Turkey Traveller

Black Cat Coffee came highly recommended to me as the best coffee in  Eskişehir and certainly didn't  disappoint . At first glance Black Cat Coffee is a fairly ramshackle affair in an endearing kind of way that adds to its charm. Its back street location a little away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre is refreshing as you can sit on a  relatively quiet pavement, chatting and smoking undisturbed.  The coffee house is filled with a collection of random objects and mismatched furniture that suggests that its primary purpose is the serving of quality coffee. The staff are relaxed and friendly and the service is unhurried in a good way, the coffee itself is superb with a decent selection of coffee beans from around the world, e ach cupful of coffee is freshly ground just before it's served (apparently this is where the magic lies).  Price wise it is also well worth a visit at just 5TL for a latte. Located in  Eskibağlar mahallesi Bayd...

 More about Eskisehir: Eskisehir Sivrihisar Yazilikaya Platform/Midas City .

Eskisehir is a city I return to on a regular basis, and I consider it my home city in Turkey, over the last decade or so it has undergone a huge amount of change and positive development. Every time we return there is something new, improved or restored mostly due to the vision of one man Mayor Yılmaz Büyükerşen. This video by heritage heroes recognises his achievements in this role. The Mayor has said he wants Eskisehir to be a role model for other Anatolian Cities, something he has undoubtedly achieved, every time you tell another Turk you are from Eskisehir they immediately all most always comment on how beautiful and successful the city is …. ah Eskişehir cok guzel demi? More about Eskisehir Eskisehir Sivrihisar Yazilikaya Platform/Midas City

İnönü is a small township in Eskişehir Province, it was also the location of the İnönü headquarters building an important strategic centre in the two battles of İnönü, part of the Turkish War of independence. Recently the old Ottoman style İnönü headquarters building has been restored and turned into a war museum, so knowing this my wife and I decided to go and have a look one winter’s day. Arriving in İnönü it was easy to find İnönü, is small and the locals were friendly enough to give us directions, typically upon arrival at the museum we found it locked. It crossed my mind that it may have closed for lunch, so again we asked some locals who told us that it’s always locked and you have to get the key from the post office. The post master looked absolutely baffled “you want the key for the museum? You do realise this is the post office?” After a few more locals were pulled into the confusion a debate ensued and after some time it was agreed we should go to the municipal building, ano...

Sivrihisar (meaning pointed castle) is a charming little town in Eskişehir Province, the name is derived from the ruins of Sivrihisar castle and the pointed rocky granite hills that surround the town on three sides.The town has a long history and has been occupied by the Hittites, Phrygians, Seljuks and Ottomans. Sivrihisar has many beautiful (and some decaying) Ottoman houses and haphazard twisty roads. Like many other parts of Eskişehir Province recent times have allowed for some renovations so some of the Ottoman house have been recently restored to very high standard. The town is quiet and has an air of sleepiness about it as if no one is in much of a hurry, the centre usually has a few locals hanging around swopping pleasantries who are likely to show friendly curiosity in any visiting strangers. Sivrihisar is famed for its beautiful kilim rugs although you are unlikely to be able to buy one in the town, although I understand it is possible to buy new ones in one of the nearby vi...

The Yazılıkaya Platform also known as Midas city is in the county of Eskişehir in the Yazılıkaya (written rock) village, maps of the area marked with all the areas of cultural and historical interest in Eskişehir are available at the Eskişehir tourist information centre. The Yazılıkaya platform was first occupied by man in the early Bronze Age, there are considerable archaeological remains from the Hittite period and the whole platform is like a preserved Phrygian settlement. The Phrygians occupied the area after the decline of the Hittite empire and the Yazılıkaya Platform is thought to be the 7th century BC religious centre of the Phrygian culture. On the site there are approximately 33 ruins from the Phrygian period including the Midas monument (a monument built to the goddess Cybele at the behest of King Midas), Phrygian rock tombs, altars, ancient roads, fountains, gigantic underground cisterns, rock thrones, Phrygian monuments, inscriptions and a massive stone fortress. The Mi...

Eskişehir (meaning old city) is located on the banks of the river Porsuk in north-western Turkey in Eskişehir province on the main road and rail route between Ankara and Istanbul. Eskişehir is currently largely ignored by western tourists (although has a thriving tourist industry of visitors coming from the east) presumably due to its landlocked location and sometimes harsh climatical conditions. However Eskişehir is truly one of the gems of central Turkey, the city itself is very modern and beautiful and offers a range of eateries, shopping destinations, Turkish baths, nargile houses, museums and Ottoman architecture. The two universities give the cosmopolitan city a lively and youthful vibe; it’s a fantastic destination for foodies as the quality of the restaurants here is very high. The city has a few local delicacies including helva, boza and my personal favourite çiğ börek, a fine pastry mixture filled with ground meat, spices and onions then pan fried in hot oil and chased down ...