Our tour

We booked with Crowded House Tours and opted for the two-day tour, which included both Troy (or rather, the city believed to be Troy – something we learnt). However, this review focuses just on the Gallipoli portion of the tour.

If you’re looking to do just the Gallipoli tour, this is the one for you:

Pickup and transport from Istanbul

After we booked we were contacted about the pickup location. We were staying in an Airbnb on one of Istanbul’s narrow streets, so they arranged to collect us about a one-minute walk away where the bus could actually access. They gave us a specific time and the bus showed up right on schedule.

We were the first pickup of the morning, which meant sitting on the bus while they collected five other groups. This took some time, but did give us a chance to see some different neighbourhoods across the city that we hadn’t had a chance to explore. The process was smooth, just a bit long.

The minibus itself was modern and air-conditioned, seating about 16 people total with usb charging points. It never felt crowded or uncomfortable.

Just a heads up – they only do pickups from the European side of Istanbul, so if you’re staying on the Asian side you’ll need to make your own way across to a pickup location.
Also, not everyone on the bus is doing the same tour. Some passengers will be heading to Gallipoli, others to Troy, and you’ll split into separate groups later. The driver and organiser who pick you up aren’t your actual tour guides either, they’re just handling the transfer to Eceabat.

The drive to Eceabat

The drive to Gallipoli takes 4.5 hours each way. The bus was comfortable enough that the time passed reasonably well, and there’s a rest stop roughly halfway through at a service station.

The service station had clean, modern facilities and a shop where you could buy snacks or order hot food like gözleme from the dining area. We’d already had breakfast at our accommodation and brought our own snacks, so we just grabbed a drink, used the bathroom, and stretched our legs. They stopped at this same rest stop on the drive home in the evening.

Arrival in Eceabat and lunch

Once you reach Eceabat, you head to the Crowded House Tours office to check in. If you have luggage with you (we did since we were continuing on the two-day tour), they’ll store it there for you. The check-in process involved a bit of waiting while everyone got sorted, but nothing excessive.

After checking in, the staff walked us 2 minutes down the street to a local restaurant for the included lunch.

The lunch

The meal was standard ‘included lunch’ quality. My partner and I aren’t fussy eaters, so we ate what was served, but I noticed several people in our group left most of their food untouched. It was basic – nothing terrible, but nothing memorable either. You need to pay for your own drinks, though we just stuck to our water bottles.

After lunch, you walk back to the buses. This is where the groups split – those doing the Troy tour head to the ferry to cross to Çanakkale, and everyone else boards their bus for the Gallipoli tour.

The Gallipoli tour

Our guide

Our guide was Burek, who had 15 years of experience leading tours at Gallipoli. His bus was decorated with Australian and New Zealand memorabilia, and he was wearing a Vegemite hat when we boarded. It might sound a bit over the top, but it actually worked – most of our group were Aussies or Kiwis, and it immediately made everyone feel comfortable and at home.

His English was excellent, and it was clear he genuinely cared about the history and about sharing it respectfully. He knew a lot about Australian and New Zealand culture, which really added a personal touch.

The sites we visited

The tour takes approximately four hours and covers the significant locations across the Gallipoli Peninsula. We stopped at:

• Lone Pine Memorial
• Anzac Cove
• Anzac Beach Cemetery
• Chunuk Bair Cemetery
• Simpson’s Donkey Grave

Each site was beautifully maintained. You could tell there’s real care taken with preserving these places. At every stop, Burek explained what had happened at that specific location (the battles, conditions, and decisions that were made). We learned far more than we ever did in school, and he filled in some of the gaps and corrected some misunderstandings we had from the movie.

At the start of the trip, Burek asked if anyone had family buried at Gallipoli and offered to find and take them to their gravestone.

The Turkish perspective

In Australia, we learn about Gallipoli almost exclusively from the Anzac perspective. Hearing some of the Turkish side of the story which was equally moving, and horrific, really changed the way I saw the experience in a way I’d never really considered before.

Burek was careful to present both perspectives with respect and care. It never felt one-sided or biased, and that balance made the whole experience more powerful and meaningful. Understanding what the Turkish soldiers went through, the impossible decisions they faced, the losses they endured – it gave me a much fuller picture of the campaign.

What to bring and expect

There isn’t extensive walking involved in the tour, but you’re getting on and off the bus frequently throughout the afternoon. You’ll also spend time standing and walking around at each site, which are mostly in direct sunlight. Some stops have shade from trees, but most don’t. You will also be along the coastline so be prepared for possible windy weather.

I recommend bringing a small backpack with sun protection (hat and sunscreen), comfortable walking shoes, plenty of water and some snacks.

The tour is well coordinated considering all the moving parts – pickups at different accomodations, the long drive, lunch arrangements, luggage storage, splitting different tour groups. Everything ran smoothly and felt stress-free.

Why a guided tour is worth it

Before booking, we considered renting a car and exploring Gallipoli on our own. In hindsight, I’m really glad we went with the guided tour. Yes, you can self-guide around the peninsula and visit the sites independently, but some locations have minimal to no signage/information. Having someone like Burek who knew the history inside and out, can show you exactly where events took place, and explain the context and significance made all the difference.

The tour covered a lot of ground in an afternoon without feeling too rushed or like we were being herded from place to place. At no point did I feel like we were being cut short at any site.

The emotional impact

After years of learning about Gallipoli as this tragic, bleak battleground, I wasn’t prepared for how beautiful the peninsula actually is. The landscape is stunning – green hills, gorgeous coastline with crystal blue water, peaceful and quiet.

That contrast hit hard. One moment you’re driving past picturesque scenery, and five minutes later you’re standing in the remnants of trenches where young men spent months in absolutely grueling conditions. The beauty of the landscape somehow made the horror of what happened there feel even more real.

Final thoughts

We found this Gallipoli day trip to be one of the most moving experiences of our entire Türkiye trip. Yes, it’s a long day – 9 hours of driving for a 4-hour tour. Yes, the lunch was forgettable. But if you’re in Istanbul and want to visit Gallipoli with proper historical context, respectful presentation, and someone who can help you truly understand what happened there, this tour is absolutely worth it.

We left with a much deeper appreciation for what those soldiers on both sides endured. Standing where it actually happened, seeing the terrain they had to navigate, understanding the impossible conditions it honestly connected us to the history in a way that textbooks and documentaries never could.