The Gallipoli peninsula

Itinerary

• DAY 1

  Arrival Istanbul

  Meet at the Istanbul Int. airport with Demavend Travels representative and drive to the historical peninsula, known as Sultanahmet, where you spend the night at the hotel.

  Transfer time: 1 h; transfer distance: 45 - 50 km (Istanbul Int. airport to hotel in Sultanahmet/Sirkeci)

  ON: in Istanbul at the hotel

  Meals:   - / - / -

• DAY 2

  Istanbul to Gallipoli peninsula with south cemeteries & memorials

  After breakfast we leave Istanbul and drive towards Gallipoli peninsula. The Dardanelles strait has always played a strategic role in history and is unique in many respects, the Persian army of Xerxes I and later the Macedonian army of Alexander the great crossed the Dardanelles in opposite directions to invade each other's lands. In 1915, during World War I, the western Allies sent a massive invasion force of British, Indian, Australian and New Zealand troops to attempt to open up the strait.

  On arrival we first visit the south cemeteries & memorials with cape helles memorial; Morto bay with the French war cemetery and Canakkale martyrs' memorial and if time is permitting Soganlidere & Sahindere cemeteries, twelve tree copse cemetery and N.Z. memorial. The helles memorial is both the memorial to the Gallipoli campaign and to men who fell in that campaign and whose graves are unknown and/or who were lost or buried at sea in Gallipoli waters. Inscribed on it are the names of all the ships that took part in the campaign and the titles of the army formations and units which served on the peninsula. It stands on the tip of the peninsula and is in the form of an obelisk over 30m high that can be seen by ships passing through the Dardanelles. Morto bay with the French war cemetery and Canakkale martyrs' memorial is located on the south of the peninsula. The French war cemetery commemorates the 14,300 French troops who died in the Gallipoli campaign, some of whom are buried in individual graves whilst the remains of others are contained in ossuaries within the cemetery. The Canakkale martyrs memorial is over 40m high and commemorates Turkish losses in the battle of Canakkale, as the campaign is known there.

  In the late afternoon/or early evening we take the ferry and cross over to Canakkale, a small seaport on the southern (Asian) coast of the Dardanelles at their narrowest point. The city is located amidst a historical and mythological rich area, homeland of many widely known legends. Canakkale itself is a pleasant town with a nice harbour and nice cafes around

  Transfer time: 3 h; transfer distance: 320 km (Istanbul to Canakkale via Kilitbahir & Gallipoli)

  ON: in Canakkale at the hotel

  Meals:   B / L / D

• DAY 3

  Gallipoli peninsula north cemeteries & memorials – return to Istanbul

  After breakfast we cross over to Gallipoli peninsula again and take time to walk through north cemeteries & memorials. We first visit Kabatepe (Gallipoli) museum located within the Gallipoli historic national park and commemorates the Gallipoli campaign, now considered a defining moment in the modern history of not only Turkey, but of Australia and New Zealand as well. The museum hosts numerous relics from the campaign, including weapons, sniper shields, ammunition, uniforms, photographs, letters written by the soldiers to their families, and private belongings such as shaving tools, cocoa cases, leather flasks, dress buttons, belt buckles are on display in the museum. Afterwards we take time to walk through the national park housing many relics of the naval and land battles that took place in 1915 during world war one and to visit the landing points of the western allies, known as ANZAC cove, became the main base for the Australian and New Zealand troops for the eight months of the battle of Gallipoli. We visit beach cemetery; shrapnel valley cemetery; plugge’s plateau cemetery; shell green cemetery & lone pine cemetery, the largest graveyard-cum-memorial to those buried unmarked or at sea. Afterwards we continue towards chunuk bair cemetery via johnston’s jolly cemetery; quinn's post cemetery; 57th regiment memorial & cemetery; walker's ridge cemetery; the nek cemetery; Sgt mehmet’s monument (Mehmet Cavus Aniti) & baby 700 cemetery. In the late afternoon we return to Istanbul where we spend the night at the hotel.

  Transfer time: 3 h; transfer distance: 320 km (Canakkale to Istanbul via Kilitbahir & Gallipoli)

  ON: in Istanbul at the hotel

  Meals:   B / L / -

• DAY 4

  Trip concludes at Istanbul Int. airport

  After breakfast; transfer to Istanbul Int. airport where the trip concludes.   

  Transfer time: 1 h; transfer distance: 45 - 50 km (Hotel in Sultanahmet/Sirkeci to Istanbul Int. airport)

  Meals:   B / - / -