Things to Do in Çanakkale 2026: Gallipoli, Troy and the Dardanelles

Çanakkale’s principal activities cluster around two major sites — Gallipoli and Troy — which between them draw most of the visitors. But the region has more: the ferry crossing itself, the Kilitbahir castle on the European shore, the island of Bozcaada, Assos and its Temple of Athena, and the Aegean coast extending south toward the Edremit Gulf. The city itself is a pleasant university town with a good waterfront and café scene.

For context and history, see history of Çanakkale.

Gallipoli National Peace Park

Gallipoli is the defining experience for most visitors to Çanakkale — a landscape of remarkable natural beauty overlaid with the history of one of the First World War’s most significant campaigns. The Gallipoli National Peace Park covers 33,000 hectares of the peninsula, protecting the battlefields and cemeteries.

Key sites:

• Anzac Cove (Anzak Koyu): The beach where Australian and New Zealand forces landed on 25 April 1915. Smaller than expected given the historical weight — the narrow beach backed by steep gullies gives immediate physical understanding of why the campaign was so difficult.
• Lone Pine Cemetery and Memorial: The main Australian memorial — the inscription lists 4,934 Australians and New Zealanders with no known grave.
• Chunuk Bair: The New Zealand memorial at the summit that Anzac forces briefly captured in August 1915.
• Mehmetçik Memorial: The Turkish memorial to the soldiers who defended the peninsula — the counterpoint perspective to the Allied memorials.
• 57. Piyade Alay Şehitliği: The Turkish memorial to the 57th Infantry Regiment, which suffered almost complete destruction defending Chunuk Bair.

Access from Çanakkale:

• Ferry from Çanakkale to Eceabat (₺20, 20 minutes; runs approximately every 30 minutes throughout the day).
• From Eceabat, bus to Kabatepe Orientation Centre (₺20–30) or taxi (₺80–120).
• Organised day tours from Çanakkale (₺400–700/person, includes transport, guide, and both Anzac and Turkish memorial sites).

Duration: A comprehensive Gallipoli visit takes 5–7 hours. Allow a full day from Çanakkale.

Anzac Day (25 April): The dawn service at Anzac Cove draws tens of thousands of Australians, New Zealanders, and international visitors — the largest annual gathering at the site. Book accommodation months in advance if visiting for Anzac Day. The commemoration begins at 5:30am at Anzac Cove.

Orientation Centre: The Kabatepe Orientation Centre (Kabatepe Tanıtma Merkezi) has maps and background — worth stopping here first to understand the campaign geography.

Ancient Troy (Troya)

Troy (Truva) is 30km south of Çanakkale — the site of the legendary city whose siege provided the backdrop to Homer’s Iliad. The UNESCO World Heritage Site contains nine layers of occupation from 3,000 BCE to 400 CE, each representing a different city built on the ruins of the previous.

What to see at the site:

• The Trojan Horse replica: The oversize wooden horse at the entrance is the standard tourist photo. It has no archaeological basis but has become the symbol of the site.
• The megaron and great tower (Troy VI): The best-preserved Bronze Age structures — the circuit walls and towers of the city that most closely corresponds to Homeric Troy (13th–12th century BCE). The bastion and the ramp are physically impressive.
• Troy I and II: The earliest settlement layers — visible in the excavation sections as alternating strata.
• The sanctuary (Troy VIII–IX): The Roman-era temple and sanctuary that occupied the site in antiquity, when Troy/Ilion was a place of pilgrimage for those who believed in the Trojan War legend.

Entry: ₺400. Open daily (check seasonal hours).

Troy Museum (Troya Müzesi): The excellent new museum adjacent to the site (₺200) is essential viewing — artefacts from all nine occupation levels, a Bronze Age weapons collection, the story of Schliemann’s excavations and the controversies they created (he shipped major finds to Germany), and the remarkable bronze-age jewellery hoard. Allow 2 hours.

Transport from Çanakkale: Dolmuş from Çanakkale central bus stop (₺15–20, 30 minutes; frequent departures). Taxi return ₺200–300 with waiting time.

Duration: Troy site 2–3 hours; Troy Museum 1–2 hours; total with transport: full morning or afternoon.

