Canakkale

Dardanelles region where Gallipoli battlefields and the ruins of Troy frame the strait between Europe and Asia.

Canakkale sits on the narrowest part of the Dardanelles — just over a kilometre across — the strait that separates Europe from Asia and links the Aegean Sea to the south with the Sea of Marmara to the north.

Somewhere near here Alexander the Great crossed the straits on his campaign against the Persian Emperor. According to legend, he ordered his men to beat the waves to show them their master was coming to cross the sea.

Many travellers — including many from Australia and New Zealand — come to Canakkale to visit the World War One Gallipoli battlefields. In 1915, the German commander Liman von Sanders and Mustafa Kemal Pasha, later known as Atatürk, defended the coast against the Allied forces. More than 250,000 soldiers lost their lives during the campaign. Many are buried in the cemeteries of the surrounding area.

Nearby is the ancient city of Troy, where people have lived continuously since 3000 BC. The city itself has the Ottoman fortress and naval museum at Çimenlik Castle, its European-shore twin at Kilitbahir, and on the seafront the famously incongruous wooden horse from the 2004 Hollywood film.

Guide

Eating Out

Çanakkale eats well on Aegean fish, mezes, and a strong street-food scene around the central market. The seafront promenade is full of restaurants of every quality; the better food is generally a block or two inland.

Yalova, on the seafront, is the long-standing seafood address — white-tablecloth dining room, fresh fish on display, full meze trolley. Pricey but consistent. Cevahir Han Restaurant, in a restored caravanserai near the bazaar, does Anatolian and Ottoman dishes in a courtyard setting and is a good change from fish. Köy Evi, just back from the waterfront, is a popular family-run place for traditional Turkish home cooking — manti, dolma, slow-cooked stews.

For something cheap and quick, the bazaar streets behind Cumhuriyet Meydanı are full of pide and kebab shops. The local speciality to look for is peynir helvası, a warm sweet made with fresh cheese and semolina, served as a dessert.

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Getting Around

Central Çanakkale is small enough to walk: the ferry pier, Cumhuriyet Meydanı, the Trojan Horse, and Çimenlik Castle are all within ten minutes of each other along the waterfront.

To Gallipoli — the easiest option is the car ferry across the strait to Eceabat (around 25 minutes, frequent), which puts you on the European shore where the battlefields are. Tours from Çanakkale and Eceabat include the crossing.

To Troy — local dolmuş minibuses to Tevfikiye (the village beside the site) leave from the bus station behind the main square; the journey takes around 45 minutes. Returning, the last dolmuş back is in the early evening.

Within the city — taxis are cheap, plentiful, and metered. The main bus station for long-distance services is a short taxi ride east of the centre.

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Getting There

Several bus companies run services through Çanakkale. Buses depart almost every hour from Istanbul, 300 km to the north, and Izmir, 350 km to the south, stopping in Çanakkale as they board the ferry to cross the Dardanelles. The fare from Istanbul to Çanakkale is around USD 12.

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Things to Do

Çanakkale is the natural base for two of Turkey's great battlefield destinations — the World War One Gallipoli sites on the Thracian (European) shore of the strait, and the ancient city of Troy about 30 km south. Both deserve a full day each and most travellers stay two or three nights in the city to do them justice.

The city itself has a working waterfront, a startlingly large 2004-film prop Trojan Horse on the seaside promenade, two Ottoman fortresses on either side of the narrowest point of the strait, and a couple of excellent small museums. It is a relaxed place to wander between hard-going battlefield visits.