Turkey · Marmara · Travel guide
What a week on the Dardanelles really costs, how to see Troy without disappointment and why Bozcaada is the most beautiful island hardly anyone outside Turkey knows about.
Photo: Özgür Kaya / Pexels
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Estimates for orientation, not booking prices. Flights and hotels vary strongly by season: current prices are behind the links below.
Money & payment: You pay in Turkish lira (TRY). The exchange rate moves a lot, which is why all prices here are given in francs and euros. Cards are accepted almost everywhere; you need cash for the dolmuş, markets and tips. Flight time: 3 to 4 hours.
Nine options in three price ranges, each among the best-rated on Booking.com.
Budget
For decades the go-to address for backpackers and Gallipoli visitors, right by the clock tower and two minutes from the Kordon. Simple, clean rooms and an in-house tour desk that organises the Gallipoli and Troy tours. Not luxurious, but honest, central and with the best advice in town.
Small hotel in the middle of the pedestrian zone, one block from the water. Helpful team, breakfast on the terrace, rooms simple but well kept. Good for solo travellers who want to be in the thick of it and have only a few steps to the bars of Fetvane Sokak in the evening.
19th-century Ottoman mansion, once a judge's residence, now a hotel with wooden floors, high ceilings and a courtyard garden. Right next to the clock tower. The rooms in the old part creak, but have character. For the price, the most atmospheric house in the centre.
Mid-range
Boutique hotel at the marina with rooms looking out on the Dardanelles and the ferries. Below it is the restaurant of the same name, one of the best in the city for fish and meze. You pay for the location, but you get the Çanakkale feeling straight from your balcony.
The classic hotel on the Kordon since the 1970s, now renovated, with a pool and views over the strait. Rooms solid rather than spectacular, breakfast buffet generous. Popular with tour groups, so often good prices outside the season. Walkable to everything, the Kilitbahir ferry is right outside.
Small hotel on the south coast of Bozcaada, a six-minute walk from Ayazma beach, the island's best-known swimming spot. Garden, own restaurant and free parking, which counts on the island in summer. For the harbour town with its castle and fish restaurants you need a scooter, bike or dolmuş. The right base for beach days rather than village life.
Luxury
The city's five-star, five kilometres south on the water towards Troy. Large seaside garden, outdoor and indoor pools, spa, several restaurants, rooms with views of the Dardanelles. Not in the centre, but ten minutes away by shuttle or taxi. Quiet and family-friendly.
The big hotel at the northern end of the waterfront promenade with pool, rooftop restaurant and rooms overlooking the strait and the Gallipoli peninsula. Four stars, well-drilled service, everything within five minutes on foot. If you want comfort without leaving the city, take a room on the sea side.
Small boutique hotel in the house where Heinrich Schliemann lodged during the Troy excavations, lovingly restored with just a handful of rooms. Stone walls, antiques, a quiet courtyard. No pool complex, but history you can touch and an excellent breakfast. For travellers who put personality before size.
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Nine settlement layers and the excellent museum next door. Museum first, then the ruins, and ideally with a guide. Allow around three hours, entry about CHF 25 (about EUR 27) each, minibus from Çanakkale hourly.
Anzac Cove, Lone Pine, Chunuk Bair and the Martyrs' Memorial in half a day with a guide who tells both sides of the story. The most sensible guided tour in the region, because the sites lie far apart. Around CHF 45 (about EUR 48) per person.
Corvus, Talay, Amadeus and Çamlıbağ: the island's wineries offer tastings with cheese and views over the vineyards. An afternoon by bike or with a tour, then fish at the harbour. Low season is cheaper and quieter.
For a few centimes, take the ferry from Çanakkale to the European side, climb up to the fortress of Mehmed the Conqueror and come back with a view of the narrowest point of the strait. The cheapest experience in town.
Temple of Athena on the hill with views of Lesbos, a stone village and a tiny harbour with fish restaurants. Aristotle taught here. 90 kilometres south, best by hire car or day tour, with a swim in the sea down at the harbour.
From the water you see the castles, the 1915 Bridge and the ships heading for Istanbul from their best side. Summer evenings from the marina, with tea or beer on board.
The Ottoman fortress at the southern end of the Kordon with the naval museum, a replica of the minelayer Nusret and cannons from the First World War. For anyone who wants to understand 1915 from the navy's point of view.
The largest island in Turkey with Greek mountain villages, a salt lake with flamingos and surf beaches. Wilder than Bozcaada and barely touristy. Ferry from Kabatepe in a good hour, more rewarding with an overnight stay than as a day trip.
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Çanakkale eats what the strait and the hinterland provide: grilled sardines, tomatoes and cheese from Ezine, wine from Bozcaada. The student town keeps prices low, and one sweet exists only here: warm cheese halva.
