Antakya (Hatay, Antioch), Turkey

Roman mosaic in the
Antakya Museum.

Antakya (Hatay), at the eastern end of Turkey's Mediterranean coast (map), is the biblical city of Antioch ad Orontes, where St Peter is said to have preached in a cave-church belonging to St Luke.

The church is still there. You can visit it.

Unless you're traveling to or from Syria, Antakya (ahn-TAHK-yah, also called Hatay) is a detour, requiring a trip south over the Belen Pass (740 meters, 2428 feet) but the mosaics from the Roman suburb of Daphne (now called Harbiye) in the Antakya Archeological Museum are worth the trip.

When I first visited Antakya 30+ years ago, there were no comfortable hotels. Now, I'm happy to say, there are several, including a Dedeman, and a historic inn called The Liwan Hotel.

While you're in the area you might want to take a side trip to Samandag (Seleucia ad Piera), 29 km (18 miles) SW on the Mediterranean (map), for a swim, especially since Antakya is usually very hot and dry (see When to Go for more.)

Antakya is not served by train. The nearest train station is at Osmaniye; Adana is a major rail junction.

Most buses from Aegean, Mediterranean and Central Turkey come via Adana.

The Hatay Airport (HTY), 19 km north of Antakya at Serinyol (map), is closest, but has fewer flights than does Adana's Sakirpasa Airport.

By the way, the province of Hatay, of which Antakya is the capital, was part of Ottoman Syria and, after World War I, part of French Mandate Syria, but joined the Turkish Republic by plebiscite just before World War II. There's more about this in my humorous travel memoir, Turkey: Bright Sun, Strong Tea, in this excerpt.

Distances & Travel Times

Adana: 190 km (118 miles) NW, 3 hours

Adiyaman: 321 km (200 miles) NE, 6 hours

Ankara: 680 km (423 miles) NW, 12 hours

Gaziantep: 200 km (124 miles) SW, 4 hours

Iskenderun: 58 km (36 miles) N, 1 hour

Istanbul: 1130 km (702 miles) NW, 18 hours

Kahramanmaras: 180 km (112 miles) N, 3.25 hours

Osmaniye: 115 km (72 miles) N, 2 hours

Sanliurfa: 345 km (214 miles) NE, 6.5 hours

Tarsus: 230 km (143 miles) NW, 3.5 hours

Mediterranean Turkey

Southeastern Turkey

Where to Go

TTP Homepage

Above, the Asi River runs right through the heart of Antakya.

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