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For
most of the last 3000 years, people
assumed that Homer's Iliad was
fiction, and that Troy (Truva in
Turkish) never existed.
Then
in 1863 a British expatriate named Frank
Calvert discovered ancient ruins
at a place in western Turkey called Hisarlik (maps),
and was convinced they were Troy.
Heinrich
Schliemann showed up in 1868,
provided money for more digging,
and took credit for discovering Troy.
Guided
tours to Troy and
the Gallipoli
battlefields run from Istanbul,
especially in April around ANZAC
Day. (Here's a good Six-day
self-drive tour of Troy, Gallipoli,
Pergamum and Ephesus).
Although
you can visit
Troy from Istanbul in one day,
I don't recommend it. The drive (or
bus ride) is about five hours each
way. It's much better to make an overnight
excursion by rental car or by
bus, including a guided
minibus tour or self-guided
hiking tour of the Gallipoli
battlefields.
Some
visitors think "there's not
a lot to see at Troy," and that's
true compared to Turkey's hundreds
of other ancient cities such as Pergamum, Ephesus and Aphrodisias.
But I
get a thrill just from
seeing Troy's ancient walls,
climbing around the ruins, and
gazing across the Troad (the
plains of Troy) towards the waters
of the Dardanelles and
the hills of Gallipoli beyond.
Troy
is impressive for its great age (the
oldest ruins date from 3000 BC) and beautiful
situation. The hokey wooden
horse is just for fun (especially
for kids).
The movie, with Brad
Pitt and Diane
Kruger, was released in
May 2004.
If
you plan to stay a night in nearby Çanakkale,
it makes sense to include Troy in
your itinerary, especially if you're
heading south—it's just off
the main Izmir highway
a few kilometers.
Click
here for maps of Troy & Aegean
Turkey.
Day-Trip
from Istanbul to Troy
Excursion
by Car from Istanbul to Troy
Excursion
by Bus from Istanbul to Troy
Self-Drive
Tour: Troy, Gallipoli, Pergamum,
Ephesus
Distances & Travel
Times:
Ayvalik: 180
km (112 miles), 3-1/4 hours
Bergama (Pergamum):
230 km (143 miles), 3-3/4 hours
Bursa: 335
km (208 miles), 5-1/4 hours
Çanakkale: 30
km (19 miles), 35 minutes
Edirne: 255
km (158), 4-1/4 hours
Istanbul: 370
km (230 miles), 6-1/2 hours (including
the Dardanelles ferry crossing; car
ferry via Bandirma is faster)
Izmir: 315
km (196 miles), 5 hours
Aegean
Turkey
Gallipoli
Thrace & the
Dardanelles
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