A warm dessert of unsalted fresh cheese, semolina, butter and sugar, lightly caramelised outside and stringy inside. Found in this form only in Çanakkale. CHF 2 to 3 (about EUR 2.10 to 3.20) a portion.
Tip:Order it warm (sıcak), cold it loses half its charm; a tea alongside is all it needs.
Sardines from the Dardanelles, fresh off the grill in season from August to November, otherwise salted as in Gelibolu. A portion with salad and bread CHF 8 to 12 (about EUR 8.50 to 13).
Tip:The sardines are fattest in autumn; on the Kordon you pay for the view, one street back you do not.
Mussels stuffed with spiced rice, a squeeze of lemon, eaten by hand. The evening street food of the promenade, around 40 centimes (about EUR 0.45) a piece.
Tip:You eat until you are full and pay by the shells counted; buy only where turnover is high.
Vegetables in olive oil, served cold: artichokes, beans, stuffed peppers, plus a warm stew and rice. A plate with three things CHF 7 to 10 (about EUR 7.50 to 11).
Tip:The choice is biggest between noon and two; by evening the pots are empty.
White cheese from sheep's, goat's and cow's milk from the town of Ezine south of the city, salty, crumbly, with protected origin. CHF 10 to 14 (about EUR 11 to 15) a kilo, and a slice belongs on every breakfast table.
Tip:Vacuum-packed it travels home without trouble; ask about the age, older is stronger.
The island has grown wine since antiquity, today mainly from the local grapes Çavuş, Vasilaki and Kuntra. A glass in a restaurant CHF 4 to 6 (about EUR 4.30 to 6.40), a bottle from the winery CHF 12 to 20.
Tip:Afternoon tastings are cheap or free, then fish at the harbour; on the mainland the wine shops on the Kordon stock the island's wines.
Jam made from small Bozcaada tomatoes, surprisingly delicate and not as sweet as you fear. A jar CHF 3 to 5 (about EUR 3.20 to 5.30), the best souvenir from the island.
Tip:Tomatoes from Ezine are at the weekly market in season too, and they taste of sun.
The Dardanelles, the narrow strait between Europe and Asia, have decided world history, and Çanakkale sits at their narrowest point. Thirty kilometres to the south, from 1870 onwards, Heinrich Schliemann and his successors dug into the mound of Hisarlık and found nine settlements layered on top of each other: Troy, whose war Homer sang of in the Iliad and which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Persians, Alexander the Great, Romans and Byzantines crossed the strait here until Sultan Mehmed II had the two fortresses of Kilitbahir and Kale-i Sultaniye built around 1462, from which the town of Çanakkale grew. The name means "pottery fortress", as the town was known for ceramics well into the 20th century. In 1915 the strait became a battlefield: the Allies tried to break through to Istanbul with warships and a landing on the Gallipoli peninsula. The Ottoman army under Mustafa Kemal, the later Atatürk, held firm, and more than 100,000 soldiers on both sides died. For Turkey, Çanakkale has been a site of national remembrance ever since; for Australians and New Zealanders it is the place of Anzac Day. Since 2022 the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the world, has linked the two shores.
Be honest with yourself before you go: Troy is an excavation, not a city of columns like Ephesus. You see remains of walls from nine eras, a ramp, foundations and the wooden horse at the entrance, which is there for photos. Without explanation you are through in 40 minutes and disappointed. With a good guide or the audio guide it becomes one of the most fascinating experiences in Turkey, because you grasp how Schliemann dug here and what distinguishes Troy II, VI and VII from each other. Entry costs around CHF 25 (about EUR 27), and plenty of guides wait at the gate. The real prize is the Troy Museum (Troya Müzesi) right next to the excavation, opened in 2018: a rust-red cube holding the finds, superbly presented. Museum first, then the excavation, that way round you understand more. Minibuses from Çanakkale run hourly for a few francs; a taxi there and back with waiting time costs CHF 30 to 40.
The Gallipoli peninsula on the European side is a 33,000-hectare national park with more than 50 cemeteries, memorials and trenches. The sites lie far apart: Anzac Cove, Lone Pine, Chunuk Bair, the Martyrs' Memorial at Eceabat, Kilitbahir. Without a car you cannot get around sensibly. The guided half-day and full-day tours from Çanakkale for CHF 40 to 60 (about EUR 43 to 64) are therefore one of the few organised tours in Turkey I recommend without reservation, especially as the guides tell the story from both sides. With a hire car you take the ferry from Çanakkale to Eceabat or Kilitbahir (20 minutes, around CHF 5 with a car) and drive the route yourself, which is worth it above all if you want to stay on Chunuk Bair for the sunset. On 25 April, Anzac Day, thousands of Australians and New Zealanders arrive, and hotels are booked out months ahead. The cemeteries are quiet and dignified, take your time.
