A Roman mosaic from the Zeugma museum in Gaziantep: our own photograph, from the same region but not from Antakya, because we do not yet have our own photograph of the Hatay museum.

Themed tour

Antakya in two days: Roman mosaics and the cooking of Hatay

A private short break to ancient Antioch: Roman and Byzantine mosaics, the oldest mosque in Anatolia, the cave church of St Peter and a dinner of Hatay cooking.

Private, tailor-made The vehicle and the guide are for your passengers only, and you choose the starting day.

  • Duration 2 days / 1 night
  • Route Antakya 1 destination
  • Quotation Quotation within 24 business hours
  • Recommended months March–May, October, November
  • Departure type Private, tailor-made
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A Roman mosaic from the Zeugma museum in Gaziantep: our own photograph, from the same region but not from Antakya, because we do not yet have our own photograph of the Hatay museum.

Overview

A two-day private programme in Antakya, ancient Antioch, in the province of Hatay: a crossroads between Anatolia, the Mediterranean and the Near East that can be read in its mosaics, its places of worship and its cooking. Two days are enough for the essentials, and the short break fits well after a circuit in Turkey or before an extension.
The first day is given to the historic centre and the bazaar, with the Mosque of Habib-i Neccar, credited with the greatest antiquity in Anatolia, and an included dinner of Hatay cooking. The second goes to the Hatay Archaeology Museum, with one of the largest collections of Roman and Byzantine mosaics in the world, and to the Cave Church of St Peter, one of the earliest Christian places of worship.
It runs by private vehicle with driver and a Spanish- or English-speaking guide, with the entrance fees for the three sites included and airport-to-airport transfers. Being private, the date is the agency’s to choose and it is quoted to order, in net rates.

Route: Antakya

  • Physical level: Easy
  • Languages of the guided visits: Spanish, English

Highlights

  • The Hatay Archaeology Museum and its Roman and Byzantine mosaics, entrance included.
  • The Cave Church of St Peter, one of the earliest Christian places of worship.
  • The Mosque of Habib-i Neccar, the building credited with the greatest antiquity among the mosques of Anatolia.
  • The bazaar of Antakya and the laurel soap workshops.
  • An included dinner of Hatay cooking, the most highly regarded in south-eastern Turkey.
  • Private vehicle and guide on both days, with airport-to-airport transfers.

What is included and what is not

Included

  • 1 night’s accommodation with breakfast in Antakya.
  • A Spanish- or English-speaking guide throughout.
  • Private air-conditioned vehicle with driver for the visits and journeys in the programme.
  • Entrance fees to the sites listed in the itinerary: Hatay Archaeology Museum, the Cave Church of St Peter and the Mosque of Habib-i Neccar.
  • 1 dinner of local cooking at a restaurant in Antakya.
  • Airport – hotel – airport transfers.

Not included

  • International air tickets and domestic flights.
  • Lunches: not included on any day. Dinners not stated as included.
  • All drinks, with and outside meals.
  • Personal expenses (shopping, minibar, laundry, room service).
  • Tips for the guide, the driver and hotel and restaurant staff.
  • Visa fees and visa handling services, if required.
  • Travel and health insurance (recommended).
  • Any service not expressly mentioned as included.

Day by day itinerary

  1. Day 1

    Arrival in Antakya, the historic centre and a Hatay dinner

    Welcome at Hatay airport (HTY) and transfer to the hotel. The first visit is the Mosque of Habib-i Neccar, which local tradition takes to be the earliest mosque in Anatolia and a fair summary of the city’s history: the site has been a temple, a church and a mosque, and the building tells that in layers. Shoes come off and shoulders and knees are covered; women cover their hair. Then a walk through the historic centre and the bazaar of Antakya, among stalls of olive oil, spices and local cheeses and workshops making laurel soap, the craft product the province is known for. The guide explains what Antakya was — the third city of the Roman Empire, capital of Syria, home of the first community to be called Christian — and also what it is today, a city being rebuilt. The day ends with the included dinner at a local restaurant serving Hatay cooking, the most highly regarded in the southeast: warm hummus, the house kebab, pomegranate salads and the province’s own baklava.
    Visits
    Mosque of Habib-i Neccar, the historic centre and bazaar of Antakya
    Meals
    Dinner
    Overnight in
    Antakya

    The order of the day’s visits is adjusted to the arrival time of the flight and to the mosque’s prayer times.

  2. Day 2

    The Mosaic Museum, the Church of St Peter and departure

    The morning begins at the Hatay Archaeology Museum, which holds one of the largest collections of Roman and Byzantine mosaics in the world, most of them from the villas of Daphne, the leisure quarter of ancient Antioch. It is an indoor visit, comfortable at any hour and well labelled; it is worth setting aside an hour and a half to two hours for it, because the pavements read better slowly and from the upper walkway. From there we go up to the Cave Church of St Peter, cut into the slope of Mount Starius: a rock nave with a spring at the back, held to be one of the earliest Christian meeting places. It is a short visit, about forty minutes including the climb, and at the door the view opens over the city and the valley of the Orontes. At the agreed time, transfer to Hatay airport for the outbound flight. End of our services.
    Visits
    Hatay Archaeology Museum, the Cave Church of St Peter
    Meals
    Breakfast

    The approach to the cave church ends with a short walk up a slope and stone steps.

