Southeastern Türkiye
Cradle of Christianity, still rebuilding
Antakya (ancient Antioch) is where, per Acts 11:26, believers were first called Christians - a genuinely major early-Christian, Roman and Seljuk-era city, now three years into a slow, uneven recovery from the February 2023 earthquake that destroyed most of its historic core. Some sites are open and untouched; others remain construction zones. Check the advisory above before planning any visit.
Every published place in one city guide
Start with the essentials, add what genuinely interests you, and leave the rest for another visit. Every place includes a concise story, practical timing, a Maps link, and a one-tap route planner action.
Make the route work
Hatay Airport (HTY) reopened in 2024 after runway repair and is roughly 30km from central Antakya; Turkish Airlines and Pegasus fly from Istanbul, about 1h50m. The intercity bus station in Antakya itself remains damaged and is running out of makeshift facilities as of this writing, so confirm current arrangements before booking an overland trip.
Central Antakya's historic core is compact and was traditionally walkable, but large parts of it are still active construction/demolition zones - expect detours, closed streets, and uneven or blocked pavements rather than a normal city-centre walk. A car is more reliable than relying on local transit while reconstruction continues. Samandağ/Çevlik, for the Titus Tunnel and beach, is about 40km southwest and needs a car or taxi.
Turkish lira is standard; card acceptance is inconsistent while much of the local business district is still rebuilding, so carry more cash than you would in an unaffected city.
Mobile coverage is generally available, though service can be inconsistent in the most heavily damaged parts of the historic centre where infrastructure is still being restored.
Hatay is historically one of Türkiye's most religiously and ethnically mixed provinces - Arab, Turkish, Armenian, Jewish, and Christian (Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant) and Alawite communities have coexisted here for generations. Approach areas of visible earthquake damage and reconstruction with the same care and restraint you would show at any disaster-recovery site - this is not a backdrop for casual photography.
See the advisory at the top of this page for the current, dated government travel guidance - it covers a regional security situation separate from the earthquake and can change quickly, so treat this guide's framing as a snapshot, not a standing assurance. Independent of that advisory, construction sites, unstable rubble, and closed-off structures are a real and ongoing hazard across the historic centre; stay out of fenced or visibly unstable areas regardless of what any advisory says.
Essential
If you only have one day, this is the day.
A Roman rock-cut water tunnel near the coast, untouched by the 2023 earthquake and open exactly as it was before.
Built under Roman emperors Vespasian and Titus in the 1st century AD to divert a river and stop the harbour at Seleucia Pieria silting up, the tunnel is cut through rock for roughly 1,400m, about 900m open on a marked trail. Its coastal location outside dense Antakya spared it the structural damage the city centre suffered.
Small entry fee, payable in lira at the gate; confirm the current figure locally.
A 4th-century cave church that survived 2023's earthquake nearly untouched - one of the few Antakya sites you can visit as intended.
Tradition holds Peter preached to Antioch's early Christians here, in the city Acts 11:26 says first called believers Christians. The Gothic entrance facade was rebuilt in 1863 by Capuchin friars over the ancient cave core. A small Christian community still holds services here, including Christmas Eve 2025 - religious life survived the 2023 earthquake alongside the stonework.
Small entry fee, payable in lira at the gate; confirm the current figure locally.
Worth your time
A second day earns you these.
Antakya's historic covered bazaar, badly damaged in 2023 - more a construction site than a market, full revival estimated 5-10 years out.
The Uzun Çarşı (long bazaar) was Antakya's historic covered market street. Severely damaged in the 2023 earthquake, most vendors relocated to a temporary bazaar elsewhere in the city; some individual shops have reopened by 2026, but observers estimate the historic core's full revitalisation is still 5-10 years away.
Free to walk; the few reopened shops trade normally, in lira.
One of Anatolia's earliest mosques, its dome and minaret collapsed in 2023 - reconstruction is underway but not yet complete.
Habib-i Neccar Mosque, tied to a local tradition around a carpenter-prophet figure, is among the oldest mosque foundations in Anatolia. The 2023 earthquake destroyed its dome and 17th-century minaret; reconstruction is underway under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, a new wooden dome reported in place, but sources conflict on how complete the rebuild currently is.
Free; an active mosque and reconstruction site.
Türkiye's great mosaic collection, world's largest single Roman mosaic on display again - the building is still partly rebuilt.
The museum holds an outstanding collection of Roman and Byzantine floor mosaics from Antioch and its villas, including a single 1,050m2 mosaic uncovered in 2010. The mosaic galleries reopened June 2024, largely undamaged by the 2023 earthquake; the main building suffered heavier damage and remains under phased reconstruction, full reopening targeted for late 2026 but unconfirmed.
Ticketed; confirm the current price locally — pricing and hours have shifted repeatedly during the phased post-earthquake reopening.
If you have longer
Keep these compact stops in mind when you build your trip.
Samandağ/Çevlik's roughly 14km beach sits on the coast southwest of Antakya, near ancient Seleucia Pieria. It continued functioning as an ordinary beach through and after the 2023 earthquake, since the coastal, low-density area saw far less structural damage than the dense city centre.
Free public beach; limited facilities.
Getting there and away
Door-to-door times and fare ranges, checked leg by leg. Only routes where every leg verified are listed.
Getting aroundTürkiye, for scale
See this city in the wider shape of Türkiye.