Sazova Park

Sazova is the product of a municipal building programme that gave Eskişehir a reputation among Turkish families as the most child-friendly city in the country. The park, opened by the metropolitan municipality in 2008, covers some 40 hectares west of the centre beside the city stadium and holds, in no particular logic, a fairy-tale castle with turrets and a small dragon, a full-size wooden pirate ship on an artificial lake with paddle boats, a science and experiment centre with hands-on exhibits and a planetarium, a small zoo and aquarium, a Japanese garden with a teahouse and koi pond, Esminiatürk with its one-to-twenty-five models of historic buildings, a miniature railway, an amphitheatre, gardens and long walking paths. Attractions are ticketed individually and cheaply; the grounds themselves are free and used as an ordinary city park by people walking dogs and running. It makes no claim to authenticity or subtlety - the castle is a castle because children like castles - and it does what it sets out to do very well.

What to look for

• The fairy-tale castle - turrets and dragon on the lake.
• The pirate ship - the full-size wooden vessel on the water.
• The science centre - hands-on exhibits and planetarium.
• The Japanese garden - teahouse, bridges and koi pond.

When to go

April to June and September to October. Weekday mornings during term time are quiet; weekends and school holidays fill it completely.

Before you go

It is built for children and adults without them will find an hour enough. Attractions are ticketed separately and queue at weekends. Nothing here is historic or authentic, by design.

Nearby

Odunpazarı's old quarter and the OMM are in the city centre; the Porsuk canal boats run through it.

Key facts