Things to Do in Adana

The tiny cove of Narlıkuyu sits four kilometers west from Kızkalesi (148 kilometers southwest from Adana) and is known for its fish restaurants with their outdoor balconies jutting out over the sea.

Although most people are here to flop on the strip of shingle and sand that rims the town, the Kızkalesi area is packed with historical sites, and a day of hopping between its Greco-Roman ruins makes for one of the best day-trips from Adana.

Just 42 kilometers west of Adana, Tarsus makes for an easy day-trip destination from the city.

Adana's exceptional new museum is housed in a repurposed textile factory and displays a wealth of artifacts that all hail from the local area, showcasing the history and heritage of the surrounding area.

The Varda Viaduct (Varda Köprüsü), stretching across the deep gorge of Çakıt Deresi, was built to facilitate the Ottoman Istanbul-Baghdad railway line, though today it's more famous for its starring role in the James Bond film Skyfall.

Head to the castle first, which is reached by puffing up a series of steep staircases cut into the cliff. The farther reaches of the castle ramparts and battlements, which trails the full length of the cliff, are out of bounds due to safety issues but there's plenty still to explore on the cliff top.

Sitting just 18 kilometers south, on the main road to the neo-Hittite site, Ancient Kastabala was originally part of the local neo-Hittite kingdom, but the ruins you see today date from the much later Greco-Roman and Byzantine periods.

Set in thick pine forest bordering the Aslantaş Dam, Karatepe-Aslantaş was where the neo-Hittite ruler Asativatas built his Asativataya Fortress and graced it with statuary of lions and sphinxes and stone orthostats portraying finely detailed scenes and inscriptions.

Yılankale (Snake Castle) is an Armenian-built fortress, with its crenellated battlements and towers still trailing across a high limestone ridge, 47 kilometers east of Adana.

The most recognizable building in town is this massive modern mosque, set within manicured gardens on the bank of the Seyhan River.