9 Top Attractions in Çanakkale, Gallipoli Peninsula & Troy

Full of history, both ancient and modern, the area around the famed Dardanelles has been the crossing point of invading armies for centuries.

The legendary story of the Trojan wars took place here; the Ottoman sultans built defensive castles that still lord over the coast today; and in the modern era, this is the somber site of World War I's Gallipoli Campaign, the most famous battle between Allied forces and the Ottoman army of the war.

This has left the region with plenty of historic attractions and things to do for tourists, the most famous being visiting the ruins of Troy. Both Gallipoli and Troy are easily tagged onto an Istanbul stay and have become popular as two of the best places to visit on day trips from the city.

Find out what else this region can offer visitors with our list of the top attractions in Çanakkale, the Gallipoli Peninsula, and Troy.

Explore the Ruins of Troy

By far one of the top things to do while in Çanakkale, is visit Troy, 31 kilometers southwest from town, on the edge of the village of Tevfikiye.

The discovery of ancient Troy (the city thought to be the site of the Homeric legend of the Trojan Wars) was mostly due to amateur German archaeologist and treasure hunter Heinrich Schliemann, who began digging here in 1871.

Later, archaeologists working here have excavated not just the one famed city of King Priam, who fought the Greeks in a long 10-year war (as told in Homer's Iliad) but several layers of different settlements that flourished here over a course of 2,500 years (from 3000 BCE to CE 500).

The site can be difficult to understand due to the nature of the complicated excavations, lack of standing monuments (you are looking mostly at foundations), and a dire shortage of information panels.

For most visitors, though, the sheer wonder of this tourist attraction is standing on the site where the myth of Achilles, Hector, Paris, and the Trojan horse all walked into history.

It is highly recommended to pay a visit to the Museum of Troy before visiting the archaeological site, as the museum does an excellent job of helping to explain the ruins.

• Read More: Visiting Troy from Istanbul: A Complete Guide

Understand the Vast History of Troy at the Troy Museum

Opened in 2018, the Troy Museum is in the village of Tevfikiye, a 750-meter walk from the entrance to the Troy archaeological site. It exhibits 2,000 artifacts unearthed during excavation of the site, many of them never having been displayed before.

This is a great opportunity to get your head around Troy's vast history, plus explore the site's famous place in mythology and legend.

On display, you'll find marble statuary, coinage, ceramics, and altars that walk you through the different ages of Troy's settlements. The major highlight is the museum's collection of gold jewelry unearthed at the site.

Come here before heading into the ruins to help you piece together and understand the 5,000 years of history that the ruins represent.

Official site: https://troya2018.com/en/

Pilgrimage to the Northern Gallipoli Battlefields

For most visitors to the Gallipoli Peninsula (both Turkish and foreign), a trip here is a pilgrimage and a remembrance of the horror of war.

In World War I, Allied forces (British, Australian, New Zealand, Indian, and French troops) landed here on 25 April, 1915 to launch an attack on the Ottoman Empire (fighting on Germany's side).

The brutal nine-month campaign, which the Turks finally won under the brilliant strategic command of army officer Mustafa Kemal (later to become Atatürk, founder of modern Turkey) resulted in 130,000 dead and more than half a million casualties, and today the pine-covered hills are scattered with sobering memorials.

The Anzac Cove area (where the Allies landed) has a moving commemorative monument and many cemeteries, while the Lone Pine Cemetery area, with the most Australian graves (where a four-day battle left 7,000 dead), and up past the Turkish monument commemorating the Ottoman 57th regiment to the Chunuk Bair New Zealand Cemetery and Chunuk Bair Mehmet Memorials hold more important battlefields and graves.

Due to the battlefield memorials being spread out along the craggy hillsides of the peninsula, the easiest way to visit is by organized tour.

There are plentiful tour companies in Çanakkale who specialize in battlefield tours and the (very long) Gallipoli day tours from Istanbul are also a popular option.

Pay Your Respects at the Southern Gallipoli Battlefields

The southern Gallipoli Peninsula is much less visited by foreign travelers than the north but is home to more memorials and cemeteries from the Gallipoli campaign.

The village of Alçıtepe is home to the Salım Mutlu War Museum, with plenty of finds displayed from the battlefields.

Turkish, British, and French cemeteries of soldiers killed during the campaign are all scattered along the coast, including the Twelve Tree Cemetery, Pink Farm Cemetery, and Lancashire Landing Cemetery.

The Cape Helles British Monument sits right on the Çanakkale Peninsula's southern tip and memorializes the British and Australian soldiers who died here but have no known graves.

