Antakya, the ancient Antioch, was the third city of the Roman Empire and the place where Christianity got its name: it was here, according to the Acts of the Apostles, that the disciples were first called "Christians". Its two great sights sum the city up: the Hatay Archaeology Museum, with one of the largest collections of Roman mosaics in the world, and St Peter's Cave Church, on the mountainside above the town and one of the oldest churches anywhere.
The earthquakes of February 2023 hit the city very hard, and it is only right to say so: you visit Antakya with respect, and with a programme adapted to what is open. St Peter's Cave Church has reopened; the museum closed for reinforcement work and, at the time of writing (2026), is reopening in stages. Antakya is also still one of the best places to eat in Türkiye.
A little history
Seleucus I, one of Alexander the Great's generals, founded the city in 300 BC. It became the capital of the Seleucid kingdom and later of the Roman province of Syria: a city of some half a million people, with colonnaded streets and, at Daphne, a suburb of wealthy villas set around springs. Paul and Barnabas set out from here on their journeys, and the Church of Antioch became one of the five patriarchal sees.
Earthquakes, Persians, Arabs, Crusaders and Mamluks gradually cut it down to size. By the 20th century it was a provincial town with an Arab majority, under French rule from 1918 to 1939 and part of Türkiye ever since. Excavations led by Princeton University in the 1930s brought to light the Daphne mosaics that now fill the museum. The new museum building opened in 2014. The 2023 earthquakes devastated the old town and damaged the building, but the collections came through.
What to see in Antakya
The museum's mosaics
Whole rooms of Roman floors from the 2nd to the 5th century AD: the Banquet of Dionysus, Oceanus and Tethys, the Wedding of Dionysus and Ariadne, the cheerful skeleton who tells you to enjoy life while you can, and scenes of hunting, theatre and the zodiac. They come from the villas of Daphne and from Seleucia Pieria, Antioch's port, and they are shown complete, with walkways so you can look down on them from above.
The Antakya sarcophagus and the sculptures
A 3rd-century marble sarcophagus covered in reliefs, with a married couple reclining on the lid, found intact in 1993; alongside it, statues, bronzes and finds from Hittite-era Hatay and from Tell Atchana, ancient Alalakh.
St Peter's Cave Church
On the slopes of Mount Starius: a cave 13 metres deep, with a stone altar, traces of mosaic on the floor and an escape tunnel. The Crusaders were the first to give it a stone façade, and the Gothic-style front you see today is a 19th-century rebuild. It is a humble place and a deeply moving one: this is where the first community met, with Peter, Paul and Barnabas. From the entrance you look out over the whole city.
The old town and the bazaar
Kurtuluş Street, which follows the line of the ancient colonnaded avenue; the courtyard houses; the Habib-i Neccar Mosque and the Orthodox church; and the bazaar, with its laurel soap, its künefe and its spice shops. Part of the old town is still under reconstruction after the earthquakes: the Habib-i Neccar Mosque reopened at the end of 2025, while the Orthodox church is still being rebuilt. I keep track of what you can see and adjust the walk on the day.
Tips for your visit
Allow two hours for the museum and one for the church. The museum is modern and accessible; the church is reached by a road and then a flight of steps.
- Dress modestly at the church: it is still a place of worship, and services are held there on special days, above all the feast of Saints Peter and Paul on 29 June.
- Eat in Antakya: künefe, hot hummus, kağıt kebabı (minced meat baked on paper) and dozens of meze make this some of the best food in the country.
- Be flexible: the city is being rebuilt, and some streets and monuments change status as the work goes on. I check before every trip.
Tickets and prices
At the time of writing (2026), the Hatay Archaeology Museum costs €12 and St Peter's Cave Church €9 under the official 2027 tariff. Check that the museum is open before you plan your day around it; I confirm it before every trip. On my tours the entrance tickets are included, or I arrange them for you.
Where it is and how to get there
The museum stands at the northern entrance to the city, on the road to Reyhanlı, and St Peter's Church is two kilometres away, on the mountainside east of the old town. Hatay Airport has flights from Istanbul; from Adana it is about two to two and a half hours by motorway.
How I include them in my tours
Both sights fill the second day of Ancient Antakya. For the whole province, with Arsuz and the mountains, read what to see in Hatay.
If Antioch is on your biblical or food route, message me and plan your tailor-made trip.