How to visit and what to see in Gallipoli (Türkiye) in 1 day

The Gallipoli battlefields are the destination of an interesting excursion from Istanbul during your trip to turkey.

They are located about 280 kilometers away, on the peninsula that forms the European shore of the Dardanelles, the strait that separates the Aegean Sea Of the Marmara.

As on the Asian shore there is the archaeological site of Troy, one of the most famous in the world, both places can be visited at once.

The city of Çanakkale, with numerous hotels, restaurants and travel agencies, becomes the ideal base to spend a night or two while visiting.

Causes and consequences of the Battle of Gallipoli

La history of the Gallipoli campaign during the World War I is known to many from the movie Gallipoli starring in 1981 by Mel Gibson.

In 2014 it was released The water master, with Russell Crowe, which is also based on those events.

La battle of gallipoli It took place over 259 days between 1915 and early 1916, and was one of the bloodiest of the entire conflict as it caused half a million deaths and injuries.

The origin of this campaign was due to the British and French idea of ​​dominating the straits that separate the seas Mediterranean coast y Black.

This would facilitate contact with the ally Russia and easy access to the eastern front, and all of this would ultimately mean the fall of Constantinople and by extension of ottoman empire in the hands of the allies.

The campaign was an absolute failure for the attackers and was a great boost in the military career of Mustafa Kemal, who years later would found the Turkish Republic and has been known since then as Ataturk.

The Battlefields of the Gallipoli Peninsula They allow us to remember events of great military, political and cultural importance and offer the opportunity to reflect on understanding, respect and tolerance.

For all these reasons, they are included in the tentative list of the World Heritage for the Unesco.

The places to visit—museums, cemeteries, trenches, monuments, etc.—are scattered over an area of ​​several square kilometers and are freely accessible.

You can tour it individually if you have a car, and if not, it is best to hire a guided tour from Istanbul or in Çanakkale.

In principle we advise against day trip from Istanbul, since making round-trip transfers in addition to the visit on the same day can be very tiring.

As we have said, it can be combined with a visit to the archaeological site of Troy, which is quite close, before returning to Istanbul.

Better yet, if you have several days, the visit to Gallipoli and Troy It could be the beginning of a fantastic trip along the Turkish Aegean coast, visiting places like Ayvalik, Pergamon, Izmir, Pamukkale, Aphrodisias, Priene y Mileto before reaching Bodrum.

What to see when visiting Gallipoli

Una visit to Gallipoli It would be endless if all the points related to the military campaign were covered, but a few well-selected places can give a sufficient idea of ​​the place.

We must not forget that more than 130.000 soldiers died in this battle and it had a great impact on the society of its time, even within a conflict as horrific as the World War I.

British and French soldiers participated on the Allied side, but also Australians and New Zealanders. This explains the presence of this theme in Australian cinema, such as in the aforementioned films.

The area is highly visited by Turks, and excursions are continually organized from all the cities in the country.

In a state as nationalistic as the Turkish one, the Gallipoli campaign (wave Canakkale War, as it is called in Türkiye) occupies a very important role in the national consciousness.

Tourists usually tour the area taking advantage of the weekends.

There are two dates that are especially commemorated: March 18 and April 25, so, unless you want to especially experience those moments, we recommend visiting the area at any other time of the year, especially during the week.

Most of the places to visit are concentrated in three areas: the Cape Helles which forms the end of the peninsula, Anzac Cove and, a little further north, the Suvla bay.

Anzac Cove in Gallipoli

It is best to focus on Anzac Cove and the nearby hills. In fact, most excursions focus on this part.

If you travel by car and, therefore, without a guide, it would be advisable to make a stop at the museum located on the outskirts of Kabatepe.

A normal half-day tour begins by heading to Anzac Cove.

Recall that ANZAC It is the acronym for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, in other words, Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.

Anzac Cove It is a bay with a narrow beach at the foot of some cliffs, and the place where the Allied landing began on April 25, 1915.

El Anzac Cove Beach Cemetery, practically on the edge of the sea, is the first of those we will find.

When reading the tombstones, one is struck by the age of the dead soldiers, which is extremely low, as is the case in all soldier cemeteries in the world.

At the end of the bay is the Ariburnu cemetery, where there was a memorial with some engraved words Ataturk about peace and reconciliation.

However, this monument had been dismantled the last time we visited the area and we hope that it will be raised again due to the importance of its message.

On way to Lone Pine Cemetery, we find one of the most suggestive monuments of all Gallipoli, in which a Turkish soldier is represented, the Little Mehmet, who carries a New Zealand soldier in his arms to save him.

Lone Pine Cemetery in Gallipoli

El Lone Pine Cemetery, Lonely Pine Cemetery, is one of the most impressive.

The 4.000 Australian and New Zealand victims of the battle that took place here on August 6, 1915 rest here.

Among them is the grave of a 14-year-old soldier, the youngest to die in this campaign.

It is emotional monument to soldiers who died in combat here and in other places in the gallipoli peninsula, but who have no known grave, especially those who were mortally wounded and ended up dying on the boats and were thrown into the sea.

In different parts of the route there are trenches and ditches dug for the battles. It is surprising how close the two sides were.

57 Alay Cemetery in Gallipoli

El 57 Alay cemetery, that is, of 57th Regiment of the Ottoman army, is one of the largest and most imposing.

It is also one of the most frequented by Turkish visitors, who logically focus on visiting the memorials dedicated to their soldiers.

Here the statue stands out, representing a grandfather with his granddaughter, whom he shows the battlefield.

The man is Hüseyin Kaçmaz, who fought in different wars throughout his life and was the last surviving Gallipoli veterans.

In turn, the monument to Sergeant Mehmet He remembers a Turkish sergeant who fought by throwing stones when he ran out of ammunition.

El Nek cemetery honors those killed in the battle of August 7, 1915, an episode that is reflected in the film Gallipoli de Peter weir with Mel Gibson.

Chunik Bair in Gallipoli

Chunuk Bair It is a good place to end the tour, as the scene of one of the bloodiest battles of the entire conflict.

Here the Ottoman army commanded Mustafa KemaHe managed to stop the advance of the allied armies and definitively prevent their advance.

In this place there is a cemetery and a monument to the soldiers who died in the battle, as well as a statue that honors Kemal.