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Voykit pocket guide · Türkiye (Turkey)
Sivrihisar
Stop for half a day if you are driving the Eskişehir–Ankara highway: the old town, Grand Mosque and sculpture park fit into 2–3 hours on foot.
Sivrihisar is a small Anatolian town of about 20,000 people on the old Ankara–Eskişehir road, at 1,070 m under a granite ridge. Its 13th-century Grand Mosque, with 67 wooden columns, is listed by UNESCO, and a compact old quarter of stone and timber houses sits around it. Almost no foreign tourists stop here, so it works as a quiet half-day on a road trip, not as a destination in itself.
- Country
- Türkiye (Turkey)
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (hot, dry steppe), Dec–Feb (cold, snow possible at 1,070 m)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- TRY
- Money
- Currency is the Turkish lira (₺, TRY). About ₺56 to €1 in late September 2026 — check; inflation was still in the double digits, so prices rise several times a year.
- Daily spend
- Budget ₺700–1,200 excl. bed (2026 estimate) · Mid ₺1,200–2,000 excl. bed (2026 estimate) · High ₺2,000+ excl. bed (2026 estimate) (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Turkcell, Vodafone and Türk Telekom sell tourist SIMs at airports (passport needed); they are dearer than in town shops — check.
- Emergency
- All emergencies 112
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Standard European two-pin; UK and US plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Lokanta / simple café: Leave the coins or round up.; Sit-down restaurant: 5–10% in cash, even if the card machine does not offer a tip; check for a 'servis' charge first.; Taxi: Round up to the next ₺10–50.; Hamam: 10–15% to the attendant (tellak/natır).; Guide / driver day: €10–20 for a guide, €5–10 for a driver per day.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ₺50–100.
- Water
- Tap water is treated and chlorinated but tastes of it; locals buy bottled or 19-litre dispenser water. Restaurants charge for bottled water.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in hotels, malls and restaurants; squat toilets (alaturka) in older mosques and bus stops. Public toilets (WC) cost ₺10–30 — carry coins or small notes. Most toilets have a bidet spray; paper goes in the bin in older buildings.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or tea in a café | ₺40–80 (2026 estimate) |
| Soup or a simple kebab plate | ₺150–300 (2026 estimate) |
| Beer in a café that serves it | ₺120–200 (2026 estimate) |
| Dolmuş Eskişehir → Sivrihisar, one way | ₺150 |
| MSÖ Air & Space Museum adult ticket | ₺190 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ₺250–600 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- ESB · Ankara Esenboğa
- About 140 km east by the D200/E90 highway; no direct bus to Sivrihisar, so rent a car or take a bus to Polatlı and continue by dolmuş. Access and onward transport: check.About 87 mi east by the D200/E90 highway; no direct bus to Sivrihisar, so rent a car or take a bus to Polatlı and continue by dolmuş. Access and onward transport: check.
Typical fares
- Dolmuş Eskişehir → Sivrihisar
- about ₺150, about 1 h 30 min
- Taxi Sivrihisar old town → Pessinus
- agree the round trip and waiting time before you set off
- MSÖ Air & Space Museum entry
- adult about ₺190
Get around
The old town is compact and walkable in 20–30 minutes end to end. You need a car for Pessinus (16 km south), the MSÖ Air & Space Museum (21 km southwest) and the climbing garden (39 km west); no town bus network covers them. Intercity buses pass on the highway without stopping in town, so plan on a dolmuş from Eskişehir or Polatlı, or your own vehicle.The old town is compact and walkable in 20–30 minutes end to end. You need a car for Pessinus (9.9 mi south), the MSÖ Air & Space Museum (13 mi southwest) and the climbing garden (24 mi west); no town bus network covers them. Intercity buses pass on the highway without stopping in town, so plan on a dolmuş from Eskişehir or Polatlı, or your own vehicle.
