Here are some recommendations by me:

NOVELS

  • Martin Eden
  • Harry Potter books

MOVIES AND TV SHOWS

  • Cinderella Man
  • Lost
  • The Big Bang Theory
  • How I Met Your Mother
  • Two and a Half Men
  • Silicon Valley
  • Hell on the Wheels
  • Pirates of Silicon Valley
  • Swiss Family Robinson
  • Moneyball
  • Motorcycle Diaries
  • Mississippi Burning
  • Squid Game

VISITING MERSIN

Friends and acquaintances sometimes ask about my hometown, the places worth vising there. This short article explains it.

How to get to Mersin

Cukurova International Airport is located 60 km away from Mersin and has direct international flights to countries such as Germany (Dusseldorf, Frankfurt), Russia (Moscow), North Cyprus (Ercan), Azerbaijan (Baku). There are shuttle buses (HAVAMAS) from the airport to the Mersin city center.

Mersin has a train station and a coach station that connects it to the rest of Turkey. Obilet is one of the companies for inter-city buses. TCDD is the state railway that sells train tickets.

How to get around in Mersin

Public buses and minibuses are available in the city for the transportation.

Things to Do and See in Mersin City Center

Unlike other cities in Turkey, Mersin city center is not that old. It was a village in 18th century and since then it grew due to having a port and arrival of railways. That’s why, most historic places in the region is located outside the city. However, there are a few places you can visit in the city center:

  • Old parts of the town: Mersin’s old quarter has churches, traditional houses and various bazaars.
  • Ataturk House Museum: An old traiditional Mersin house where Ataturk stayed when he visited the city. The building was converted to a museum. The museum website is here.
  • Mersin Naval Museum: A naval museum exhibiting objects such as uniforms, weapons, historical battle ship models and painting.
  • Mersin Archaeological Museum: A museum with artifacts from Paleolithic, Neolithic, the Bronze Age and Iron Age era. The museum website is here.
  • Mersin Marina: Marina with a shopping mall. The website is here.
  • Ataturk Park: A coastal park in the city
  • Forum Mersin A shopping mall in the Pozcu neighborhood. The mall’s website is here. (Website is only available in Turkish.)

Hiking

Mersin Metropolita Municipality created a hiking trail of 550 km length in total with different routes for those who love hiking. More information can be found here.

Cuisine

  • Tantuni: Mersin’s most famous dish.
  • Salgam: A beverage made of fermented carrots.
  • Batirik: Bulgur mixed with a special sauce made of tomatoes, tahini, sesame seeds and spices.
  • Cezerye: A sweet similar to Turkish delights.
  • Sikma: A wrap made by wrapping a roasted onion, cheese or potato. It is still popular especially in rural areas.

Beaches

Mersin city center doesn’t have any beaches. However, there are 11 blue flag beaches and many more regular beaches in Mersin provice. Here is the full list of blue flag beaches in Mersin province. Most beaches are located on the west of the city and usually 1h or more drive away.

Day Trips from Mersin

  • Kizkalesi: A town which has a fortresss in the middle of the sea. The town has also a blue flag beach.
  • Anamurium A beach town with nice beaches which has Anemurium ancient city and Mamure castle.
  • Tarsus A historic town and birth place of Paul the Apostle (Saul of Tarsus). The town has St Paul’s Church, St Paul’s Well, Roman road, Eshab-i Kehf Cave, Taskuyu Cave and many other places worth visiting.
  • Adana A big city in the region of Cukurova with museums and historic old town.
  • Silifke A town west of Mersin worth visiting. It has Silifke Castle, museum, historic churches and beaches.
  • Camliyayla A small town in the Taurus Mountains for those who want to escape summer heat in Mersin.