Gallipoli & North Aegean

Largely off the beaten track, this delightful scenic region of Turkiye has several important classical sites and the First World War battlefields of Gallipoli, but is equally interesting for the window it offers into rural Turkish life. A four-hour drive from Istanbul, the Gallipoli peninsula overlooks the Dardanelles Strait and is best known as the site of the disastrous First World War campaign (April 1915 to January 1916) during which 100,000 Allied and Turkish soldiers lost their lives. A visit to Gallipoli’s battlefields, monuments, and cemeteries which bear names such as Anzac Cove, Quinn’s Post, Johnston’s Jolly and Baby 700 is a highly moving experience and is particularly poignant a hundred years on from the tragic events.

Inland, on the lofty slopes of Mount Ida, are the tumbled ruins of ancient Troy (modern Hisarlik), where the Trojan War and events narrated in Homer’s epic poem The Iliad are said to have taken place. Further on, within Mt. Ida (Kazdaglari) National Park are several pretty traditional villages, including Yesilyurt, with wonderful views and quaint cobblestone streets. On the coast, not far from Ida is the little-visited ancient site of Assos, a hidden gem noted for its fine Hellenistic walls and the Temple of Athena with its dazzling views over the Greek Island of Lesbos. Further along the Gulf of Edremit, you will reach the popular Turkish resort of Ayvalik and Cunda Island – a delightful Ottoman coastal backwater with narrow lanes, colourful houses, and fishing boats bobbing in the harbour.

An hour’s drive inland from here will bring you to modern Bergama and the stunning ruins of ancient Pergamum. Pergamum’s imposing acropolis is accessed via a cable car ride and is celebrated for its precipitously steep theatre and Temple of Athena. In the lower town, Pergamum’s Asklepion was once one of the most famous shrines and places of healing in the ancient world. To the south, on the coast near Izmir is the check and little-known seaside resort of Alacati. This charming village is noted for its cobblestone streets, colourful old houses, beaches with crystal-clear waters, and being one of the best places in the world for kitesurfing.