Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- Located on the Anatolian side of the Dardanelles, Çanakkale is the gateway to the Northern Aegean. Atlasjet Airlines (tel. 0216/444-3387; www.atlasjet.com) recently instituted flights from Istanbul to Çanakkale in 2007. There is only one flight a day, departing Istanbul's Atatürk Airport at 9:30pm, arriving 45 minutes later at the Çanakkale airport located 3km (1 3/4 miles) outside of the center of town. Fares start at 49YTL ($43/£20) for a one-way ticket. There are taxis at the airport, as well as buses heading directly to the ferry docks/clock tower in the center of town. From here you can either arrange a tour or transport to the battlefields.

By Bus -- The major bus companies serving Çanakkale from both Istanbul and Izmir are Çannakale Truva (tel. 444-0017), Metro (tel. 444-3455), and Kamil Koç (tel. 444-0562). The ride takes about 5 to 6 hours (after a short ferry ride across the Dardanelles) with drop-offs at the Çanakkale ferry dock, located in the bull's-eye of town. Buses from Izmir and elsewhere stop at the otogar, about a 10-minute walk to the center of town.

By Car -- From Istanbul, take the E6 highway (toll road) toward Edirne. Exit at Kinali, and follow the road through Tekirdag, Malkara, and Kesan. Follow the road through Gelibolu to the turnoff at Gelibolu for the hourly and daily car ferry to Lapseki (12YTL/$10/£4.80 per car), where you will take the coastal road south 30km (19 miles) to Çanakkale. Or, instead of taking the turnoff to Gelibolu, continue through to Eceabat, with hourly car ferry service between 7am and midnight (then every other hour) direct to Çanakkale (8.50YTL/$7.40/£3.40 per car).

Visitor Information

The tourist information office (tel. 0286/217-1187) is on the main square across from the ferry docks. For emergency traveler's check situations, thank the PTT (post office) for providing a kiosk next to the ferry ticket office.

Orientation

The city of Çanakkale is divided by the somewhat commercialized Demircioglu Caddesi, which leads directly to Cumhuriyet Meydani and the ferry docks. The clock tower, 1 block in and slightly to the west of this junction, is a good meeting point for groups.

Getting Around

On Foot -- Çanakkale revolves around the port and extends, roughly, from the Naval Museum to the south and just north of the Trojan Horse -- gifted to the city of Çanakkale in 2004 by the production staff of the epic movie starring Brad Pitt. Behind the wooden horse is a model of the seven layers of Troy.

By Taxi -- Taxis for travel within the small city limits are metered; however, taxi rates are fixed according to the destination for travel beyond Çanakkale. If the rates seem blown out of proportion to you, try to negotiate a better rate with your driver.