Bozcaada, ancient Tenedos, is half an hour by ferry from Geyikli, south of Çanakkale. A Venetian-Ottoman castle at the harbour, white houses with blue shutters in the old Greek quarter, vineyards in the interior and beaches with windmills on the south coast, Ayazma being the best known. The island lives from wine: Corvus, Talay, Amadeus and Çamlıbağ are the wineries, tastings cost CHF 10 to 20 (about EUR 11 to 21). The local specialities are tomato jam, sakız (mastic) liqueur and fish at the harbour. The problem: in July and August Istanbulites come to the island in their thousands, simple guesthouses then cost over CHF 120 and the car ferry is impossible to get without a reservation. Come in May, June or September, pay half and have the beaches almost to yourself. Two nights are the minimum, three are better. A bicycle or scooter is enough, the island measures only six by twelve kilometres.
The waterfront promenade (Kordon) is the city's living room: in the evening students, families and pensioners stroll up and down, the ferries to Kilitbahir depart, and the Trojan Horse from the 2004 Hollywood film stands on the shore. The restaurants right on the water are good but charge a premium for the location. Two streets inland, around Fetvane Sokak and the Aynalı Çarşı (mirror bazaar), is where the city itself eats. The speciality is peynir helvası, a warm dessert of cheese, semolina and sugar that exists only here, for CHF 2 to 3 (about EUR 2 to 3) in any patisserie. Add grilled sardines in season and tomatoes from Ezine, which rank among the best in Turkey. A dinner of fish and rakı on the Kordon costs CHF 20 to 30, while a lokanta with daily dishes fills you up for CHF 7 to 10. Thanks to the university, beer and wine are a matter of course in Çanakkale and affordable.
If you have a hire car, drive south for a day. Assos (Behramkale), 90 kilometres from Çanakkale, is a village of stone houses on a hill crowned by a temple of Athena from the 6th century BC; Aristotle taught here for three years. The view from the temple across to the Greek island of Lesbos is one of the best on the Aegean. Down at the tiny harbour, three or four hotels occupy old warehouses. On the way, Ezine (buy cheese) and the olive-grove village of Adatepe with its stone houses are worth a stop. Northwest of Çanakkale lies the island of Gökçeada (Imbros), the largest island in Turkey, with Greek villages, a salt lake and surfers. It is wilder and less developed than Bozcaada, and the ferry from Kabatepe takes a good hour. You need time for both: if you want to see Troy, Gallipoli, Bozcaada and Assos, plan six to seven days.
Çanakkale is pronounced "cha-NAK-ka-leh", with the stress on the nak. Gelibolu is the Turkish name for Gallipoli, Truva for Troy, and Bozcaada is pronounced "boz-JA-a-da". The city is relaxed, liberal and, thanks to the big university, has good nightlife by Turkish standards. On the subject of Gallipoli: for Turkey it is Çanakkale Zaferi, the victory of Çanakkale, celebrated on 18 March. Be respectful at the memorials of both sides. Practicalities: Çanakkale airport (CKZ) has daily flights from Istanbul with Turkish Airlines and AJet for CHF 40 to 80 (about EUR 43 to 86); the bus from Istanbul takes six hours and costs CHF 15 to 20. Since the 1915 Bridge opened, the bus no longer uses the ferry, but the ferry from Çanakkale to Kilitbahir, a mini cruise for a few centimes, remains the cheapest experience in town. ATMs and card payment are everywhere, but take cash to Bozcaada anyway.
Three days for the essentials: one day for Troy with the museum, one for Gallipoli, one for the city. With two nights on Bozcaada it is five, with Assos and Gökçeada a whole week. As a day trip from Istanbul, Çanakkale is too far, it turns into a marathon.
May, June and September: warm, swimming season on Bozcaada, but without the Istanbul summer crowds. July and August are hot, windy and expensive on the island. In spring the Gallipoli battlefields are in bloom, though 25 April (Anzac Day) is extremely booked up.
Fly to Istanbul (IST), then either a domestic flight to Çanakkale (CKZ, 50 minutes, CHF 40 to 80, about EUR 43 to 86) or the bus from Istanbul Esenler (around six hours, CHF 15 to 20). With a hire car from Istanbul it is five hours via the new bridge at Lapseki.
With a guide or audio guide and the museum next door: yes, absolutely. Without explanation you walk through wall remains and wonder what the fuss is about. Plan two to three hours for museum and excavation together and do not expect a city of columns like Ephesus.
By car ferry from Geyikli (Yükyeri İskelesi), 60 kilometres south of Çanakkale, in 30 minutes. Minibuses from Çanakkale go straight to the port. In summer there is also a passenger ferry from Çanakkale. With a car, book online in advance without fail; in July and August the ferry is full weeks ahead.
Not for Troy, the Gallipoli tour, the city and Bozcaada: minibuses, ferries and guided tours cover everything. For Assos, Gökçeada and the villages of the south coast, yes. A small car costs CHF 30 to 45 (about EUR 32 to 48) per day, with pick-up at Çanakkale airport.
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