Why you’ll love this trip

• Be treated to a feast at a local family’s home as well as other oh so Turkish pursuits: drinking tea, playing backgammon, and the indulging in the water pipe
• Reflect on battles fought and lives lost with a moving visit to the Gallipoli Peninsula, a place of enormous significance to Australians and New Zealanders for the role it played in during the First World War
• Discover the history behind the famous archaeological site of Troy

Itinerary

Day 1: Istanbul

Welcome to Istanbul; the continent-straddling metropolis that the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans have called home.  This evening you will be treated to a fest at a local family’s home as well as other oh so Turkish pursuits: drinking tea, playing backgammon, and hitting the water pipe! (D)

Day 2: Istanbul – Canakkale

We will depart Istanbul at around 6.30am this morning to make a start on the scenic 5.5 hour drive to Eceabat. We will stop for a light breakfast along the way.

On arrival in Eceabat we take the ferry across the Dardanelles and check into our accommodation in Canakkale.  We spend this afternoon on a guided tour of of the historical site of Troy. Discover the history behind the famous archaeological site of Troy and see a replica statue of the Trojan Horse. Then, delve into the interesting era’s of Troy and discover how this settlement transformed over time.

Return to Canakkale in the late afternoon, we recommend trying one of the restaurants on the waterfront for the local catch of the day.  (B)

Day 3: Canakkale – Gallipoli

This morning you travel to the battlefields of Gallipoli for a guided tour of this historic WWI site, where you’ll learn more about the plight of the ANZAC, Allied and Turkish forces. Be humbled while exploring a region equated with one of the most significant military battles in Australia’s history. You’ll embark on a guided tour through Anzac Cove to the battlefields of Nek and Lone Pine, and be amazed at how this now serene coastline once saw such brutal scenes of war. Look down upon the rough and barren hills and gullies that sadly became the graveyard for so many thousands of young men from both sides. Tour the former battlefields and encounter remnants of trenches used by the Turkish soldiers. Hear stories of heroism and camaraderie that unfolded among the tragedies of what has become a defining moment in Australian, New Zealand and Turkish history, and take the time to read moving inscriptions etched onto a sea of gravestones. There will also be the option to visit the Kabatepe Museum, which includes intereactive presentations of the battle, as well as numerous relics from the campaign.

Return to Canakkale in the evening. (B, L)

Day 4: Istanbul

After breakfast today you will make your way back to Istanbul where your trip will conclude. (B)

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