By bus There are buses from Istanbul at any time, day or night. Just go to Istanbul's otogar, and look for 'Çanakkale' signs on the windowpanes of bus company offices. It takes five and a half to six hours to get from Istanbul to Çanakkale. Kamil Koç (stanbul Otogar, Bayrampaa-Esenler, ³ 444-0-562 (non-prefixed country-wide except cell-phones from which you should dial +90 212 444-0-562); +90 212 658-20-00 (kamilkoc@kamilkoc.com.tr), [1]. ) is one of the bus companies transporting passengers for 50 TL pp between Istanbul and Çanakkale. Truva Turizm (stanbul Otogar no: 137, Bayrampaa-Esenler, ³ +90 212 658-33-86(iletisim@truvaturizm.com, fax: +90 212 658-33-89), [2]. ) covers the same route for 45 TL pp (might be a few liras cheaper if the ticket is bought online through their website, but you will need Turkish language skills for that). The busy Çanakkale bus station also has several daily connections with most major Turkish destinations, such as Edirne and Izmir. Most buses drop their passengers off just next to ferry harbour which is conveniently located in the city centre after crossing the Straits by ferry.
By car Çanakkale is linked to north, east, and south by well-paved highways numbered E87/E90/D550, E90/D200, and E87/D550 respectively. However, as there is no bridge crossing the Straits of Dardanelles yet, you will have to take either Gelibolu Lapseki, Gelibolu Çardak, Eceabat Çanakkale or Kilitbahir Çanakkale ferry crossings when arriving from north. Çanakkale is 320 km from Istanbul, 325 km from Izmir, and 653 km from Ankara. By boat Of the possibilities to cross the straits, the 24-hr Eceabat Çanakkale ferry line, with hourly intervals during most of the day and night (with an extra half hourly departures from Canakkale side at 7:30am), is likely to be the most convenient choice to get to the city from European mainland. It costs 2.5 TL for foot passengers, and 20 TL for cars (flat fare, i.e. not dependent on how many people are occupating the car). Passengers from Istanbul must be aware that, under bad weather conditions, the sea-traffic in the strait is limited or cancelled, and crossing the strait may become impossible. By plane Turkish Airlines has flights from Istanbul three days a week. About Çanakkale Çanakkale Province spans both Europe and Asia. The city is near the ancient site of Troy and situated on the southern side of the Dardanelles at their most narrowest point. The city is approximately 6 hours away from Istanbul and an equal travel time from Izmir. There are good roads connecting these cities and the surrounding countryside with its hilly olive groves is particularly beautiful especially in the Spring. From the Aegean Sea a narrow straights takes you into the Sea of Marmaris and on towards Istanbul. The city is famous for its association with the Gallipoli Campaign or the Dardanelles Campaign of 1915 when Turkey was fighting against the allies for its very survival. Today the city of Çanakkale is a modern town with its own unique sense of identity. The people here are very friendly and hospitable and there is plenty to see and do both within the town and the surrounding area. Obviously no visit would be complete without visiting Troy which is just 31 km away. Again more information about this in the links section on your right. You can see most of the city in a day but we would urge you not to rush it and to spend a little time here.
The central theme of Çanakkale has to be the wonderful promenade. It stretches all the way from one end of the town to the other. With its fine restaurants, tea houses, open squares and ferry terminal this is a very relaxed place to be. Unlike Istanbul the stress and frantic rushing around is not necessary and the pace of life here is much more condusive to a well balanced daily life. People living in Çanakkale are very fortunate. The wooden horse from the 2004 Troy movie is exhibited on the seafront. Çanakkale has everything that you would need and expect from a big town. It has an old quarter with a beautiful clock tower and paved stone streets full of craft shops and goods and gifts of all kinds. In this part of town you can find the best restaurants and the best bargains. Make sure you visit the famous Aynalı Çarı ( Mirrored Shopping Alley ) with its souvenir shops. As you move out from the busy centre of Çanakkale you find the larger national stores and dealerships and then even further out the residential suburbs. On Friday there is a huge market where you can get all the fresh dairy and vegetable produce you need. Çanakkale is often thought of as the place you pass through on your way to Troy or the Gallipoli War Graves. Çanakkale is without doubt a city worth spending some time in. At Kilitbahir Fort there is a large statue of Corporal Seyit. He holds a 258 kg shell which he had to carry to the main battery gun and fire it himself against the British Battleship HMS Ocean. This larger than life hero was a wood cutter used to carrying heavy logs. The statue is a tribute to the Turkish gunners who held their ground when they were needed.
Troy ( Truva ) The Wooden Horse of Troy is the stuff of legends. The archaeological site of Troy or Truva is located along the Dardenelles in Turkey. Whilst the site is a little distance from the sea this is only because the land has become silted and the ancient site now lies inland rather than right on the coast. Some visitors to Troy are disappointed with the site and claim that much is left to the imagination rather than being able to see magnificent old buildings they are only able to see at best the foundations and some remaining walls of this once proud and famous city. Excavations of Troy have not been kind to what remains. In 1865 an English archaeologist by the name of Frank Calvert commenced excavation on fields he had purchased from a local farmer. In 1868 he was joined by Heinrich Schliemann who many claim dug too deep and decimated the structure of this important city. Nevertheless, there is still much to see and you can certainly get an idea as to the size and scale of the city by visiting the ruins at Troy. The Trojan Wars of the 12th, 13th or 14th centuries have been well documented by Homer s Iliad. Troia ( Troy ) is so important that it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1998.