Antakya travel guide

Antakya, Turkey

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Antakya

Introduction

Antakya, the Turkish form of Antioch, is the capital district of Hatay Province in Turkey. It sits in the country's southernmost region, in a well-watered and fertile valley on the Orontes River, roughly 20 kilometres from the Levantine Sea.

Before you go

Antakya is a city with a deep and layered past, and knowing a little of that history will shape what you notice on the ground. Seleucus I Nicator, a general under Alexander the Great, founded the city and made it the capital of his Seleucid Empire; the Romans later treated it as a major metropolis, surpassing Alexandria. It was here, around 42 AD, that Barnabas brought Saul of Tarsus and the two preached to gentiles directly, so that the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. The city has since passed through Arab dynasties, the Byzantines and Seljuks, and the Ottomans from 1516, and it has always been more Syrian than Turkish - which is why, after the First World War, Antioch and the province of Hatay fell under French control of Syria before Hatay briefly became an independent state and was then ceded to Turkey. The setting itself demands respect. The River Orontes, now the Asi, made the land fertile but repeatedly flooded the city and silted up its port, and earthquakes in 526 and 528 wrecked that port too; the sea now lies almost 30 km away. Antakya sits on the active Dead Sea fault line near the meeting point of two other faults, and a major earthquake struck in 2023. Plan your trip with that in mind, and check current conditions before you travel.

Getting there

Hatay Airport (HTY) is 25 km north of the centre, with Turkish Airlines flying several times daily from both Istanbul airports and once a day from Ankara, and Pegasus also serving Istanbul. There are no international flights, so you'll connect through Istanbul. The airport was patched up after the earthquake and has only basic facilities. A Havas bus is supposed to meet flights and run downtown to İnönü Cd, near the main square and Hacı Durmuş bridge, taking about an hour — but don't count on it; otherwise look for a dolmuş or taxi. By bus, services from Istanbul run every couple of hours and take around 14 hours via Ankara, Niğde, Adana and Iskenderun; buses no longer run from Beirut or Aleppo. Lines include Metro Turizm, Kamil Koç (now part of Flixbus) and Has Turizm, and when booking online you must select "Hatay" as the destination, since bus websites don't recognise "Antakya". Antakya Otogarı, the intercity bus station, sits on the bypass 5 km northwest of the centre; it was badly damaged by the earthquake and has makeshift facilities, with dolmuşes running downtown. The nearest railway station is in Iskenderun, but trains from Adana and Mersin remain suspended because of track works. By road, from Istanbul or Ankara take the toll motorway to Adana, then O-52 east onto E91, a fast divided highway that joins D817 south of İskenderun and twists over Belen Pass through the Amanos Mountains to D825. A scenic alternative follows the coast south from İskenderun via Arsuz, Çevlik and Samandağ, then D420 east to Antakya. From Gaziantep, take D400 or the O-52 toll road west to Nurdağı to join D825, or go south on D850 to Kilis and follow D410 along the Syrian border to D825. From Syria, Highway 1 from Latakia reaches the Yayladağı border post, becoming E91/D825, while the M45 from Aleppo meets the Cilvegözü post and becomes D420; sort your personal and vehicle documents in advance.

Getting around

The centre of Antakya is compact and walkable, with the old city on the east bank of the Orontes River and newer neighbourhoods spreading across the plains to the south-west, linked by four bridges. Kurtuluş Caddesi, the large park opposite the governor's building, and the surrounding shopping and business district are all within easy reach on foot, though the narrow old-city streets can clog with traffic. In the summer heat, locals tend to stay out late into the night, walking with family and friends. Some sights lie well beyond the walkable core: the Church of St Peter is several kilometres north-east, and the route passes through industrial areas with little shade, so take a dolmuş or taxi rather than walking in hot weather.

Where to stay

Most of Antakya's accommodation clusters along and just off Kurtuluş Caddesi, where you'll find a dense run of small hotels within a couple of minutes of each other. Luwi Antakya Hotel is a comfy, welcoming base on Kurtuluş Cd, and several others sit practically on its doorstep: Tetrapole is directly opposite on Leylek Sk, Çankaya Konakları Otel and Affan Hotel are a short walk south and north respectively, and Maison Gali and Le Reve Hotel are both within a few minutes on foot. Le Reve is a smart, clean central option, while Sam Frans Otel occupies a charming 19th-century building further along the same street.

Elsewhere in the centre, Hotel Mozaik sits above Sultan Sofrası on İstiklal Caddesi and is known for very clean rooms, and Antakya Otel offers a smart, central stay just off the same avenue. For something unusual, the Museum Hotel is built within the Necmi Asfuroglu Museum, perched on top of Roman ruins discovered during construction. If you're driving, the bypass to the north has practical choices: Artes Hotel is an efficient place convenient for motorists, and Some Hotel offers modern chalets at the north end of the bypass.

