Stand on the cobbles of Odunpazarı and the old town rises around you in painted Ottoman houses, their timber upper floors leaning over streets that climb toward the Kurşunlu Mosque complex. A few kilometres east, the Porsuk River cuts through the modern centre, and the city looks out over the fertile Phrygian Valley.
Eskişehir suits travellers who like a walkable old quarter, small museums with very specific obsessions, and an easy half-day out to rock-cut monuments. It is a university city, so much of what you will do sits within a compact area.
This guide covers the sights of Odunpazarı, the museums and parks elsewhere in the city, and the sites further out that are worth the trip. It also sets out a single-day plan built only from the places named below.
Top things to do in Eskişehir
1. Odunpazarı
This is the old town, 2 km south of the modern centre, where colourful renovated Ottoman houses line cobbled streets. It is the natural place to start, because most of the city's small museums sit within a few minutes of each other.
Give it at least half a day and walk it rather than moving between stops by vehicle. Everything in the next several entries is inside or immediately beside Odunpazarı, so you can combine them without planning transport.
2. Kurşunlu Mosque
This mosque and religious complex was completed in 1525, probably by Acem Ali, who set the style for classical Ottoman architecture later followed by Mimar Sinan. The roof is leaded, which gives the building its name.
The complex is now given over to craft workshops and displays called museums, though many pieces are for sale. It is open daily 08:00-17:00, and it makes sense to treat it as the hub for the Meerschaum Museum, the Glass Arts Workshop and the Museum of Woodworking, all of which sit within or against the complex.
3. Meerschaum Museum
This museum is dedicated to meerschaum, a soft white clay that can be shaped easily and sets hard when warmed. Tobacco pipes were the traditional use, since the material is robust and insulating yet light enough to float, which is where the sea foam comparison comes from.
It sits within the Kurşunlu Mosque complex on Alaeddin Cd and is open Tuesday to Sunday 09:00-17:00. Visit it as part of your walk through the complex rather than as a separate trip.
4. Odunpazarı Modern Museum
This is a modern art museum in a striking modern building of sustainably harvested wood, on Atatürk Blv. It is the strongest single contrast to the timber houses around it.
It is open Tuesday to Saturday 10:00-18:00 and Sunday 11:00-18:00. The Museum of Independence is a block east and the Yılmaz Büyükerşen Wax Museum a block northwest, so you can group the three.
5. Museum of Independence
This museum documents the conflict with Greece that became the War of Independence. It is on Arifbey Sk, a block east of the Modern Museum, and is open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-17:00.
Entry is 50 TL for adults and 30 TL for concessions. Pair it with the Museum of the Republic, a block north of the Modern Museum, which covers the founding of the modern republic and is free.
6. Yılmaz Büyükerşen Wax Museum
A collection of wax effigies of Turkish and other public figures, on Atatürk Blv a block northwest of the Modern Museum. It is open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-17:00, and adult entry is 80 TL.
Because it sits so close to the Modern Museum and the Museum of Independence, it fits neatly into the same stretch of your Odunpazarı walk.
7. Museum of Woodworking
This museum holds ornate carvings from around the world, on the north flank of the Kurşunlu Mosque. Opening hours differ from the rest of the complex: Tuesday to Friday 10:00-18:00, and Saturday and Sunday 09:00-18:00.
Check the day before you build it into a tight schedule, since it does not open on the same pattern as the mosque complex itself.
8. Glass Arts Workshop
On the west side of the Kurşunlu Mosque complex, this workshop has displays and demonstrations of modern decorative glass. It is open daily 09:00-17:00.
Since it keeps daily hours while several nearby museums close on Mondays, it is a useful stop if your visit to Odunpazarı falls at the start of the week.
9. Typewriter Museum
A collection of old typewriters amassed by Tayfun Talipoğlu, on Kemal Zeytinoğlu Cd just southwest of the Kurşunlu Mosque. It is open Tuesday to Sunday 09:00-18:00.
It sits on the same street as the Museum of the Republic, so the two can be done in one pass.
10. ETİ Archaeology Museum
On Atatürk Blv, this museum displays local history from the Stone Ages to the Byzantine era. It is open daily 08:00-16:30, with adult entry at 20 TL.
The daily opening makes it a reliable option on a Monday, when much of Odunpazarı is closed. Note the early closing time when you plan your afternoon.
11. Türasaş Museum
A small museum of transport whose prize exhibit is the only surviving Devrim, the first Turkish-manufactured car. Only four hand-crafted prototypes were made and it never went into mass production.
