Mersin has several sights worth seeing and is a convenient place to break a journey along the coast.
Understand
[edit]Mersin stands on the flat, fertile Çukurova plain, and was a major port for the Romans, yet thereafter it was a backwater until modern times. Its big break came with the American Civil War of 1861-65, when cotton from the Confederate States was embargoed and Europe suffered a shortage. The plains were quickly turned over to cotton production, harbour facilities were developed, and the railway arrived. Mersin also exported livestock and imported coal.
There's not much of a beach and no western tourist scene. In the 2020s the city houses many refugees from the Syrian conflict and from the earthquake of 2023.
Get in
[edit]
By plane
[edit]Çukurova Airport (COV IATA) 50 km east is the nearest airport, with frequent flights from Istanbul (both IST and SAW), Ankara and Izmir. It opened in 2024 and replaced Adana, which was hemmed in by that city.
By train
[edit]1 Mersin railway station 
is the terminus of a railway from Adana and normally has frequent trains, but the line is suspended until 2026 during construction of a tunnel in Tarsus.
By bus
[edit]2 Mersin Otogar is the bus station, opened in 2015. Three buses a day are direct from Istanbul, taking 14 hours via Gebze, Izmit, Adapazarı, Niğde and Tarsus. Four run daily from Ankara, taking four hours via Aksaray and Tarsus. Buses run along the coast from Antalya via Silifke and continue to Adana. Two buses a day are from Gaziantep, taking 4 hr 30 min via Osmaniye and Adana.
Bus lines are Metro Turizm and Flixbus.
The station is 8 km northwest of city centre. Take a dolmuş downtown: this may be included in your bus fare, enquire when booking. From Tarsus or Adana a dolmuş is slower than an inter-city coach but might bring you to city centre.
By boat
[edit]Akgunlerdenizcilik ferries sail daily from Kyrenia in Northern Cyprus. "Deniz Otobüsü" are fast-cats for foot passengers and only sail in summer, taking just 80 min. The "Feribot" is the year-round car ferry. They also sail from Kyrenia to Taşucu, 50 km west, but no longer sail from Famagusta.
Ferries no longer sail from Syria or Lebanon.
3 Mersin Ferry Terminal is east end of the harbour.
Get around
[edit]Dolmuşes and taxis ply the main streets of this sprawling city.
See
[edit]
- 1 Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami), Kuvayi Milliye Cd. First built in 1898 as "New Mosque", it was re-done in the 1970s in a bleak modern style. Admire it to understand why Turkey now insists that modern mosques (such as Muğdat, below) adhere to trad Ottoman designs.
- Atatürk Park stretches for 1.2 km along the coast in front of the mosque. The Congress Centre is at its northeast end and the Cultural Centre at the southwest. The park is reclaimed land created in the 1950s by harbour dredgings.
- 2 St Anthony Catholic Church (Latin Italyan Katolik Kilisesi), Uray Cd 12, ☏ +90 324 231 3227. Tu-Sa 09:00-17:00, Su 14:30-17:00. Most Christians in Turkey in the 19th century were Greek Orthodox, but this RC church was built in 1855 for Maronite and Syrian Christians fleeing the Levant. It's in Italianate style and remains active.
- 3 Atatürk House Museum, Atatürk Cd 34, ☏ +90 324 237 3646. M-Sa 09:00-16:30. So where didn't he stay? - all over Turkey are mansion museums commemorating Atatürk's legacy. This seven-room villa was built in 1897 for H Christman, the German consul. It was assigned to Atatürk and his wife when they visited town for 11 days in 1925. Its rooms have original furnishings. Free.
- 4 Muğdat Mosque, 1314th Sk 3. Huge mosque (capacity 5500) built in the 1980s in traditional style with four minarets, and two more were added in the 2010s. It's named for Miqdad ibn Aswad, a warrior companion of the Prophet Mohamed who grew to be similarly huge.
- Museum of Archaeology, Adnan Menderes Blv 54 (100 m south of Muğdat Mosque), ☏ +90 324 325 2555. Daily 08:30-16:30. A small collection, considering the scope of the city's history and the size of the building.
