The Northern Aegean coast of Turkey is home to beautiful beaches, stunning vistas, and important historic sites. This post covers the key cities and points of interest from Çanakkale to Çeşme.
Çanakkale / Gallipoli
The city of Çanakkale sits across the Dardanelles Straight from the Gallipoli peninsula. The Dardanelles Straight (Çanakkale Boğazı) is less famous than the Bosphorus Straight in Istanbul, but is equally important. Running for 38 miles, it connects the Aegean Sea to the Marmara Sea. Along with the Bosphorus, it is part of the major shipping route for vessels passing from the Black Sea to the Aegean, the Mediterranean, and beyond.
The Gallipoli peninsula, running along the western shore of the Dardanelles, was the site of one of the major battles of World War I. It was here in 1915 that the Allied forces suffered a major defeat in a battle against the Ottoman Turks that lasted for 9 months and took over 100,000 lives. Gallipoli elevated the career of the then-commander Mustafa Kemal Atatürk who went on to found the modern republic of Turkey and become its first president. Gallipoli also played a major role in the history of Australia and New Zealand; both countries suffered many casualties during the battle. The date of the allied landing in Gallipoli, April 25th, is celebrated in both countries as ANZAC day – a day of remembrance of veterans. Many visitors from Australia and New Zealand come to Gallipoli to visit the battlefields and cemeteries, particularly on ANZAC day.
Çanakkale is a nice, small modern city that is a good place to base yourself in if you are coming to visit the Gallipoli peninsula. There isn’t too much to see within the town of Çanakkale but it has a nice downtown harbor area (where you catch the ferry to take you over to Gallipoli). On the peninsula you can visit ANZAC cove (where the allies landed), battlefields, and cemeteries of the Allied and Turkish soldiers. Gallipoli is both beautiful and haunting. It’s a lush, green peninsula littered with what is left of trenches and thousands of graves. Today it is a peaceful place of remembrance but just 100 years ago thousands of young men, some of them still children, lost their lives here. A visit here won’t let you forget that.
To visit Gallipoli, you can take guided tours from Çanakkale or Eceabat that will visit a handful of battlefields and cemeteries. If you are planning to visit on your own you will need a rental car to get around the peninsula.
Troy
Just 30kms south of Çanakkale sit the ruins of ancient Troy. Yes, the very same ancient Troy of Homeric fame. For years, historians thought Troy was just a mythical city. Then Frank Calvert and Heinrich Schliemann came along in the 19th century and discovered the ruins of ancient Troy. The ancient site consists of 9 layers of cities, dating back as far as 3000 B.C. It is generally recognized that Schliemann made a mess of the excavations at Troy and ended up destroying much of the layer that was Homeric Troy. You can see firsthand some of his archaeological methods at the site today in “Schliemann’s trench” – a large trench cut through the site that exposed several layers of the ancient city (and destroyed much along the way).
Though historically important and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the ruins remaining at Troy today are not much to look at. You will encounter some walls, a small theater, and the aforementioned trench. The most popular photo op at Troy is the wooden replica of the Trojan Horse that sits just inside the entrance. You can even climb inside and pretend to be an ancient Greek soldier.
Visitor info: Troy is open daily from 9am-7:30pm April through September and from 8:30am-5pm October through March. Admission is 25TL.
Assos / Behramkale
Assos is the name of the ancient Greek city that used to stand on this site; Behramkale is the modern Turkish village. Behramkale is 90 kms south of Çanakkale. The ancient site and the village are perched on the top of a high hill, but there is also a small seaside village and harbor at the bottom of the hill. There is only one steep road that leads down to the seaside, which is where the hotels in this area are located. Aristotle lived in Assos for a number of years and founded an Academy here. The most notable structure at the ancient site is the temple to Athena, with several Doric columns standing today. The views from the hilltop out to the Aegean and across to the Greek island of Lesbos are remarkable.
Getting up to the ruins at Assos is a bit of an adventure in its own right. There are places to park near the top of the hill but wherever you park will still involve ascending some steep cobble-stoned streets to get to the site. As you climb, you will pass many of the village homes. Many of the enterprising villagers have set up stalls in front of their homes selling their homemade wares. You will mostly find handmade textiles here: tablecloths, scarves, lace doilies and more. This is a good place to buy these kinds of items: you will find favorable prices (and can always bargain further) and you know you are directly supporting the local villagers.
Just outside the hilltop village as you head on the road towards Ayvacık and the main highway, you will encounter an old Ottoman bridge parallel to the main road. This bridge was constructed during the 14th century and is an excellent example of Ottoman architecture at this time.
