Visit Canakkale, Turkey

Canakkale, Turkey

Located in a key position on the narrowest point of the Dardanelles - the stretch of water that connects the Sea of Marmara with the Mediterranean - Canakkale is a relatively small town, which is nevertheless growing yearly.

It has a large student population, and is used as a stopover point for people visiting the nearby Gallipoli Peninsula, accessed by taking a ferry north across the Dardanelles.

Canakkale itself is quite pleasant and a couple of hours can happily be spent exploring here. Beginning from the main ferry terminal in the middle of town is an attractive waterfront promenade, which then runs through a waterside park and onwards, past a large wooden Trojan horse sculpture that was left over from the 2004 film Troy. 

Close to the main square by the ferry terminal is a five-storey Ottoman clock tower surrounded by numerous small restaurants, and as you head away from this ferry terminal area you'll pass two impressive WWI cannons. Towards the south of the town is the striking Çimenlik Fortress (meaning 'meadow castle'). This was built by Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror for the defence of Istanbul between 1461 and 1462, and now contains a Military Museum housing various weaponry from World War I.