Cultural Day Tour

07.00    Breakfast at your accommodation

07.30   Depart for full day tour

08.00   Ferry crossing from Eceabat to Çanakkale over the famous Dardanelle waters.

08.30    Arrival in Çanakkale. Drive to the site of Troy, 36km to the south.

TROY : Tour the historic home of the Trojan wars. Here you will see the remains of 9 city levels destroyed over time by both human and natural disasters. You will hear the stories of the myth and the history behind the ongoing excavations.

Depart for ASSOS : A traditional, stone-house village, set upon a mountainside with a beautiful harbour down the bottom, overlooking the island of Lesvos. Here we will tour the Temple of Athena on the highest point of the mountain and have Turkish tea at a local Çay (tea) House which has an extraordinary set of coffee tables to sit at.

Depart for BALABANLI  VILLAGE : TJ’s home village. Here you will wander the traditional village seeing sights such as the old wheat crushing wheel and the thatched summer houses for the sheep. A visit to TJs parent’s house, a small stone-built house which is full of Turkish hospitality and a cook who can whip up a storm will be a highlight of your day. TJ’s parent’s will then delight you with her traditional home-cooked lunch in which we will all sit together as family and share the meal.

Drive to BABAKALE, the most western point of Asian Turkey. Visit the last castle built during the Ottoman empire in 1723.

Next stop – TEMPLE of APOLLO SMINTHEUS in the town of Gurpinar.

This temple was built by the people of the Troad as a testament to Apollo, king of Tenedos and patron god of Chryse (known now as Bozcaada and Gulpinar) for siding with the Anatolians in the Trojan war. The figured elements here depicting the Trojan war as decribed by Homer makes this place unique.

Roadside stop to view TUZLA DAGI, an active volcanic mountain with a surface of salt stretching out from its base which has been collected for years by locals to use in their cooking.

Drive to ALEXANDRIA TROAS, once considered by Constantine to be named the capital of the Roman empire, only a few structures exist today, including a ruined bath, gymnasium complex and a recently uncovered stadium. But these attest to its former importance as a significant port for traveling between Anatolia and Europe.

Late evening departure for ECEABAT. Anyone wishing to go southbound may be dropped off at the bus station in Canakkale for an onward bus journey.

END OF TOUR.

Inclusions :

• All transportation, non-smoking.
• Petrol, parking and toll fees.
• All entrance and ferry fees.
• Fully guided tours,
• English-speaking guide/s.
• Breakfast at accommodation
• Lunch

Exclusions :

• Evening meals
• Drinks & meals which are not listed in the itinerary
• Tips to captain & crew are made at the travellers discretion
• Travel to onward destination