Istanbul to Gallipoli & Troy: 2 Day Tour with Hotel & Guide

4.88

(144 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We were barely awake when the van pulled up outside our Istanbul hotel — it was still dark, the city just starting to stir. I dozed a bit as we left the city behind, but woke up hungry somewhere near Tekirdag. Our guide, Cem, handed out simit and tried to teach us how to say “good morning” in Turkish (I didn’t really nail it). The drive felt long but not boring — the fields changed color as the sun came up, and by the time we reached Eceabat for lunch, I could smell salt in the air. We sat at a simple table with steaming lentil soup and bread that tasted like it had just come out of someone’s oven.

The Gallipoli tour started right after lunch. Cem walked us through ANZAC Cove and Lone Pine — he told stories about soldiers from both sides that made everything feel closer than I expected. There were poppies everywhere. At one point I stopped touching my phone because it felt wrong to take pictures; there was this quiet at the Beach Cemetery that you don’t really get until you’re standing there. We saw trenches carved into the earth, some still holding onto old wooden beams. It rained for maybe ten minutes, just enough to make the grass smell sharp and fresh. That night in Canakkale, I wandered out for tea by the water — a bit dazed from all of it.

The next morning was slower. Breakfast was strong tea and olives (still not sure how I feel about olives at 8am). With a few hours free in Canakkale before Troy, I ended up at a little museum where an old man pointed out coins from different eras — he didn’t speak much English but smiled whenever I guessed wrong. The Troy tour itself felt like stepping into every myth I’d half-remembered from school. The city walls are rough under your hand, older than anything back home. Cem explained how they’d rebuilt parts over centuries; he even showed us where new excavations were happening right now. Someone tried to climb inside the wooden horse for a photo — not me, promise.

The drive back to Istanbul was quiet; most people slept or stared out at the dark fields rolling past. I kept thinking about those poppies on Gallipoli Peninsula and how Cem described families coming every year to remember. It sticks with you more than you expect.