Gandhi’s wax statues carved with such intricate details looking at me from the corner of the room ( Or rather I was looking at him, was I?) Among other influential people you’ll find Obama, Queen of England, Marilyn Monroe, Angelina Jolie, Albert Einstein and many others (I couldn’t identify them all :P)
Entry Cost: 2 TLR
Tip: Photography is not allowed beyond a certain point.
Read the review on TripAdvisor → Balmumu Heykeller Museum
2) Sazova park
Let’s go in the dreaming zone for a while and imagine fairy tale castle along with an aquarium, and an exact replica of the ship from Pirates of the Caribbean with a lake full of ducks enjoying the tranquility under the shade of a tree or swimming in the lake. Now put the lavender farms everywhere and a zoo next to the replica of the famous monuments from around the world (incl Taj Mahal) and a small play-zone for the kids. Phew! Imagine all these things inside a park. That’s sazova park for you. Now who wouldn’t want to spend their time in here? Probably we should start hunting fairies because if there are any, I’m pretty sure that they must be living in this alluring Sazova Park.
Entry Cost: Believe it or not! Entry is free, except for the aquarium which costs 5 TLR
Tip: Allot plenty of time in your itinerary for this park, I’m sure once you enter, you wouldn’t want to leave!
Read the review on TripAdvisor → Sazova park
3) Eskisehir Universities:
Locals of Turkey have named Eskisehir as the student’s city as it houses two major universities in this town. Osmangazi University & Anadolu University are the top most universities in Turkey which attracts students from all over the World. Being a student city, Eskisehir has a lot to offer in terms of activities for the youth. Hence, if you ever wish to study in Turkey, this is where you should be. Not only that, people have actually told me that Eskisehir is also considered as one of the best cities to live. Well, great universities plus Eskisehir, what else do you need?
4) kent park
Another massive park, which is surely going to blow your mind away. This park accommodates 4-5 cafes, 2-3 huge lakes and a artificial beach and don’t even get me started over the plethora of picnic spots available inside and so many more things that’ll actually take up your entire day just to explore in and around this park. There’s definitely some sort of connection between Eskisehir & parks. Each park being better than the other. Apart from the usual cafes, there are several food stalls all around this park, making it ideal for several activities like cycling, picnics, sports etc. Having said that, it’s possible to lose your way in there.So well, just imagine the area.
Entry Cost: Entry is free.
Tip: If you wish to spend some time alone away from the people, you should check out this place!
Read the reviews on TripAdvisor → Kent Park
5) Selale park
By now, I believe that this post is more about the parks then anything else. But believe me this one is the last park in Eskisehir. Perched on the hill-top, overlooking the entire city of Eskisehir, this park offers magnificent views of Sunset & the city. Although, it’s not as massive as the others, it compensates it’s size with the spectacular views that it offers. To reach this place, one needs to hike for about 15-20 minutes, taxis are also available for people who do not wish to hike. Once you’ve reached, you’ll be greeted with chilly winds and marvelous views. It was summer when I went here, yet the temperature on this hill-top must have been around 10 degrees. Amazing isn’t it?
Read the review here → Selale Park
Entry Cost: Free
Tip: If you need respite from the heat, then chilling here is a great option.
6) Café culture of Eskisehir
Just like you read above, Eskisehir is a student city, and students prefer chilling in cafes, hence you’ll find plethora of cafes, tucked on the sides of the streets. You’re bound to get confused, believe me when I say that! And that’s absolutely fine. Cafe culture is an important part of Eskisehir and no one can escape confusion, once they enter in the city center. Well, they say to find oneself, you need to lose yourself. Never thought that would actually apply in case of cafes as well.
7) Ottoman Houses
Ancient houses with Ottoman architecture are what govern the area of odunpazari. Ottoman architecture is one of the most beautiful architecture that I’ve come across in Turkey. The architect lovers would love to be at this place. The houses, roads even the shops are so intricately designed that one can easily differentiate between the old and the new. Old is gold they say, well it truly is! You can stroll through the ottoman houses or simply pick out any café and marvel at the architecture. Choice is yours!
8) Eat ciborek
If you’ve read my earlier post about Turkish food you’ll instantly recognize what ciborek is. But probably what you do not know is that ciborek is originally from Eskisehir. This humble dish is found almost in every other café in Eskisehir and make sure you gorge on this scrumptious dish while you’re here!
9) Stroll around in Eskisehir
After reading all the above things, you’ll must be wondering that Eskisehir is a huge city. Well not really! Every other place is in near to each other except sazova park. So while you explore Eskisehir, you’ll realize that you can save all your money by walking down from one place to another. You won’t be taking any more than 30 minutes to walk down. Also, that’s what even the locals do! And that is what even I will recommend because that gives a unique chance to indulge in shopping!
However, if you do not wish to walk down, there are other options which exist like taxis (they’re everywhere) and trams. Tram is the cheapest & the fastest way to explore Eskisehir if you do not wish to exercise those legs.
Tip: If you love shopping then you can head to Kanatli mall & espark mall as well.
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