Darıca is a municipality and district located in the Kocaeli Province of Turkey. It covers a total area of 23 km² and had a population of 225,602 as of 2022. The current mayor of the district is Muzaffer Bıyık.
Historically, the town was known by its native Greek population as Aretsou (Αρετσού). It serves as a populated administrative area within the Kocaeli region.