Çanakkale

A port city on the Dardanelles facing the WWI battlefields of the Gallipoli Peninsula, symbolized by its waterfront wooden horse and the ferries across the strait.

Çanakkale lies in northwestern Turkey, on the Asian side of the narrowest point of the Dardanelles, facing Kilitbahir on the European side across about 1.2 km of water — a chokepoint linking the Aegean and the Sea of Marmara. The city itself is a relaxed university port town: the Trojan Horse prop from the film Troy stands on the waterfront promenade (Kordon), and the Ottoman clock tower, the Aynalı Çarşı (Mirror Bazaar) and Çimenlik Castle (home to the Naval Museum) are all within walking distance. Across the strait, the Gallipoli Peninsula was the main battlefield of the 1915 Gallipoli Campaign in World War I and is now a historical national park. Anzac Cove, Lone Pine, Chunuk Bair, the Çanakkale Martyrs' Memorial and the Cape Helles Memorial are scattered across the peninsula, making it a place of pilgrimage for Turks, Australians and New Zealanders. In addition, the ancient city of Troy (a World Heritage Site), about 30 km south, is a popular day trip from the city (listed under the Assos destination on this site), while the islands of Bozcaada and Gökçeada to the southwest are covered as separate destinations. The best times to visit are Apr–Jun and Sep–Oct; July–August is hot, with strong winds on the strait. Huge crowds gather for Anzac Day on April 25 and the naval victory commemoration on March 18, so book accommodation well in advance. Getting there: buses from Istanbul take about 5–6 hours (via the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge), or you can fly to Çanakkale Airport. Ferries run every 20–30 minutes or so between the city and Eceabat and Kilitbahir. Allow 2 days: one for a guided Gallipoli battlefield tour (a full day, usually including lunch) and one for the city and Troy. Dress appropriately and keep quiet at the battlefield memorials.

Top sights

• Gallipoli Peninsula Historical National Park (Çanakkale Epic Promotion Center) – The main battlefield of the Gallipoli Campaign in World War I, with dozens of cemeteries and memorials across the peninsula. The Epic Promo…
• Anzac Cove – A small bay only about 600 metres long, where Australian and New Zealand troops landed on 25 April 1915. The memorial beside it holds an an…
• Çanakkale Martyrs' Memorial – A giant memorial 41.7 metres high at the southern tip of the peninsula, with four pillars, honouring some 250,000 Turkish soldiers who died…
• Trojan Horse & Kordon Waterfront – The wooden horse prop used in the 2004 film Troy stands on the Çanakkale waterfront promenade. It is a city landmark and a popular photo sp…
• Lone Pine Cemetery & Memorial – Australia's main memorial site at Gallipoli, where the Battle of Lone Pine was fought in August 1915. The memorial bears the names of nearl…
• Chunuk Bair (Conkbayırı) – The highest point of the Gallipoli battlefield, home to the New Zealand National Memorial and a statue of Kemal, with views over Anzac Cove…
• 57th Infantry Regiment Memorial – A memorial to the Ottoman 57th Regiment, which held its ground in 1915 under Kemal's order “I am ordering you to die.” It is one of the sit…
• Helles Memorial – A Commonwealth obelisk at the southern tip of the peninsula, inscribed with the names of some 20,000 British and Indian soldiers with no kn…
• Seddülbahir Fortress – A 17th-century Ottoman fort at the European entrance to the strait, badly damaged by naval gunfire in 1915. Restored in recent years, it no…
• Kilitbahir Castle – A clover-shaped fort built by Mehmed II on the European side of the strait in 1463, facing the Çanakkale fort across the water and known as…
• Rumeli Mecidiye Bastion (Corporal Seyit) – A coastal battery from the naval battle of 18 March 1915. Legend has it that Corporal Seyit single-handedly lifted 215-kilogram shells to s…
• Çimenlik Castle & Naval Museum – A 15th-century Ottoman castle on the Çanakkale seafront, now a naval museum. A replica of the 1915 minelayer Nusret sits in its grounds, an…
• Çanakkale Clock Tower – A five-storey stone clock tower donated by an Italian merchant in 1897, standing in the square in front of the ferry port as the landmark o…
• Aynalı Çarşı (Mirrored Bazaar) – A small covered market built in 1889 by a Jewish merchant, made famous by the folk song “Song of Çanakkale.” Today it sells ceramics and so…
• Dardanelles Ferry (Çanakkale–Eceabat/Kilitbahir) – A crossing of about 20 minutes for a few dozen lira takes you from Asia to Europe, with the castles and monuments of both shores visible fr…
• 1915 Çanakkale Bridge – Opened in 2022, the world's longest suspension bridge main span (2,023 metres), with red-and-white towers 318 metres high, spanning the Dar…
• Gelibolu Town – A fishing town at the northern mouth of the strait, with the Piri Reis Museum, a Byzantine tower and sardine eateries. It can be combined w…

Where to eat

• Kadir Usta Peynir Helvası – A long-established halva shop founded in 1979; baked cheese halva topped with ice cream is its most popular order in Ça…
• Yalova Restaurant – A traditional fish restaurant on Çanakkale's harbor since 1940, serving seasonal fresh fish and hot and cold meze.
• Sardalye – An inexpensive fried fish spot in the old town's lanes, serving freshly fried sardines, sole, and mussels with homemade…
• Köfteci Mümin – An affordable meatball shop near the harbor, popular with students and locals; meatballs come with bulgur pilaf and a f…

Itineraries

• Turkey Grand Panorama Loop – From the historic battlefields of the Dardanelles to the Lycian Coast and the Anatolian heartland, experience a compreh…
• Istanbul, Edirne and Gallipoli in – Istanbul's classic sights, plus a day in Edirne and one night at the Gallipoli battlefields, wrapping up on the Asian s…
• North Aegean Ruins & Islands Road Trip – Drive south from Istanbul via Gallipoli, Troy, Bozcaada, and Assos to the charming town of Alaçatı.