The mammoth Abide Monument (officially called the Çanakkale Sehitleri Aniti) at Morto Bay remembers all of Gallipolis' fallen Turkish soldiers.

Visit Kilitbahir Fortress

The pretty fishing harbor village of Kilitbahir sits on the Gallipoli Peninsula, directly opposite central Çanakkale.

The village is dominated by this impressive fortress which, like Çimenlik Castle in Çanakkale, was built by Mehmet the Conqueror in 1452.

Süleyman the Magnificent added the sturdy interior tower in the 16th century.

As long as you have a head for heights, climbing up to the top of the ramparts here is great fun and provides commanding views across the Dardanelles back to Çanakkale.

The ferry here from Çanakkale dock leaves throughout the day when full. If you're already on the Gallipoli Peninsula, there are regular minibuses between Eceabat (the main town of the Gallipoli Peninsula) and Kilitbahir.

Relax on Gökçeada

The peaceful ambience of Gökçeada (Gökçe Island) makes it a lovely place to rest up for a couple of days, particularly if you need a break from sightseeing.

You can admire white-sand beaches, backed by lushly-forested slopes and olive groves, and explore several old Ottoman Greek villages, full of abandoned and dilapidated old stone houses.

The Ottoman Greeks who had lived on the island for generations were not included in the population exchange that happened after World War I and were allowed to stay. In the mid-20th century, though, the government's deliberate "Turkification" policies made life untenable for Gökçeada's ethnically Greek population, and most emigrated. Hillside Greek villages, such as Tepeköy, are a reminder of the island's heritage.

During summer, the island can be crammed with day-tripping visitors from Istanbul, particularly on weekends, so try to plan your visit for a weekday if you're traveling at this time.

View the Historic Sights of Çanakkale's Waterfront Park

Çanakkale's Military Museum (officially the Dardanelles Straits Naval Command Museum) sits in a waterfront park facing the Gallipoli Peninsula across the Dardanelles Strait, where World War I's Allied attack on Turkish forces played out.

The park itself is scattered with old military equipment while the museum (set in an Ottoman-era building inside the park) has interesting exhibits explaining the Gallipoli campaign.

A visit here is a good opportunity to further understand the battle that took place here from the Turkish perspective.

The panoramic views over the water from the park are another reason to come here.

Nearby is Çimenlik Castle, built in 1452 by the Ottoman sultan Mehmet the Conqueror (who took Istanbul from the Byzantines).

The ramparts of this castle, with cannons still pointed out towards the Dardanelles, have fine views across the area, and inside are some paintings portraying the Gallipoli battles.

Address: Yalı Caddesi

Visit Çanakkale's Trojan Horse

Film-buff alert: Çanakkale's waterfront is home to the wooden Trojan horse model used in the 2004 Wolfgang Petersen movie Troy.

Çanakkale is a well-placed and comfortable base for visiting the historic sites of Gallipoli and Troy, but it doesn't itself have a huge number of tourist attractions, so nearly every tourist in town stops here to snap a photo of this old movie prop, which once rubbed shoulders with Brad Pitt.

If you're also interested in the history of Troy and are heading that way, at the base of the horse is an informative model of the site, which can help with understanding the scale of the ruins and planning and organizing your trip.

Address: Kayserili Ahmet Paşa Caddesi

Explore the Dardanelles Coastline

The coastline hugging the Dardanelles Straits is home to plenty of lesser-seen ruins and monuments that most tourists miss in their haste to see Troy or explore Gallipoli's WWI battlefields.

If you have time up your sleeve, small sites such as Alexandria Trois are well worth seeking out for their atmosphere of half-forgotten glory.

For those looking to splash about in the Dardanelles, the only beach where you're allowed to officially swim on the Gallipoli Peninsula is Brighton Beach near Kabatepe village.

This is a great place to come for a bit of sand, sun, and sea relaxation after you've finished sightseeing.

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Heading South: Road trip your way south, checking out the North Aegean area, which is home to the fabulous ruins of Bergama (Ancient Pergamum), the island of Bozcaada, and charming seaside towns such as Ayvalik. If you continue south, you'll get to Turkey's major Roman ruin, Ephesus, with enough temples and columns, theaters, and crumbled houses to satisfy you for a day.

Heading Inland: Although most visitors stick to the coast, there's much to see inland as well. From Çanakkale head southeast to Pamukkale, famed for its white calcite travertines and Roman ruins. From here, it's an easy hop to the vast Roman ruins of Laodikeia, with its colonnaded streets, theater, and acropolis. Farther east, you get to Konya, home to the Mevlana Museum and a central city district full of grand mosques and museums.