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Begin in Istanbul with an airport meet-and-greet, then follow this 5-day Turkey tour from the old city out to the Dardanelles and back. Day two covers the Byzantine and Ottoman core: Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, the Grand Bazaar and Topkapi Palace, with lunch at a local restaurant.
An early start on day three takes you roughly 4.5 hours to the Gallipoli battlefields, including ANZAC Cove, Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair, before a night in Canakkale. Next morning brings the ancient city of Troy and its Trojan horse story, a free afternoon in Canakkale, then the evening drive back to Istanbul. Airport transfers, four nights with breakfast, licensed English-speaking guides and listed entrance fees are included.
Whatever time your flight lands, our representative will be waiting in the arrivals hall with a signboard showing your name. Look for it just past customs and baggage claim. From there it's a private transfer to your hotel, usually 45 minutes to an hour from Istanbul Airport, or about 40 minutes from Sabiha Gökçen if traffic behaves.
Check-in at most Istanbul hotels starts around 2 PM. If you get in early, the front desk will hold your bags so you can head out. The rest of the day is yours, with no scheduled activities and no guide.
If you're up for a walk, the Sultanahmet tram line puts you within a few stops of Eminönü and the Galata Bridge, where fishermen line the rails all evening. Grab a fish sandwich at the waterfront stalls for a few dollars. Dinner tonight is on your own.
Your guide will confirm tomorrow's pickup time with the hotel reception, usually around 8:30 AM. Set out comfortable walking shoes tonight, because Day 2 covers a lot of cobblestone.
After breakfast, around 8:30 AM, you'll be picked up from your hotel and driven to Sultanahmet to meet the rest of the small group. First stop is Hagia Sophia, finished in 537 AD under Emperor Justinian. Your guide will walk you through the mosaics, the Byzantine dome and the mosque additions from 1453 onward.
A short walk across the square brings you to the Blue Mosque, built between 1609 and 1616 and lined with roughly 20,000 Iznik tiles. Then comes the Byzantine Hippodrome, once a chariot racing track, where you'll see the Obelisk of Theodosius and the Serpent Column. Women should bring a scarf for the head and everyone needs knees and shoulders covered inside the mosque. Shoes come off at the door.
Lunch is included at a local restaurant nearby, usually around 12:30 PM. Expect Turkish home-style plates such as grilled chicken, köfte or a vegetarian option on request. Drinks other than water aren't included.
The afternoon goes to Topkapi Palace, home to Ottoman sultans for close to 400 years, with its courtyards, treasury and views over the Golden Horn. You'll finish at the Grand Bazaar, roughly 4,000 shops under one roof. It's crowded and warm in summer, and vendors will call out to you, so decide in advance if you're browsing or buying.
Please be prepared to walk approximately four to five miles today, much of it over uneven stone surfaces. You will return to your hotel at around 5:00 PM.
It's an early one. Pickup from your hotel is around 6:30 AM for the drive southwest to the Gallipoli Peninsula. Count on about four and a half hours on the road, with one rest stop for coffee and restrooms. Bring a jacket or a scarf, since the peninsula catches wind off the Aegean almost year-round.
You'll reach Eceabat around midday, where an included lunch is served before the walking begins. The guided battlefield tour starts around 1 PM and runs most of the afternoon.
Stops include Brighton Beach, the Beach Cemetery, Anzac Cove, Ari Burnu Cemetery and the ANZAC Commemorative Site. You'll also see the Respect to Mehmetcik Statue, the Lone Pine Australian Memorial and Johnston's Jolly, where Turkish and Allied trenches sit only yards apart.
The route continues to the Turkish 57th Infantry Regiment Cemetery, The Nek and the Chunuk Bair New Zealand Memorial on the ridge. The 1915 campaign lasted eight and a half months and the walking here is short but repeated, in and out of the bus, sometimes on gravel and slopes.
Late in the day you'll cross the Dardanelles to Canakkale, about a 30-minute ferry ride plus transfer, and check into your hotel. Dinner is on your own; the waterfront promenade has plenty of casual places. Expect to arrive around 6 PM.