It is on Ahmet Kanatlı Cd, open Tuesday to Friday 10:00-17:00 and Saturday and Sunday 09:00-17:00, with adult entry at 10 TL. It is a short, focused visit rather than a full afternoon.
12. Sazova Park
Five kilometres southwest of downtown, this is a large leisure complex officially called the Science, Culture and Art Park. Within it you will find the Zoo, open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-16:00; Underwater World, the aquarium, open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-17:00; and the Science & Space Centre, open Tuesday to Sunday 08:30-17:30.
The park also holds the Turkish World cultural centre, Esminyatürk with scale models of landmark buildings from Turkic-speaking countries, a Japanese Garden just west of the large parking lot, a Fantastical Castle with games inside, a Pirate Ship open daily 09:00-19:00, and a miniature railway running round the park. Noah's Ark near the castle is closed and derelict as of 2024, so do not plan around it.
13. Kentpark
A park on the banks of the Porsuk River with an artificial beach and a lake. It is 3 km east of the town centre, just south of the bus station, and open free 24 hours.
Love Island is a small bosky island in the Porsuk River 500 m west of Kentpark, reached by a bridge from the south bank. It is a short detour from the park rather than a destination in itself.
14. Karacahisar
Ten kilometres southwest of town, these are the scrappy ruins of a Byzantine hilltop fortress, open 24 hours. It was built or rebuilt around 1175 and soon after fell to the Seljuks or their allies the Germiyanids, before being captured by the Ottomans in 1288.
Odunpazarı Botanik Park sits on the road out to Karacahisar and is open daily 08:00-00:00, so it can be combined with the ruins on the same outing.
15. Seyyid Battal Gazi Tomb
On a hillside at the south edge of Seyitgazi town, 40 km south of Eskişehir, this is a Seljuk-built religious complex dedicated to the folk hero Battal Gazi. It was extended by the Ottomans and consists of a mosque, a madrasa, a dervish lodge and a caravanserai that served traders and pilgrims.
It is a longer trip out of the city, so treat it as a half-day in its own right rather than something to slot between city stops.
16. Yazılı and the Phrygian Valley
Yazılı is a village 27 km south of Seyitgazi and 70 km south of Eskişehir, with rock-cut reliefs in its valley walls. The best of these, just south, is the "Midas Throne" built in the 7th century BC, probably after that king's death. It was also a shrine to the Phrygian mother goddess Cybele.
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. This is the furthest-flung option in this guide and needs a full day.
If you only have one day
Morning. Start in Odunpazarı and walk the cobbled streets of the old town. Begin at the Kurşunlu Mosque complex and work through the Meerschaum Museum, the Glass Arts Workshop and the Museum of Woodworking, all of which sit within or against the complex. If you are there on a Tuesday to Sunday, add the Typewriter Museum just southwest of the mosque.
Afternoon. Stay in Odunpazarı for the Odunpazarı Modern Museum, then the Museum of Independence a block east and the Yılmaz Büyükerşen Wax Museum a block northwest. If you have time left and it is a Monday, when much of Odunpazarı closes, use the afternoon for the ETİ Archaeology Museum instead, which opens daily.
Evening. Head east to Kentpark on the banks of the Porsuk River, which is open free 24 hours, and walk the 500 m west to Love Island by the bridge from the south bank. If you would rather end the day indoors, the Türasaş Museum and its Devrim car is the alternative, though check the day's closing time before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time of year to visit Eskişehir?
The city has cold, snowy winters and warm, dry summers, with rainfall mostly in spring and autumn. Because of the high altitude and dry summers, nightly temperatures in the summer months are cool, so pack for cooler evenings even in midsummer.
What can I do in Eskişehir on a Monday?
Several Odunpazarı museums close on Mondays, including the Cartoon Museum, the Meerschaum Museum, the Typewriter Museum, the Museum of Independence, the Museum of the Republic and the Yılmaz Büyükerşen Wax Museum. The ETİ Archaeology Museum opens daily, as do the Glass Arts Workshop and the Kurşunlu Mosque, so build a Monday around those.
Which sites outside the city are worth the trip?
Karacahisar, 10 km southwest, is a Byzantine hilltop fortress open 24 hours, and Odunpazarı Botanik Park lies on the road out to it. Further south, the Seyyid Battal Gazi Tomb at Seyitgazi is a Seljuk-built complex, and beyond it Yazılı and the Phrygian Valley hold rock-cut reliefs and tombs.
Where can I find traditional Turkish baths?
A dozen traditional hamams are in the streets around Çarşı Mosque, with separate sections for women and men.
Decide which day suits the Odunpazarı museums, set aside a second for the Phrygian Valley, and you have enough to start planning.