Canakkale
Canakkale
About Canakkale
The seaport town of Canakkale is the gateway to historically significant areas of Turkey. From here you can go south to the ancient city of Troy, once thought to be an imaginary city. About 150 years ago the ruins of the city, rebuilt nine times, where discovered, and excavation work is still continuing. The Trojan Horse used in the 2004 film Troy is on display in Canakkale. If you head north you will find the World War I battlefields at Gallipoli. Here, hundreds of thousands of Turkish and Allied soldiers were killed and wounded. The peninsula is dotted with cemeteries and monuments memorialising those who died there. About 100km south is the small, ancient town with a Temple to Athena that overlooks the Aegean Sea. All of these are just some of the sites that travellers on our private charters from Canakkale enjoy seeing while on their journey.
How to get to Canakkale
The easiest way to get to Canakkale is by bus. Coming from Istanbul there are bus services every hour to Eceabat. You can then catch the ferry across to Canakkale. There are also buses from other places in Turkey to Canakkale including Izmir, Selcuk, Kusadasi, Antalya, Denizli, Bodrum, Bursa, Ankara, Cappadocia and Marmaris. So, be it day or night, one can simply pick a bus and head to Canakkale without any troubles. It is 653 km from Ankara, 325 km from Izmir and 320 km from Istanbul. As the distances are quite far from Canakkale and most other major cities in Turkey, car hire is often a preferred method of travel. If you want to reach Canakkale by air there is also a flight between Ankara and Canakkale ran by Borajet which flies several times a week.
Things to do in Canakkale
The Dardanelles also called as the Hellespont is a broad strait with a quick current that separates Europe and Gallipoli from Asia and Canakkale. It is renowned as a challenge to swimmers. The easiest way to observe this strait is to take a short voyage from Canakkale on a boat to either Eceabat or Kilitbahir and return. And it is something rarely missed by tourists visiting Canakkale.
A visit to the famous city of Troy (Truva) is must for tourists visiting Canakkale. The city’s history, the Trojan Wars and the siege of the city is well described in Homer's "Iliad. In 1822, the remains of this Bronze Age metropolis were found. Although the site is currently undergoing some restoration, still it is open to the general public. A school, a library and a temple are among the major attractions in the ruins rediscovered.
The ruins of Assos that date back to the 7th century are just 55 miles south of the city centre. The great Aristotle lived in Assos for about three years and established a school. The ruins here include much of the original defensive walls surrounding the city, an acropolis and an Athenian temple. Although tourists visit this site mostly during the day, tourists visiting here can enjoy stunning sunset views of the Bay of Edremit, the Aegean, and Lesbos.
The historic sites in Canakkale are not done yet. Gallipoli (Gelibolu), the battleground of World War I for Australia, New Zealand and Turkey is another popular attraction highly frequented by history lovers. Currently, Gallipoli is a major site for many war memorials and cemeteries. The site carries a deeply historic and emotional significance to the Turkish, New Zealanders and Australians. Thus on April 25, all three countries come together in Gallipoli to commemorate ANZAC Day.
Canakkale boasts some of the most significant historical attractions in Turkey and visiting these locations is the main reason it is highly visited by tourists from around the world. Following your visit to Canakkale, most guests venture back towards Istanbul or head south for Bodrum.