Visitor info: The ruins at Assos are open daily from 8:30am-7:30pm from April to September and 8:00am-5:00pm from October through March. Admission is 10TL.
Ayvalik
Ayvalik is a charming small town right on the Aegean coast, 110 kms from Assos. It is a nice place to base yourself to visit sites like Bergama or Assos, or to just hang out and enjoy being on the coast. Ayvalik is well-equipped for visitors, with plenty of hotels available in town, on the nearby island of Cunda (Alibey adası), or south of town along Sarımsaklı beach. Sarımsaklı is a great sandy beach but the hotels here tend to be mega-sized monstrosities that cater to tour groups and offer buffets serving questionably Turkish food. Hotels in Ayvalik or on Cunda tend to be smaller B&Bs. On Cunda in particular you will find a lot of restored old Greek houses that have been turned into hotels. Both Ayvalik and Cunda have lovely promenades along the coast and marina. There are also nice beaches on Cunda, on the opposite side of the island from the marina. While you are in Ayvalik make sure you take in the sunset at Şeytan Sofrası, a famous sunset viewing site that will not disappoint.
Bergama
The modern Turkish city of Bergama was built on the site of the ancient Greek city of Pergamon. Bergama lies inland a bit, 30kms from the coast and about 65kms southeast of Ayvalik. The ancient city has two different parts that you can visit: the Asklepion in town and the Acropolis on top of the hill. In 2014, Pergamon was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The Asklepion was an ancient medical center. It contained a sacred spring (whose water you can still sample today!) where patients would bathe. Healers would also interpret patients’ dreams here to diagnose and treat their illnesses. The site today has many structures including a long colonnaded walkway, a small theater and the circular temple to Asklepios.
The Acropolis is an extensive site, reached via a gondola that transports you from the bottom of the hill all the way up top (for a fee). (You can drive up the windy hill if you don’t want to pay for the gondola). Pergamon was home to the second largest library in the ancient world, after the library at Alexandria. The Acropolis also has one of the most impressive ancient theaters you will see in Turkey. The theater here is, in the Greek style, carved into the side of a steep hill. This massive theater once could seat 10,000 people and is said to be the steepest built in antiquity. If you are afraid of heights this theater is not for you. You step out into the seats and encounter a very steep slope. I am usually okay with heights but I was really worried that with one wrong step I would go tumbling a long way down the hill. Another notable site at the Acropolis is the Temple of Trajan, which has been partially restored.
Visitor info: The Asklepion and the Acropolis are both open 8:00am-7:00pm from April through September and 8:00am-5:00pm from October through March. Admission to the Asklepion is 20TL; admission to the Acropolis is 25TL (you must purchase a separate ticket for each).
Izmir
Izmir (ancient Smyrna), located right on the Aegean coast, is the third largest city in Turkey and known as a bastion of liberal politics. There is a large airport here, Izmir Adnan Menderes airport, which is a major hub and a good place to fly into if you are planning to visit Ephesus or the North Aegean. I truthfully have not spent much time in Izmir other than passing through to head to other Aegean destinations or visit the Çeşme Peninsula, so I don’t have many personal recommendations for visiting the city. Some of the major sites include the old Izmir Clock Tower, the Asensör (elevator) that offers great views, the Alsancak district with its old Ottoman houses, and some of the sites of ancient Smyrna, including the agora.
Çeşme Peninsula
The Çeşme Peninsula juts out west from Izmir into the Aegean Sea. The various towns along the peninsula are a popular vacation destination for Turks and tourists alike. As you head from Izmir west you will encounter Urla, Karaburun, Alaçatı, Ilıca, and Çeşme at the far western tip of the peninsula.
Karaburun sits at the end of a peninsula that juts up north from the main Çeşme peninsula and is two hours north of the main Çeşme highway. Its remoteness makes Karaburun a quiet, peaceful small town. Alaçatı has become a very trendy destination in recent years for Istanbullus and foreign tourists (an alternative to Türkbükü in Bodrum). Waves here make it a popular windsurfing destination and there have been a profusion of boutique hotels in restored old houses that have sprung up. I have not spent much time in Alaçatı but it is supposed to be a lovely, though increasingly expensive, destination. Çeşme has a pretty sea coast and is a true vacation town. You can find hotels both big and small here (and in the adjacent Ilıca – home to the lone Sheraton on the Aegean). From Çeşme you can also take ferries across to the Greek island of Chios.