Have breakfast and check out of the Canakkale hotel first. Around 8:30 AM your guide collects the group for the drive south to Troy, roughly 30 kilometers and about 40 minutes away.
Troy is a layered site, and your guide will sort out the nine settlement levels of Troy I through to Troy IX, spanning roughly 3000 BC to Roman times. You'll walk past the Houses of Troy I, the Sacrificial Altars of Troy, the Bouleuterion and the Odeon. The wooden Trojan Horse replica at the entrance is the photo everyone takes, and yes, you can climb inside.
Be honest with yourself about Troy: it's foundations and stone walls, not standing temples. The story of Helen of Sparta and Paris is what brings it to life, and that's your guide's job. There's little shade, so a hat, sunscreen and water matter here. Figure on about an hour and a half of easy walking on dirt paths.
You'll be back in Canakkale around noon. The afternoon is free, with lunch on your own. The waterfront has the Trojan horse prop from the 2004 film, and Cimenlik Castle and the naval museum are both walkable from the center.
At about 6 PM the group departs for Istanbul. It's a long haul, roughly five hours plus the ferry and a rest stop, with hotel drop-off around 11 PM. Keep a snack and a phone charger handy.
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel and check out before 11 AM. If your flight is later in the day, reception can store your luggage while you take one last walk.
Your airport transfer is scheduled around your flight time. We generally leave the hotel three and a half hours before an international departure and about two and a half hours before a domestic one. Istanbul traffic is unpredictable, especially on weekday mornings, so we build in a cushion.
If you have a few free hours, the Spice Bazaar in Eminönü is an easy stop for Turkish delight, pistachios and tea to take home. Just leave yourself plenty of time to get back.
Your driver will meet you in the lobby and take you to Istanbul Airport or Sabiha Gökçen, whichever your ticket says. Safe travels, and thanks for traveling with us. END OF OUR SERVICE AND TOURS
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It's a regular small-group tour with a licensed English-speaking guide. Departure times are fixed and pickup is from your hotel or a set meeting point. We can quote it as a private tour if you'd rather have your own guide and vehicle.
Send us your travel dates, number of travelers and flight details. We'll confirm availability and hold your spot with a deposit, with the balance due before the tour starts. You'll get a written confirmation and voucher by email.
We meet at whichever Istanbul airport you land at, either Istanbul Airport (IST) on the European side or Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) on the Asian side. Our representative waits in the arrivals hall with a signboard showing your name.
About four and a half hours each way from Istanbul, with one rest stop. That's why Day 3 has an early pickup. The vehicle is air-conditioned and the coastal stretch of the drive is genuinely pleasant.
Most of the day is spent driving between sites with short walks at each stop, so it works for many travelers. Some cemeteries and trench areas involve gravel paths and slopes. Tell us in advance if you have mobility concerns and your guide will plan around them.
Troy is an archaeological site of walls, foundations and layered ruins rather than standing temples. The nine settlement levels and the Homeric story are what make it worthwhile, and your guide brings that together. The Trojan Horse replica at the entrance is a fun photo stop.
Cover your knees and shoulders. Women should carry a light scarf for their head, and everyone removes shoes before entering the prayer hall. A pair of socks in your bag is a good idea.
Breakfast is included every morning at your hotel, plus two lunches at local restaurants on Days 2 and 3. Vegetarian, gluten-free and other requests can be arranged if you tell us at booking. Drinks other than water aren't included with lunch.
April through early June and September through October give you mild days and thinner crowds. July and August are hot and busy in Sultanahmet. Winter is quiet and cheap, but the Gallipoli peninsula gets cold and windy, so pack layers.
If you need to cancel or change your travel dates, you must notify All Istanbul Tours at least 5 days before the tour starts. For a cancellation or date-change request received at least 5 days before the tour starts, the cost of all non-refundable flight and bus tickets will be deducted from the paid balance. For a cancellation or date-change request received less than 5 days before the tour starts, the full amount paid is non-refundable. If a traveler does not appear for the booked service, the reservation is treated as a no-show and the full amount paid is non-refundable.
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I recently completed the 5 Days Istanbul, Gallipoli and Troy Tour and highly recommend it.