Dardanelles ferry crossing

The ferry from Çanakkale to Eceabat crosses the narrowest point of the Dardanelles — 1.2km of dark-blue water between Asia and Europe. The crossing takes 20 minutes and costs ₺20. Even without a specific destination on the European shore, the crossing itself is worth doing for the view of both shores simultaneously and the physical sensation of the strait’s geography.

Frequency: Approximately every 30 minutes throughout the day.

From the ferry: The Çanakkale waterfront with the replica of the naval mine-layer Nusret (see below), the Çimenlik Castle, and the waterfront promenade on the Asian side. The Kilitbahir Castle on the European shore.

Kilitbahir Castle

Kilitbahir Castle is on the European shore of the Dardanelles — directly opposite Çanakkale, 5 minutes by ferry from Eceabat. Built by Sultan Mehmed II in 1452 (the same year he built Rumeli Hisarı on the Bosphorus, before his conquest of Constantinople), Kilitbahir (“Lock of the Sea”) was designed in conjunction with the Çimenlik Castle on the Asian shore to control the strait.

Architecture: An unusual trefoil plan — three circular towers connected by a triangular inner courtyard. The keep is circular and massive. One of the more unusual Ottoman military structures in Turkey.

Entry: ₺100. The interior is largely empty but the walls and the view of the strait are worth the climb.

Access: Ferry from Çanakkale to Eceabat (₺20), then taxi or dolmuş to Kilitbahir (₺30–50).

Çimenlik Castle and Naval Museum

The Çimenlik Castle on the Çanakkale waterfront houses the Museum of the Dardanelles — focused on the 1915 campaign and Ottoman naval history. The star exhibit is the Nusret, a replica of the mine-layer whose mines sank three Allied battleships in March 1915 and turned the naval campaign. Entry: ₺80.

Bozcaada Island

Bozcaada (ancient Tenedos) is a small Aegean island 25km west of Çanakkale — one of only two inhabited Aegean islands belonging to Turkey (the other is Gökçeada/Imbros). Bozcaada is known for its Venetian/Ottoman castle, its wine production (the island has a significant wine culture), its Greek-heritage architecture, and its beaches.

Ferry from Geyikli: 1 hour. ₺80–120 return. Geyikli is 30km southwest of Çanakkale (dolmuş or taxi ₺60–100).

What to see: The Venetian-Ottoman castle at the harbour (₺80); the old Greek quarter with its characteristic stone houses; the vineyards and winery visits (wine ₺150–350/bottle); the beaches on the western shore.

Best time: June–September for beaches; May and October for atmosphere and off-season quiet.

Duration: A full day from Çanakkale (leaving on the first ferry, returning on the last). Overnight is better if time allows.

Assos and Temple of Athena

Assos (ancient Assos) is 80km south of Çanakkale — a spectacular site on a cliff above the Aegean with the ruins of a Temple of Athena (4th century BCE) and a remarkably preserved Ottoman-era stone village below. Aristotle lived at Assos from 347–345 BCE.

Temple of Athena: Six columns of the Doric temple stand on the cliff summit — one of the most atmospheric ancient sites on the Turkish Aegean coast, with views across the Aegean to Lesbos.

Entry: ₺200.

Behramkale village: The Ottoman village below the temple has stone houses, small pensions, and a harbour with fish restaurants.

Transport from Çanakkale: Bus to Ayvacık (2 hours, ₺60–80); dolmuş to Behramkale/Assos. Or organised day tour (₺400–600/person).

Activity summary

Activity	Cost	Duration	Transport
Gallipoli (self-guided)	Ferry ₺20 + site entry	Full day	Ferry + bus
Gallipoli (guided tour)	₺400–700	Full day	Included
Troy site + museum	₺400 + ₺200	Half–full day	Dolmuş ₺15
Dardanelles ferry	₺20	40 min round trip	—
Kilitbahir Castle	₺100 + ferry	2–3 hours	Ferry + taxi
Çimenlik Castle/Nusret	₺80	1–2 hours	Waterfront walk
Bozcaada island	Ferry ₺100 + castle ₺80	Full day	Dolmuş + ferry
Assos	₺200 + transport	Full day	Bus + dolmuş

For coastal options around Çanakkale, see coastal towns near Çanakkale.