Experience in Eskisehir, Turkey by Asli

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What is it like to live in Eskisehir? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

Eskisehir isn't the biggest city in Turkey but it is one of the most comfortable ones for students. There are two universities, people are open-minded and welcoming, you can walk everywhere also you can use the tram to go everywhere, renting changes from place to place but the safest places don't cost much, however, student areas near the universities cost a little higher. Eskisehir is my home town but I wish I went to university there, it's the best city for being a student after Istanbul.

What is the student lifestyle like in Eskisehir?

There are a lot of places for hanging out alone or with friends, Adalar is the best area for eating cheap and good. The weather is a little cold in winter like Prague or maybe even colder than that, and in summer, mornings are pretty hot like Italy but in the evenings you have to wear a light jacket. Eskisehir isn't like other small cities in Turkey, it is modern, not very old, has parks, trust me, most of the Turkish cities are compile of grey concrete buildings so you would be lucky. It has missings of course, but Eskisehir is a small European city. Just don't kissings in public, it's inappropriate for Turkish traditions.

How much does it cost to live in Eskisehir?

You can pay approximately 350-450 liras for rent and bills per person with two or three mates for a month (1 euro is equal to 4 Turkish liras lately). If you eat outside every evening it might cost 20-30 liras a day max., in most of student places the highest costed meal is 15-20 liras and for lunch, universities have halls in there two or three types of Turkish meals cost 3-5 liras a day. I don't know their quality but if it went bad students call it out so you would know.

Is it difficult to find accommodation in Eskisehir? Is there any advice you can give?

You might search your department's Facebook page to reach people to be flatmates with, most of the students stay in rented houses so you can find people in there easily. There are always available houses around universities you can find them from Turkish web pages like Sahibinden but you might need a Turkish person to translate. Büyükdere and Akarbaşi are fine locations for Osmangazi University and for Anadolu University you might search for Bağlar street.

What is the food like? What are your favourite dishes?

You can taste really good traditional Turkish meals like Çibörek - çiğbörek which is fried dough with meat or potatoes in it, Manti which is like ravioli but with meat, kebab and Lahmacun are all known already. There are mini places with homemade meals and they are really cheap but you have to ask local students to find most of them because they are located around Dershaneler street where high school kids go after school for those courses. I like Çigbörek most but it's not a dish for every day, I mean it's heavy because it's fried. You can also find a very large fast-food variety in almost every cafe. I recommend Los amigos cafe or there is a yellow building with a really cool cafe in it but I forgot the name. That cafe is a little expensive than others but it has really good dishes and beers variety.

What places would you recommend visiting in Eskisehir?

Sazova park and Kent park are the main parks in Eskisehir but if you love walks in nature you should go to Kent Ormani but with one or two friends and not at nights. I mean nothing terrifying happens, but still safety first, there might be one or two local drunks at night.

Odunpazari is the oldest place in Eskisehir and there are few museums in there now, the famous architect Kengo Kuma has also built one modern art museum there but is not completed yet. These are pretty much everything in the city center. If you want to see more of Eskisehir you should search for local tours for Seyitgazi and Yazilikaya.

Is it good to eat out in Eskisehir? Can you tell us your favourite spots?

There are a lot of cafes that serve burgers, pizzas and pastas, almost all of them are cheap and tasty. If you want to go restaurants there are only Turkish meals, they are also not too expensive, you should try Karafirin an open-air fish restaurant, but go there with friends. In summer, if you go there early you can also have breakfast. My favourite one is a local burger place, Pino, it's really good and it has 3 or 4 locals around the city, all of them equally tasty.

Is the nightlife good in Eskisehir? Where is good to go?

There are few clubs but since I'm not in Eskisehir most of my time and I'm not a club lover, I don't know them well. Park 222 is the oldest one I guess, but there is a pub in Barlar Street, Peyote pub has a nice back garden and a small concert saloon where is nice to sit and talk and have a beer.

What advice would you give future students heading to Eskisehir?

If you like to be in a small but functional city you should choose Eskisehir among the other cities. Istanbul is chaotic, and Ankara is grey. I have never been to Izmir, it's nice I guess, but these cities never be just for students. Eskisehir is all about student life and culture.

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