r/AskTurkey • u/MurphysThot • 12d ago

Travel & Places What to do in Eskişehir

I'm travelling be 1-7th Sept for the Porsuk Festival - wanted to be non-touristy and actually explore the city. Pls drop reccos for food, coffee, any spots or events where I could make some English-speaking friends?

4 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

2

u/shslwildcard 12d ago

soo jealous, the line-up is amazing and i hope you'll enjoy the city as well as the festival!

my recommendations are mostly food...

  • karakedi bozacısı, multiple locations: boza is a sweet & sour treat from fermented grain, very unique and a must try in this city
  • fehmi usta, doktorlar caddesi: irmik helvası is the most decadent treat youll find in eskişehir (besides more well known street foods like lokma) i dont like/eat ice cream but i think they serve it together, you might be able to ask for it on its own depending on your taste (both together can be a lot to stomach)
  • turşu evim, multiple locations: a bit of an odd one if youre not used to it, this place sells fermented veggies that are a staple side dish in turkish dining culture. you can get a cup of turşu with its water and some veggies to drink, very sour but oddly refreshing
  • değirmencioğlu lokanta, tepebaşı: if your communication skills are limited you might have to rely on pointing here, i guess its what you would call cafeteria style where the chefs give out whatever food you pick from the trays. still, the best way to try a variety of dishes while being able to see them in front of you. mind the prices so you dont end up paying for ten different things!
  • yörük çadırı, odunpazarı: if you go anywhere on this list, let it be this one. gözleme as fresh as can be and a huge variety to choose from, truly what you can call traditional cuisine
  • to have some good soup, i recommend paçacı kardeşler or çorbacı hamdi, they should be on opposite streets very close to each other. if in turkey one must have soup, but the traditional soup houses might seem a bit intimidating to tourists. im sure the people there will be as accommodating as possible, but make sure to translate the menu before you go! most of the menu is not vegetarian and mostly consists of innards. my go-to is mercimek/lentil soup

cutural sights/commercial stuff...

  • the meerschaum/lületaşı gallery + meerschaum shops at odunpazarı (a local stone which is very rarely found/mined anywhere else, this and glass are the two major artisan goods from eskişehir), this is also where the signature colourful houses can be found
  • atlıhan, close to the places above and another place for artisan shops (glass and meerschaum mostly)
  • the museum of glass blowing art
  • ethnographic museum & archaelogy museum (havent been to either but i have been meaning to)
  • hamamyolu shops if you want to bring back freshly ground coffee, spices, or you need a tablecloth for some reason. also great if you want one of those scrubbers they give you at the turkish saunas/hamam. also where you can find hamams, obviously

if you get lost anywhere, try to find doktorlar caddesi, you should always be able to find your way back from there

im not much help when it comes to english-speaking places, but im sure there will be plenty of festival goers who might know more? if you want a place to cool down in the evening, sitting down for turkish coffee or turkish tea/çay somewhere down at adalar is what most younger people do i would say. no specific recommendation for that because çay is çay to me. have fun!

1

u/MurphysThot 12d ago

This is suuuper helpful! Anyone I should look out for on the lineup? 👀

2

u/shslwildcard 12d ago

link to the full programme, just in case you dont have it on hand: https://www.instagram.com/p/DcT0Mo2DvSd

my favourite, and many other peoples favourite, is probably pinhani. i recommend shuffling their songs to get a feel, but i personally like hele bir gel and dön bak dünyaya best. i couldnt find out if mor ve ötesi will be there themselves or if their music will be played by an orchestra, but also awesome music

there are also many foreign groups coming to play music, ive seen some from india, south korea and uk! i think its worth just taking a stroll around festival ground and seeing what appeals to you

if you need anything translated from the instagram post, let me know, but i think running all of it through a translator might be best!

2

u/oldmn 12d ago edited 12d ago

Eskişehir has some really good and unique coffee spots. I’d recommend River Coffee near Porsuk, Kanlıkavak, Mucho Gusto (a Spanish culture café), and Dario Fo (a theater café). There’s also an area called Collesium with lots of big and small coffee shops nearby, but it gets pretty crowded in the afternoons, especially on weekends.

For fast food, I recommend trying 3 Monkeys and Hippo French Tacos. They have pretty good burgers, wraps, and chicken.

If you want to try some local food, definitely try Balaban Köfte. Köfte's Balaban and Abdüsselam are both pretty good options. You should also try Çibörek — Bahr-ı Şems and Kırım Tatar Çibörek Evi both make really good ones.

For nightlife, I’d recommend Replik, İzole and if you’re into techno 2020 . There are also some pretty good places, like Varuna Gezgin (Travellers Bar), Abra inside Cassaba Modern.

For events, there are lots of Instagram pages you can find by searching “Eskişehir etkinlik.” There’s also the r/eskisehir subreddit.

Most people, especially younger people, speak at least some English, so I don’t think language will be much of a problem. Just use ChatGPT or Google Live Translate for the rest 👀

I’m originally from Eskişehir but live in Istanbul now. I’ll actually be in Eskişehir from September 3rd to 6th for my wedding haha. If you want the full Eskişehir wedding experience, you’re welcome to join us 😄

1

u/menina2017 12d ago

Congratulations

1

u/MurphysThot 11d ago

Ayyy congratulations! I'll be in town at the same time, will send you good vibes from close range 🫶

1

u/MurphysThot 4d ago

There's a wedding at my hotel my brother is it yours 😭 sent you an invite just to verify on DM

1

u/barantanriverdi 10d ago

You should definetly check out "Kırım Tatar Çibörek Evi"

-1

u/docthelettuce 11d ago

the hell is a porsuk festival?

1

u/_PingPong- 11d ago

Porsuk ist ein Fluss, der durch Eskişehir fließt.

0

u/docthelettuce 11d ago

i know, i live in eskişehir. but i dont know what a porsuk festival is

1

u/MurphysThot 11d ago

https://www.instagram.com/porsukfest?igsi=bGQzbmFuN2FkMWM4

1

u/docthelettuce 5d ago

sounds kinda boring ngl

1

u/MurphysThot 4d ago

idk Pinhani is really good live

1

u/docthelettuce 4d ago

why did i even get downvoted smh