😊Smileys
Smileys members in Eskişehir
Smileys Eskişehir

International & Erasmus students in Eskişehir

You're here. Now make it count.

Smileys helps international students experience Eskişehir, meet people outside their campus and build a social life early — alongside members from all over the world and locals.

Join Smileys EskişehirSee upcoming events

Your first week in Eskişehir

Five steps, roughly in this order — save this page before you fly.

  1. Get connected

    A working phone number first: maps, banking codes and every group chat depend on it.

    SIM and mobile internet

  2. Learn the city

    Get a transport card, work out your commute, and save the emergency number before you need it.

    Transport card and getting around Emergency numbers Scams and staying safe

  3. Eat and explore

    Spend your first free afternoons finding out what Eskişehir is like — much of it costs little or nothing.

    Foodie

  4. Meet people

    Pick one event and go — plenty of people come on their own.

    See upcoming events

  5. Find your rhythm

    Something every week is how acquaintances become friends. Find a regular activity, and the part of the city that suits you.

    Neighbourhoods Clubs

Your semester, stage by stage

A semester goes faster than it looks from week one. What to do when.

  1. Before arrival

    Check how long you can stay, and ask your university’s international office what your programme needs for a residence permit — and whether it has an ESN (Erasmus Student Network) section.

    Entry rules and stay limits How residence permits work

  2. Welcome week

    Get in from the airport, get a SIM and a transport card, and go to one event on your own.

    Your first week, step by step

  3. First month

    Go back to something you liked the first time. Join a club or a weekly activity — the faces you see every week become your friends.

    Eskişehir clubs

  4. Make the most of it

    Try the parts of Eskişehir that aren’t on the first-week list, and bring a classmate to something new.

    Slow days

Your first event

Nothing is marked first-timer friendly right now — here is everything on in Eskişehir.

See every upcoming event in Eskişehir

Explore Eskişehir

Experiences from the Eskişehir Guide, by what you're in the mood for.

Find your neighbourhood

The practical side

From the Eskişehir Handbook.

Start here

Eskart: One Card for Eskişehir’s Trams and Buses

Eskişehir’s Eskart works on ESTRAM trams and city buses, with discounted transfers within 60 minutes — physical or virtual in the Estram Mobil app. Plus the online top-up delay, student cards, the tram lines, and getting here from Istanbul by YHT.

Practical guidance, not legal advice. Residence permits and other paperwork depend on your nationality and your programme, and the rules change — your university's international office and the official sources each guide links to are where to confirm your own case.

Who you'll meet at the door

Members run every event and club in Eskişehir. These are some of the hosts — say hello, they'll introduce you.

Nate

City LeadLeads the city
Coffee & Conversation New in Eskişehir Social Eskişehir
How hosting works

Before you join

  • International students — Erasmus, exchange or a full degree — are welcome. You apply like anyone else, with no university details asked.
  • Anyone can browse this page, the events calendar, the Guide and the Handbook. Members can RSVP, join clubs and meet other members; some events are for members only, and their cards say so.
  • Joining is free. You only pay for events you choose, and the price is on every event before you RSVP.
  • A person reads every application, within 24–48 hours — it keeps events safe to walk into on your own. The form explains why it asks for each detail, and your phone number is never shown publicly. Privacy policy.

Questions students ask

Can Erasmus and exchange students join Smileys?

Yes. Erasmus, exchange and full-degree students are all welcome. You apply like anyone else, and no university details are asked.

Is it free?

Joining is free. You only pay for events you choose, and the price is on every event before you RSVP.

Do I need to speak the local language?

No. Every event shows the language it runs in, and most events in Eskişehir are in English.

Can I go to an event on my own?

Yes — plenty of people do. Events marked first-timer friendly are the ones picked as easy to come to alone.

Is this instead of my university’s Erasmus network?

No. Smileys sits alongside your university’s international office and student networks such as ESN — it is for the people and plans beyond campus.

Meet people beyond campus.

Make your semester in Eskişehir more than lectures.

Join Smileys EskişehirSee upcoming events