- , Adnan Menderes Blv (next to Archaeology Museum), ☏ +90 324 327 7776. Tu-Su 09:00-17:00. Depicting Turkish naval history. Adult 600 TL.
- Open air museum (Açık Hava Müzesi) is simply a military jet and gunboat mounted on the promenade opposite the Naval Museum.
- 5 Yümüktepe, Soğuksu Cd 40. Daily 08:00-17:00. A tell or mound, the heaped-up ruins of 23 layers of occupation from 6300 BC in Neolithic times to about 200 AD. When excavated in the 1930s it was out in the countryside but it's now surrounded by the suburb of Toroslar. Free.
- 6 Soli 11 km west of Mersin is the ruins of the Graeco-Roman city of Pompeiopolis, also known locally as Viranşehir, "ruined city". Some 40 columns have been re-erected into a colonnade. It's free to stroll 24 hours.
Do
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- Beach: Soli 12 km west is the closest, beyond Soli / Pompeiopolis ruins. Through town there's a pleasant waterfront but no beach, as it's reclaimed land.
- Congress and Exhibition Centre (Kongre ve Sergi Sarayı) is north end of Atatürk Park, 500 m from Grand Mosque.
- Mersin Cultural Centre is south end of the park at Atatürk Cd 40, and houses the opera and theatre.
- Mersin Stadium is a multi-sports arena (capacity 25,500) on the bypass 10 km west of centre. The city doesn't have a pro football team since Mersin Idman Yurdu folded in 2019.
- Mersin Marina' is in the western district of Yenişehir.
Buy
[edit]- There's a string of small stores in the streets behind Grand Mosque.
- AVM means "shopping centre". Istanbu AVM is on Kuvayi Milliye Cd 500 inland from Grand Mosque, open daily.
Eat
[edit]
Tantuni is finely minced fried meat and onion wrap.
Haslets are offal such as intestines, lung, liver, kidneys, stomach, brain. They may be chopped into meals or made into soup.
Cezerye is a mix of carrots, fig and spices, and sometimes nuts.
Kerebic is a dough filled with pistachios and topped with vegetarian cream.
Künefe is an Arab-style dessert: oven-baked shredded pastry with salt-free cheese filling in thick syrup.
Eating places are scattered downtown, no stand-out.
Drink
[edit]Şalgam is a savoury ferment of carrots, bulgur wheat, salt and yeast.
Boyan is a licorice drink, becoming uncommon nowadays.
Kaynar is hot tea with cinnamon and walnut.
Sleep
[edit]
- Mersinli Ahmet Cd is a street east of city centre with 20 budget hotels. This used to be next to the bus station, now demolished, so it's a question how many will stay in business.
- 1 Royal Mersin Otel, 5429th Sk 1, ☏ +90 324 238 8800. Pretty basic, but acceptable for the price. B&B double 3000 TL.
- 2 Ramada by Wyndham, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Cd 27A, ☏ +90 324 226 3525. Clean efficient business hotel. B&B double 4000 TL.
- 3 Menord Hotel, İstiklal Cd 188, ☏ +90 324 232 2266. In a rundown area; cleaning and service erratic. B&B double 3000 TL.
- Savran Hotel is basic. It's 100 m west of Grand Mosque at Soğuksu Cd 14.
- 4 Mersin HiltonSA, 1225th Sk 1, ☏ +90 324 241 5000. Pleasant efficient hotel on the waterfront. B&B double 6000 TL.
- 5 Sultaşa Hotel, 17th Sk, off Gazi Mustafa Kemal Blv, ☏ +90 324 341 2000. Smart clean place by the marina. B&B double 6000 TL.
Connect
[edit]Mersin and its approach roads have 4G from all Turkish carriers. As of April 2025, 5G has not rolled out in Turkey.
Go next
[edit]- Narlıkuyu 60 km west on the coast for Kızkalesi or Maiden's Castle, and Cennet-Cehennem (Heaven-Hell) chasms.
- Silifke further west is mostly a transport hub but has several sights.
- Tarsus to the east is mostly modern but has a rich religious heritage.
| Routes through Mersin |
| Antalya ← Erdemli ← | W  E
|
→ Tarsus → Adana |