The artificial beach
350 metres of real sand on the Porsuk riverbank, with loungers, umbrellas and an Olympic pool, open in summer only.
Sinan Şahin — CC BY 3.0 · Sinan Şahin — CC BY 3.0 · Raicem — CC0 · Spigidbe83 — CC BY-SA 3.0
Turkey's first artificial beach is nowhere near the sea. It lies on the bank of the Porsuk river in a landlocked university town roughly three hours' drive from the nearest coast: 350 metres of real sand, trucked in and laid along the water, with loungers, umbrellas and an Olympic pool behind it, all inside a municipal park of some 270,000 square metres between the bus terminal and the Gökmeydan district east of the centre. It is more charming than spectacular, but it captures something about Eskişehir - a city whose municipality decided its people deserved a beach and simply built one. Away from the sand, Kentpark is a large, well-kept city park: a 20,000-square-metre lake with an island in the middle, rose gardens, a riding ring offering short horse rides, sports pitches, playgrounds and waterside cafés and restaurants. The paths are paved and flat, so pushchairs roll everywhere, and entry to the park itself is free at all hours. Only the beach and the pool charge, and only in season. They normally run from early summer to its end, 10:00 to 18:00, closed on Mondays for maintenance. In 2026 a full renovation pushed the opening back to 6 August, so ask before you count on it. Prices for foreign visitors are not token: 1,200 TL for the beach and 1,650 TL for the Olympic pool, three times what Turkish citizens pay; children up to six go free. The municipality has announced no women-only or family sessions. Our honest verdict: in July or August with children who want water, the beach fills a hot afternoon very well - Gulf visitors will not be impressed by the sand, but the children will not care. In spring, autumn or winter it is a pleasant riverside park for an hour's stroll, no more, and Odunpazarı's old quarter and Sazova park deserve your time first. Reach it by tram towards the otogar (bus terminal) or by a taxi of under ten minutes from the centre.
350 metres of real sand on the Porsuk riverbank, with loungers, umbrellas and an Olympic pool, open in summer only.
A 20,000-square-metre lake with an island at its heart, ringed by rose gardens and waterside cafés - free to wander.
Short horse rides, plus sports pitches and play areas that turn the park into a full family afternoon.
Sivrihisar-2 Caddesi, Şeker Mahallesi, Tepebaşı
If you come from the Gulf or the Levantine coast, no - it is sand on a riverbank, not a sea, and the price is steep for what you get. The exception is a family with children on a July or August afternoon with no other plan for water: then it buys a relaxed afternoon, especially as under-sixes enter free.
As a free riverside stroll, yes, for an hour or so: the lake, rose gardens and cafés stay open all year. But do not make it a main stop - the beach and pool are closed from autumn until early summer, and Odunpazarı and Sazova park deserve your time first.