Güzel Cumhuriyet

Understand

Adana has been inhabited for over 8000 years. The name may drive from a proto-European word danu, "on the river", making it an unlikely cousin of the Danube, Dnieper and Doncaster. People known to settle here include the Luwians, Hittites, Sea People, Assyrians, Cilicians, Persians, Selucids, Armenians and Romans - these built the stone bridge (Taşköprü) over the river. Adana changed hands many times after the break-up of the Roman-Byzantine Empire but came under Ottoman control from 1517. In early modern times it developed a cotton industry and had a polyglot population of Muslims, Armenians, Greeks, Syrians and Arabs. But inter-ethnic tensions played into resentment of industrial labour conditions, and the Armenians suffered a massacre in 1908 then genocide in 1915. The cotton trade has slumped but the economy of Adana remains based on agriculture, plus mixed industries including automobiles, and banking. It nowadays has four districts: Seyhan is the historic core, with the sites of traveller interest. Çukurova, often called "New Adana", is a residential area north along the lake shore. Yüreğir east of the river is industrial and low-rent residential. Sarıçam lies northeast and has the university. A fifth, nominally part of Sarıçam, is İncirlik, where the NATO air base is springboard for operations deeper into Asia. This effort has brought an influx of Westerners into Adana, and the town has business hotels and other Western-style amenities out of proportion to its size. Adana lost about 450 of its citizens in a dozen collapsed buildings (mostly high-rise residentials) during a series of powerful earthquakes in early 2023. The local damage was incomparably lighter than that suffered by its eastern neighbours closer to the epicentre.

Getting there

By plane Çukurova Airport (COV IATA) is the nearest, 32 km west. It has frequent flights from Istanbul (both IST and SAW), Ankara and Izmir. It opened in 2024 and replaced Adana Airport, which was hemmed in by the city.

By bus Buses from Istanbul run every couple of hours and take 13 hours via Ankara and Niğde, for a fare in 2023 of 350 TL. Three buses a day take 5 hours from Konya. Two per day wind over the mountains from Antalya via Alanya, Taşucu (for Cyprus summer ferry), Silifke, Mersin and Tarsus. One bus a day runs all the way from Van near the border with Iran, via Tatvan, Bitlis, Batman, Diyarbakır, Sanliurfa, Gaziantep and Osmaniye. Bus operators on these routes are Metro Turizm and Flixbus. 1 Adana Otogarı the bus terminal is 4 km west of town on D-400; it's average-tatty. Taxis and minibuses will take you downtown.

By train

You can reach Adana same day from Istanbul or Ankara by taking the YHT high-speed train to Konya. Change there for the daily Toros Ekspresi, taking six hours via Karaman to reach Adana for 22:00. The return train leaves Adana before 08:00 and likewise connects at Konya with YHT trains to Istanbul and Ankara. The Karaman-Adana line is being upgraded for high-speed trains so disruptions may occur until this is complete (maybe by 2025) but in 2023 it's running normally. There's also slower mainline trains such as Erciyes Ekspresi that runs daily from Kayseri, taking six hours via Niğde, and Fırat Ekspresi which runs daily from Elazığ, taking 13 hours via Malatya and Osmaniye. Finally there's an hourly regional train from Mersin (for ferries from Northern Cyprus) taking 90 min via Tarsus. Three trains per day continue to Iskenderun, taking 3 hours via Osmaniye. Other routes are a tale of woe. The Cukurova Express sleeper from Ankara and trains from Gaziantep has been suspended for years or due to construction works. Former international routes from Syria and Iraq are closed indefinitely.

2 Adana railway station (Adana garı)

Getting around

Walk: the city sprawls but the area of interest in the old town is compact. City buses — Extensive bus network including city buses and dolmuş. Adana Metro is a single line running 14 km southeast to northwest across city centre: Vilayet is the stop for the railway station. Most visitors are unlikely to use it. An extension to the university main campus is in planning. Taxi prices are comparable to the rest of the country.

See

Tepebağ is the core of Old Town. Most sights are here.

1 Sabancı Central Mosque (Sabancı Merkez Camii). Built in 1998, this huge mosque dominates the skyline with its six minarets, the four inner minarets being 99 m. The interior is richly decorated with calligraphy and Iznik tiles. The mosque was built over a confiscated Armenian cemetery. (updated Jan 2023) Central Park is the relaxing riverside area north of Sabancı Central Mosque. 2 Atatürk Museum, 26009th Sk (corner of Seyhan Cd), ☏ +90 312 212 8300. Daily 08:30-17:00. Traditional 19th century mansion where Atatürk stayed in 1923, and restored as a museum in 1981. Signage is only in Turkish. (updated Jan 2023) Cinema Museum, Seyhan Cd (next to Atatürk Museum), ☏ +90 322 457 0778. Tu-Sa 08:00-17:00, Su M 10:00-17:00. Exhibits and screenings from Turkish cinema history. Best known in the west is Yılmaz Güney (1937-1984) for Yol. (updated Jan 2023) 3 Taşköprü is a Roman bridge over the Seyhan River, probably built around 120-135 AD, on the trade routes from Persia and Anatolia to the Mediterranean. Until 2007 it carried motor traffic but is now a footbridge and popular hanging-out spot. Its names have included Saros Bridge, the Bridge of Justinian and al-Walid Bridge; the present Taşköprü (stone bridge) says what it is. 4 Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami), Kızılay Cd. Daily 08:00-21:00. Also known as Ramazanoğlu Mosque, this was built 1513-1541 and extended in a mix of styles. It's the nucleus of a külliye - religious complex - that includes a madrasah and mausoleums, all well-preserved. It was damaged in the earthquake of 1998 but restored by 2004. (updated Jan 2023)

Ramazanoğlu Mansion, 25009th Sk (next to Grand Mosque). Built in 1495, this was a government mansion, which is a polite way of saying it's where the sultans kept their harem. Earlier parts of the building have fallen down. Since 2009 it's been run by the university as a cultural centre. (updated Jan 2023) 5 Great Clock Tower (Büyük Saat), Ali Münif Yeğenağ

Do

Hamams, traditional Turkish baths, are at over a dozen central locations. Lunapark is a funfair by the Seyhan lake dam, north edge of town. Football: Adana Demirspor were relegated in 2025 and again in 2026 so they now play soccer in TFF 2. Lig, the third tier. Their home ground New Adana Stadium (Yeni Adana Stadyumu, capacity 33,500 all seated) is in Balcalı district 15 km northeast of city centre. Adanaspor share the stadium and play in TFF 3. Lig the fourth tier. Demirspor women's team play in the Women's Super League, their top tier, at Muharrem Gülergin Stadium north by the O-50 motorway bridge. Beach: Karataş is the closest, 55 km south, but Mersin is better. Karataş also has the ruins of the ancient city of Magarus: the amphitheatre is the best of these but they're not worth a special trip.