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Çanakkale is
your best base for visiting the Gallipoli battlefields and
the ruins of Troy (although
you can visit on a whirlwind day-trip
from Istanbul, or a more comfortable
overnight
excursion by car or bus,
or a Six-Day
Self-Drive Tour from Istanbul to Ephesus).
Located
on the southern shore of the Dardanelles
strait (Hellespont), Çanakkale was
the major strong-point in the defense
of the Dardanelles from the
time of the Trojans through World
War I.
Today Çanakkale
is a pleasant town with adequate
hotels to serve travelers using the Dardanelles
car ferries (Çanakkale-Eceabat
and Gelibolu-Lapseki).
The
local museum is fairly good.
Çanakkale's
hotels are especially crowded on ANZAC
Day (April
25th) when the World War I campaign
is commemorated. (See Gallipoli for
more.)
It's
possible to visit Çanakkale,
Troy and the Gallipoli battlefields
in one day from Istanbul, but the
travel time between Istanbul and Çanakkale
is between five and six hours (340
km/211 miles), meaning that you may
be traveling for 12 hours and visiting
the sights for much less than that.
An overnight excursion makes more
sense, and a two-night trip is even
better.
Atlasjet has a daily
flight from Istanbul to Çanakkale, but it's usually
at night—and only one flight
a day—so it doesn't help much
if you want to make the excursion
in one day. By the time you go to
Istanbul airport, pass through two
security checks, check in and wait
for your flight, collect your luggage
in Çanakkale, and make your
way from Çanakkale airport
(CKZ) into town, I wonder if it's
worth it.
To
see Gallipoli, Troy, Ephesus,
and Turkey's Aegean
coast, try
this Six-day
Self-drive Tour from
Argeus
Tourism & Travel.
Distances & Travel
Times
Assos
(Behramkale): 79
km (49 miles) S, 1.5 hours
Ayvalik: 200
km (124 miles) S, 3-1/2 hours
Bandirma: 190
km (118 miles) E, 3 hours
Bergama
(Pergamum): 250
km (155 miles) S, 4 hours
Bursa: 310
km (193 miles) E, 5 hours
Dikili: 245
km (152 miles) S, 4 hours
Edirne: 230
km (143) N, 4 hours
Gallipoli
Battlefields: ferry & taxi,
about 30 minutes (to Kabatepe
Information Center & Museum)
Istanbul: 340
km (211 miles) E, 6 hours
Istanbul's
Atatürk Int'l Airport: 317
km (197 miles) E, 5 hours
Izmir: 340
km (211 miles) S, 5 hours
Troy (Truva): 30
km (19 miles) S, 30 minutes
Yalova: 365
km (227 miles) E, 6 hours
Maps
of Thrace & Marmara Region
Thrace & Dardanelles
Sea
of Marmara
Sea
of Marmara Ferries
Aegean
Turkey
Turkey
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