'''Silifke''' is a city (population: about 65,000) in Mersin Province, Southern Turkey. Although it appears by the shore on the maps, the city itself isn_ft a coastal one, but it has suburbs by the shore.

Get in

by plane

Nearest airport for both international and domestic flights is in Adana, about 140 km away.

by bus

There are buses from Mersin and Konya (from Konya to Silifke costs 20 YTL/person one-way).

by train

There is no rail network around Silifke. The nearest stations are in Karaman (about 150 km north, which has two daily connections from Istanbul) and in Mersin (about 90 km east, which has several daily regional expresses from Adana).

by car

The main highway between Antalya and Adana (D400) traverses the city. There is also another highway coming from north (D715). Beware that all roads except the one leading to Mersin in the east are very (in some cases ''extremely'') winding.

Get around

See

  • Ruins of the '''Roman temple''' dedicated to Jupiter (Roman equivalent of Greek Zeus) is standing right in the centre of the city. Later converted to a church, now there are only five columns standing. No admission fee, as there is no guard or a gate.
  • Turquoise '''Goksu River''', name of which means _gcelestial water_h or _gazure water_h in Turkish, is bisecting the city with its wide, eucalyptus-lined bed. You can also check out still-intact '''Roman bridge''' spanning over the river in city centre. In ancient times this river was known as _gSaleph River_h. This is the river in which crusade leader/German king Frederick Barbarossa drowned in 1190 (the exact site of the event is in an upper location in Goksu valley, though).
  • '''Archaeological Museum''', simply named _gSilifke Museum_h and signed correspondingly (simply _g''Muze''_h both on the road signs and also on the facade of the building). Located on the highway to Antalya, not far from city centre.
  • Do

    You can go '''birdwatching''' in the nearby Goksu Delta, where Goksu River empties into Mediterranean Sea. The delta is home to 106 species of birds of international importance, 12 of which are endangered species.

    Buy

    Eat

    Drink

    Sleep

  • '''Otel Ar?san''', ?nonu Cad. 91 (''in the city centre, near the otogar''), tel ''+90 324'' 714 33 31 (''e-mail: otelarisan33@hotmail.com''). Clean rooms come with a TV and a balcony, although view is not that spectacular (except the mountain ranges rising steeply behind the city if you are from a flat land). 24-hour solar powered hot water. Attendant in the lobby said there is no need for booking at weekends (at least in spring months). Could be a little bit cheaper but still quite good value for money. Double rooms: 15 YTL per person/night (''non-A/C, shared bathroom facilities'') ? 20 YTL per person/night (''A/C, private bathrooms''). Breakfast is provided for an additional fee (between 7-10 am, 3 YTL?).
  • ''See also Tasucu, which is only 15 km away and where there are more guesthouses located near the shore.''

    Contact

    The telephone code for Silifke is '''324'''.

    Get out

    Anamur, Alanya, and Manavgat on the road west to Antalya; '''Heaven and Hell caves''' (''Cennet-Cehennem''), '''Maiden_fs Castle''' (''K?zkalesi'') (''see Mersin Province article for more info about these locations''), Mersin, and Tarsus on the road east to Adana; Konya on the road north; Northern Cyprus to the south (via Tasucu harbour).

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