Expected hotels

City Nights Category Hotel
Antakya (Hatay) 1 4* Liwan Hotel Antakyaor similar

Hotels as listed or similar; the final confirmation is given in the quotation.

How the rate is calculated

Rate tailored to the season, the hotel category and the number of travellers. Request a quotation.

Request a quotation

Departures

Private, tailor-made

The vehicle and the guide are for your passengers only, and you choose the starting day.

The exact dates of each departure are confirmed in the quotation, together with hotel and domestic-flight availability.

Request a quotation

Operational notes

  • The order of the visits may change according to opening hours, traffic and the day’s operation. The content of the programme stays the same.
  • Antakya was hit by the earthquakes of February 2023 and parts of the city are being rebuilt. The state of the approaches and the opening hours of the three sites in the programme are checked for each date before the services are confirmed.
  • To enter mosques, shoes must be removed and shoulders and knees covered; women must cover their hair. Working mosques close to visitors during the five daily prayers and, above all, around the Friday midday prayer.
  • The approach to the cave church of St Peter ends with a short walk up a slope and stone steps, and it is a place of worship: silence and discretion in dress are requested.
  • Museums and sites may have a weekly closing day and different summer and winter hours. The final itinerary follows the opening calendar in force on the dates of travel.
  • During the religious holidays (Ramazan Bayramı and Kurban Bayramı, whose dates move because they follow the lunar calendar) museum and shop hours change and domestic flights fill up.
  • The included dinner is of local cooking. If anyone in the group has allergies or follows a particular diet, say so when requesting the quote so the restaurant can be told in advance.
  • A valid passport, the visa or electronic authorisation and compliance with entry requirements are the traveller’s responsibility. They should be checked in advance, as they depend on nationality.

Best time to travel

Recommended months: March, April, May, October, November

Hatay has a Mediterranean climate, milder than the rest of the southeast. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons: mild temperatures and good light for the historic centre. In July and August the midday heat is high and open-air visits are moved to first thing, although the mosaic museum is an indoor visit and can be done at any hour. From December to February the programme runs normally, with shorter days and possible rain.

Frequently asked questions

How do you get to Antakya?
By domestic flight to Hatay airport (HTY), where the programme starts and ends. Domestic flights are not included, but we can quote them together with the programme.

Can it be combined with another programme?
Yes. It is a two-day short break designed to be added to a circuit in Turkey or to a programme in the southeast. Say in the request which programme you want to link it to and the whole thing is quoted, connecting transfers included.

Which meals are included?
Hotel breakfast and one dinner of local cooking at a restaurant in Antakya. Lunches are not included, and neither are drinks: the guide suggests where to eat according to the day’s route.

What level of fitness does it require?
Low. The museum is an indoor, level visit; the historic centre and the bazaar are covered on foot along streets with little gradient, and the only climb in the programme is the approach to the cave church of St Peter, with stone steps.

When is the best time of year?
March to May and October to November. The climate is Mediterranean, with hot summers in which open-air visits are moved to first thing; in winter the programme runs normally, with a chance of rain.

What condition is the city in?
Antakya was hit by the earthquakes of February 2023 and parts of it are being rebuilt. The three sites in the programme are open to visitors, and the state of the approaches and the opening hours are checked for each date before the services are confirmed.

How is it requested?
With approximate dates, the number of passengers and the hotel category required, through the quote form. Agencies receive net rates.

Booking conditions

Deposit
30% of the total when the booking is confirmed. For bookings made 30 days or less before departure, the full amount at confirmation.
Balance
The remaining 70%, no later than 31 days before departure.
Payment methods
Bank transfer or credit card. Card payments carry a 3% surcharge; charges applied by the issuing bank are borne by the client.
Cancellations
More than 90 days before departure: handling fee only, plus penalties on services already issued · 89–61 days: 25% · 60–31 days: 50% · 30 days or less and no-show: 100%. Reductions in places follow the same scale. Refunds within 10–14 business days of written cancellation.

Read the full booking conditions

Credentials

Legal name
Colorido Tours Turkey Turizm Ticaret Ltd. Şti.
TÜRSAB licence
A-12116
Office
Istanbul
Operating scope
Turkey only. Egypt, Jordan and the Greek islands only as extensions of a Turkey itinerary.
Guides
Licensed guides in Spanish and English
24/7 emergency line during the trip
+90 544 533 53 55
Who handles your request
Your request is handled by our reservations team, and the same person follows the file from quotation through to operation on the ground.

How to verify us

Request a quotation

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