Food & drink

Antakya's table reflects its Arab-influenced heritage alongside familiar Turkish staples. You'll find humus and tahini served here, and künefe, a shredded pastry with cheese melted inside. For a sit-down meal, the city centre has restaurants including Serenat on Gazipaşa Cd, Antik Han Plaza on Uzun Çarşı Cd, Gariban Kebap on Küçük Sanayi Cd, Ahmet Usta'nin Yeri on Abdurrahman Melek Cd, and Pöç Kasap on İzzet Güçlü Cd. Note that the Fish Market area and the eating strip along Hürriyet Cd were utterly destroyed. Restaurants and cafes serve alcohol. Before the earthquake Antakya had several free-standing bars; almost all were lost, but one survivor is Antiocha Bar on 6th Sk, a block west of the Şükrü Güçlü Blv bridge, open daily.

What to see and do

Start at Cumhuriyet Meydanı, the roundabout at the heart of town, where the Atatürk statue is back on its central plinth even as the surrounding civic buildings remain a gritty work in progress. The Council for Culture and Arts Center has been rebuilt on the north side, on the site of the former Assembly of the short-lived Hatay state. From there, Ata Bridge carries you across the River Orontes, and Büyük Antakya Parkı, also known as Atatürk Park, offers a peaceful, bosky stretch of riverside to wander at any hour. Kurtuluş Cd, the old spine of the city overlying the Roman colonnades of Herod Street, runs north and south from Habib-i Nejjar Mosque; many of its historic buildings collapsed in 2023, and though a facade survives here and there, crumbling walls and rubble underfoot make it a sad sight. The mosque itself has been rebuilt after repeated earthquake damage, standing on a site that has served as pagan temple, early Christian church and one of the region's first mosques, with the tomb of Habib Al-Najjar in its basement.

For the city's deeper past, head to the Necmi Asfuroğlu Archaeological Museum, built beneath a hotel mounted on steel pillars after ancient Antioch was found during construction: you can see an ancient road pavement, a ruined bathhouse and Roman floor mosaics. The Church of Saint Peter, a cave recessing into a cliff face with a Crusader-era stone façade, is one of Christianity's oldest churches, and the 4-m rock relief of Charon, boatman of the Styx, sits on the hillside 300 m north. Further out you'll find the ruins of the Iron Gate dam, the Monastery of Saint Simeon with its surviving pillar base and hilltop views, the Armenian village of Vakıflı, the Alawite shrine of Hz Hızır Türbesi, and the Roman engineering of the Titus Tunnel at Çevlik, with the Beşikli Mağara necropolis nearby. South of the centre, Harbiye has laurel groves and waterfalls, while Koz Castle, Şenköy and the Altınözü Necropolis reward those willing to venture further. Note that the Hatay Archaeological Museum, home to a brilliant collection of classical mosaics, coins and sarcophagi, is temporarily closed for repairs.

When to go

Antakya has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. Because the city sits at a higher altitude than the nearby coast, it stays cooler than the seaside towns, and cold snaps are possible in winter.

Three days in Antakya

Day one: Base yourself in Antakya, the city at the heart of Hatay Province in Turkey, and spend your first hours getting your bearings along the Orontes River, known locally as the Asi. The river runs through the city on its way toward the Levantine Sea, and its banks give you an easy orientation point. Antakya is the modern continuation of Antioch, founded by Seleucus Nicator in the wake of Alexander the Great's conquests and later a major centre of the Seleucid Empire, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Seljuks and the Ottomans. As you walk, keep that layering in mind: this is a place where each of those powers left its mark on the street pattern and the skyline.

Day two: Turn to the city's religious history. Antioch was an early centre of Christianity, where Barnabas and Saul of Tarsus are associated with the first followers to be called Christians. Spend the day tracing that heritage through Antakya's places of worship and its older quarters, and let the city's Syrian and Turkish character shape your meals and breaks. The Arab period and the later French mandate after the First World War both left their imprint on Hatay, and you can read that mix in the architecture and the everyday life around you.

Day three: Use your last day to look beyond the centre. Antakya sits in Hatay Province, close to the Syrian border, and the surrounding landscape is worth a slower look before you leave. When it is time to go, Hatay Airport (HTY) serves the city, with Turkish Airlines and Pegasus connecting it to Istanbul and Ankara. Allow time to travel from the centre to the airport, and plan your departure so you are not rushed.

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