Getting Around Adana: Contactless Cards, Municipal Buses, Metro and Walking

Because Adana sits on a completely flat alluvial plain along the Seyhan River, walking between the main sights is effortless: the distance from the New Archaeology Museum or Ziyapaşa Bulvarı down through Atatürk Parkı, Tepebağ, Ulu Cami and Kazancılar Bazaar to Roman Taşköprü and Sabancı Mosque is a flat 2-kilometre stroll shaded by palm and bitter-orange trees.

1. How to Pay on Public Transport: Tap Any Contactless Visa or Mastercard

Adana Metropolitan Municipality's transit system (Kentkart) accepts contactless foreign and domestic Visa and Mastercard debit/credit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay directly on the electronic card reader inside every orange municipal bus, violet-and-white private bus, and at all Adana Metro station turnstiles. You do not need to purchase a plastic local card.

2. Using the Adana Metro (M1) and Key Bus Lines

• The Adana Metro (Line M1, Hastane to Akıncılar, 13.5 km): runs from the north-western residential districts (and the lakeside restaurants along Seyhan Dam Lake at Anadolu Lisesi / Huzurevi stops) underground through the commercial centre at İstiklal (for the Train Station and Ziyapaşa) and Kocavezir (a 6-minute walk to Büyük Saat, Kazancılar Bazaar and Ulu Cami) before crossing the Seyhan River on its own bridge to Cumhuriyet and Akıncılar in Yüreğir.
• Municipal Buses to Seyhan Dam Lake (Adnan Menderes Bulvarı): hop onto orange municipal buses (such as 125, 142 or 159) from Atatürk Caddesi / İnönü Parkı to reach the lakeside promenades and bici bici gardens of Seyhan Lake in 15 minutes.
• Weekend Municipality Buses to Varda Bridge & Kapıkaya Canyon: in spring and autumn, municipal buses (Route 400 / Karaisalı, Varda) and hourly Karaisalı minibuses depart from the Yüreğir / Seyhan minibus hubs, or you can take the morning TCDD Toros/Erciyes Express train from Adana Gar straight to Hacıkırı Station (right beside Varda Viaduct).

3. Taxis and Car Rental for Eastern Castles (Anavarza & Yılankale)

Yellow metered taxis are plentiful at every major square (always check that the digital meter in the rearview mirror or dashboard is switched on). If you plan to visit Yılankale and Anavarza Ancient City (70 km north-east), renting a car for one day or agreeing on a 5-hour round-trip taxi fare with a local driver is far faster than changing rural minibuses in Ceyhan or Kozan.