It’s possible to visit Troy or the Gallipoli battlefields in one day from Istanbul, but the travel time by road between Istanbul and Kilitbahir, the closest car ferry dock to Çanakkale, is 318 km/198 miles (about 4-1/2 hours), meaning that you may be traveling for 9 or 10 hours and visiting the sights for much less than that.
An overnight excursion makes more sense, staying in a Çanakkale hotel, and a 2-night trip is best if you plan to visit Çanakkale, Troy, Gallipoli, and perhaps nearby sights such as Alexandria Troas and Bozcaada.
Tours
Efendi Travel, a TurkeyTravelPlanner.com partner, has a good variety of tours to Gallipoli, Çanakkale and Troy. More…
To see Gallipoli, Troy, Ephesus, and Turkey’s Aegean coast, try this 6-day Self-drive Tour from Argeus Tourism & Travel. More…
Dardanelles Ferryboats
Car and passenger ferries cross the Dardanelles on three routes, two of them serving Çanakkale directly. More…
Bus
Numerous companies, including several major bus companies, operate buses on the route between Istanbul‘s main bus terminal at Esenler, Gelibolu town, Çanakkale, the Aegean coast and İzmir.
Car
The fastest and easiest route from Istanbul to the Gallipoli peninsula is via Highway E80/Otoyol 3 to Silivri, then E84/Highway D110 toward Malkara, turning south on D555 to Gelibolu, Eceabat and Kilitbahir, whence there are Dardanelles car ferries to Anatolia and Çanakkale.
Distances & Travel Times
Here are distances and travel times for your likely destinations after Çanakkale. More…
Plane
The small Çanakkale airport (CKZ), 2.5 km (1.5 miles) southeast of the Clock Tower and ferry docks, serves AnadoluJet scheduled flights to and from Ankara, and private or charter flights to and from Istanbul.
Seabird Airlines flies small pontoon seaplanes betweenIstanbul‘s Golden Horn and the island of Bozcaada, 52 km (32 miles) south of Çanakkale. More…
Best Travel Agencies 