ETİ Underwater World
An aquarium of some 123 species where stingrays glide past the glass at eye level - the part children remember above all else.
Honacan — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Eskisehir Hayvanat Bahçesi — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Eskisehir Hayvanat Bahçesi — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Eskizoo — CC BY-SA 4.0
A biscuit company paid for the aquarium. ETİ, Turkey's best-known biscuit brand and a proud child of Eskişehir, funded the 'ETİ Underwater World' in 2014, and the municipality then wrapped a full zoo around it, opening in April 2017 on roughly 58,000 m² inside Sazova Science, Culture and Art Park. The result is a relatively small zoo but a modern one: glass panels and moats instead of cage bars, flat paved paths, and a layout that tells the story of biodiversity from mammals through reptiles to insects, with around 240 species, 123 of them in the aquarium alone. The stars are unexpected ones: meerkat clans standing sentry on their hind legs, capybaras regarding visitors with total indifference, Australian wallabies, and an enclosed tropical house for birds, frogs and spiders when the weather outside turns bitter. The aquarium deserves half an hour by itself, with big tanks where stingrays glide past the glass at eye level - the part children remember. Within the walls there is also a hushed 27,000 m² Japanese garden of ponds and little bridges, a good place to catch your breath away from the noise. This is a municipal zoo, so prices are in lira and there is no separate foreigner tariff: 270 TL for adults and 130 TL for students, aquarium included. It is closed on Mondays and open the other six days from 10:00 to 18:00; arrive before 16:00 or you will find many of the animals have retreated indoors for the night. In August Eskişehir is hot and dry, so go early and duck into the air-conditioned aquarium when the sun bites. In winter it snows here, fewer animals venture out, and the tropical house and aquarium are what remain genuinely enjoyable. To be frank: anyone who knows the great zoos of Europe or Dubai will find this one modest in scale, and ninety minutes covers it. Its real value is as one piece of a full free day in Sazova Park alongside the Fairy-Tale Castle, the science centre and the park lake, which turns a day in Eskişehir with children from a stroll into a small festival. Pushchairs roll easily, benches and shade are plentiful, and outside Turkish school holidays you will rarely meet a crowd.
An aquarium of some 123 species where stingrays glide past the glass at eye level - the part children remember above all else.
Small animals with big personalities behind glass and moats rather than bars, an arm's length from the visitor.
Ponds, little bridges and real quiet in one corner of the grounds - a place for a short rest between sections.
Sazova Park, Ulusal Egemenlik Bulvarı 209, Tepebaşı
On its own, no - it is a modest zoo that ninety minutes covers. With children and as part of a full day in Sazova Park with the Fairy-Tale Castle and the science centre, yes, especially since the aquarium is included in the ticket and the park itself is free.
In summer arrive at 10:00, finish the outdoor loop before noon and retreat to the air-conditioned aquarium. In winter it snows and many animals stay indoors, so the aquarium and tropical house become the main event, and hours may be shorter.
