at a glance

A "must see" is the Sakarya Museum, which is located across from the station. Major Baha Bey was responsible for the construction of the building in which the museum is housed. The 1st floor has the archaeological works of the Roman and Byzantine periods and ethnographical works, which include leather goods used by Atatürk, guns, copper goods and ornaments, belonging to the Ottoman and Republic periods are amongst the exhibits. The 2nd floor has a Conference Hall. The Gardens are also used to display architectural pieces from the Roman and Byzantine periods.

Sakarya has fairy-tale castles; the Harmantepe Castle located on a little hill covers an area of one hectare and is situated at Adapazarı Harmantepe Village. Adliye Castle, believed to have acted as a border protection castle, is to the south of Arifiye Town of Adapazarı.

The Orhan Mosque and Yunus Paşa Mosque built by the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century is remarkable and well worth a visit. Elvanbey İmareti dates back to the year 1450.

The Justinian Bridge is a 429m long, eight-arched bridge. Constructed on river Sakarya by the Byzantine Emperor Justinianus (527-565) is of great interest to visitors. This construction transports you back to Byzantine days. You will admire the workmanship and skills which created this still standing monument.

The Ali Fuat Paşa Bridge, connecting Geyve centre to Ali Fuat Paşa town, is also known as Sakarya Bridge and was built in 1495 by Sultan Bayezit II. Sakarya is full of lakes, beaches, forests, valleys, canyons, hot springs and mineral water springs. This amazing place is blessed with Lake Sapanca, a great weekend excursion area. It's an adventure sport paradise with water sports such as: surfing, sailing and rowing events.

Arifiye Forest is alongside this fresh water lake. The forest serves as a camping site and picnic spot. Bird watchers are in for a special treat as there are many species to be observed here. There are other beautiful lakes in the environs. Büyük Akgöl, Küçük Akgöl and Poyrazlar Lakes are notable examples.

Because it is located on the coast of the Black Sea, Sakarya has lots of sandy beaches to enjoy along its 60 km long coastline. Many places of the coast, including Karasu and Kocaali, are resort towns with good facilities and hotels.

The Kuzuluk Thermal Spring is a big draw for visitors from all over the world because of its remedies and curative properties. The other spots for spa and curative tourism are the thermal spring facilities in Akyazı and Taraklı Districts.