Gallipoli & Troy: the back story

About Gallipoli & Troy: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Istanbul Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Çanakkale, on the Dardanelles, is the base for two of the most moving places in Türkiye: the Gallipoli peninsula, where hundreds of thousands fought and died in 1915, and Troy, the city of Homer’s Iliad.

Gallipoli

In 1915 Allied forces landed on the Gallipoli peninsula and fought the Ottoman army for eight months. Today the peninsula is a historical park of cemeteries and memorials to all sides, from the Çanakkale Martyrs’ Memorial to Anzac Cove, where a dawn service is held every 25 April. It is a place for quiet reflection; a local guide helps you understand the landscape.

Troy

South of Çanakkale, the mound of Hisarlık holds the layers of Troy, inhabited for some four thousand years and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998. Nearby, the Troy Museum, opened in 2018, tells the story with finds from the site and the region.

This is a long trip from Istanbul: stay at least one night in Çanakkale.

Çanakkale

The town itself is lively, with a seafront promenade, fish restaurants and the wooden horse from the 2004 film Troy. The 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, opened in 2022, crosses the strait to the north.

Our advice: spend two days: one on the Gallipoli peninsula with a guide, one at Troy and the museum, with an evening on Çanakkale’s seafront in between.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Gallipoli & Troy: the back story before you go.