After meeting your expert guide at your central Istanbul hotel, travel to Gallipoli by air-conditioned coach for you small-group day trip. Buckle up and cruise along the renowned Gallipoli Peninsula and listen as your guide explains the story of this treacherous WWI military offensive.
Learn more details about the campaign launched in April 1915 by the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) that aimed to support dwindling Russian forces. The goal of the allied troops was to topple Ottoman Turkish forces and sack Istanbul, then Constantinople. By January 1916, the campaign was a stalemate and the Allied troops retreated after massive casualties on both sides of about 100,000 troops.
Arrive in Gallipoli after around a 5-hour journey and stretch your legs with a stop at ANZAC Cove. Follow your guide and see the 25th April landing’s beach and The Neck, a site where 40% of Australian troops perished with little to show for the effort. Then, visit Johnston’s Jolly and observe former Allied and Turkish trenches and other remnants of war.
Next, discover the somber memorials of soldiers who perished. Stop at the heartbreaking Australian Lone Pine Cemetery and Memorial to observe engravings of close to 5,000 men. Then, visit the honorable New Zealand Memorial Chunuk Bair, the site where New Zealanders held their ground in the summer of 1915.
In the afternoon, enjoy a lunch that is included (drinks are at your expense). As the sun begins to set, hop back in your coach and leave Gallipoli honoring the soldiers with your remembrance. Traverse back to your Istanbul hotel where your tour concludes.
Please note: the order of attractions covered above may be modified during your tour.