See and do
Known for
- Grand Mosque (Ulu Camii), UNESCO listed 2023
- Old town timber and stone houses
- Metin Yurdanur sculpture park
- Gönül Dağı TV series filming location
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Pessinus (Ballıhisar) | Drive or taxi 16 km south off the D200/E90Drive or taxi 9.9 mi south off the D200/E90 | About 1 h 30 min round trip with 45 min on site |
| MSÖ Air & Space Museum (Yeşilköy) | Drive 21 km southwest off the D260Drive 13 mi southwest off the D260 | About 2 h round trip with 1 h inside |
| Nasrettinhoca | Drive 22 km east off the D200/E90Drive 14 mi east off the D200/E90 | About 1 h 30 min round trip |
| Yunusemre village | Drive 44 km north, signposted off the D200/E90Drive 27 mi north, signposted off the D200/E90 | About 2 h 30 min round trip |
| Eskişehir | Drive or dolmuş west on the D200/E90, about 100 kmDrive or dolmuş west on the D200/E90, about 62 mi | About 1 h 30 min by car (check) |
| Afyonkarahisar | Drive south on the D260/E96 | About 2 h by car (check) |
Sleep
- Old town (Ordu Cd and around the Grand Mosque)
- Walkable to the mosque, kilim museum, clock tower and sculpture park; a couple of basic hotels, some with erratic hot water.
- Highway junction (Tansu Çiller Blv)
- Chain-style basic hotels near the D200/E90 junction; convenient for a car, 15–20 min walk from the old town.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Merhabamer-hah-BAH |
| Thank you | Teşekkür ederimteh-shek-KEWR eh-deh-REEM |
| How much is it? | Ne kadar?neh kah-DAR |
| Where is the mosque? | Cami nerede?jah-MEE NEH-reh-deh |
| Can I pay by card? | Kartla ödeyebilir miyim?KART-lah ur-deh-yeh-bee-LEER mee-yeem |
| Where is the toilet? | Tuvalet nerede?too-vah-LET NEH-reh-deh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake; 'Merhaba' (hello) or 'Selamün aleyküm' in conservative areas; cheek kisses between friends of the same sex; avoid: Offering a hand to a conservative woman first — wait for hers
- Mosques: Covered clothing, headscarf for women, shoes in hand, quiet voice; avoid: Walking in front of people praying; visiting during Friday midday prayer
- Hospitality: Accept tea or at least a sip; bring sweets or pastries to a home; avoid: Refusing food repeatedly; showing the soles of your feet
- Politics and history: Listen; let hosts raise it; avoid: Opinions on Atatürk, the Kurdish issue, Armenia or Cyprus with people you just met
- Ramadan: Eat discreetly in conservative towns during the day; avoid: Eating, drinking or smoking in front of fasting people in small towns
- Gestures: A slight upward head nod with a tut means 'no'; avoid: The OK hand sign (can be read as rude) and a thumb between fingers
- Dress in town: Shorts are fine in Istanbul and resorts; longer clothes in the interior and east; avoid: Swimwear away from the beach
- Names: First name plus Bey (men) or Hanım (women): 'Ahmet Bey'; avoid: Using the surname alone
Scams and watch-outs
- Intercity buses do not stop in Sivrihisar; use a dolmuş from Eskişehir or Polatlı, or drive.
- The nearest railway stations are Eskişehir and Polatlı, both on the YHT high-speed line; the line bypasses the town to the north.
- The Armenian church was renovated as an event venue and is usually locked; do not plan a visit around it.
- Pessinus is mostly foundation stones with little signage; go for the setting, not for a reconstructed city.
- Summer afternoons on the steppe are hot and shade is scarce; carry water.
Sivrihisar is a quiet, low-crime town and walking the old town in daylight is unremarkable. The real risks are the unlit rocky ground around the clock tower, stray dogs in the outskirts, and winter ice on the steppe roads.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Sivrihisar yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Grand Mosque (Ulu Camii), UNESCO listed 2023
- Old town timber and stone houses
- Metin Yurdanur sculpture park
- Gönül Dağı TV series filming location
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Sivrihisar Kilim Museum: sivrihisarkilimmuzesi.com/
- MSÖ Air & Space Museum: msomuseum.com/
- Zaimağa Mansion: sivrihisar.com.tr/sivrihisar-zaimoglu-konagi/
- Kaytan Otel: www.kaytanotel.com.tr/
- Pessinus on the Turkish museums portal: muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?sectionId=EPO01&distId=MRK
- Wikivoyage: Sivrihisar, revision 5227421 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5227421
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Sivrihisar
Bu adrese lütfen
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- All emergencies112
No embassies in Sivrihisar; the US, UK and most EU embassies are in Ankara, consulates-general in Istanbul.
Small town: carry cash in small notes, and confirm museum and mosque opening hours locally before you drive out.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/sivrihisar). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.