3-Day ANZAC Day Tour from Istanbul: Gallipoli Dawn Service & City Tour

The journey begins early: pick-ups start at 06:00 in the Taksim area (The Marmara Hotel) and continue between 06:30 and 07:00 from hotels in Sultanahmet. The coach then heads west along the Sea of Marmara towards the Gallipoli Peninsula, arriving in Eceabat around noon, where you enjoy lunch by the coast. In the afternoon your expert guide leads a tour of the main battlefields of 1915. You begin at the Kabatepe War Museum, with its collection of weapons, photographs and personal belongings from the campaign, and then visit ANZAC Cove, where the Australian and New Zealand troops landed. The route continues to Lone Pine and its Australian Memorial, Quinn's Post, the 57th Regiment Turkish Memorial, The Nek and finally Chunuk Bair, site of the New Zealand Memorial and one of the highest points of the peninsula. At each stop your guide explains the course of the fighting and shares personal stories from both sides. In the evening you check into your hotel in Canakkale. Dinner and overnight in Canakkale.

This is the most emotional day of the tour. Before sunrise you take part in the Dawn Service at the ANZAC Commemorative Site on North Beach, held between about 05:30 and 06:15 as first light breaks over the Aegean. Because access to the site begins during the night, warm clothing, rain gear, a torch, snacks and water are strongly recommended. Later in the morning, from around 09:30 to 10:15, you attend the Australian Memorial Service at Lone Pine, followed between 11:30 and 12:15 by the New Zealand Memorial Service at Chunuk Bair, where wreaths are laid in honour of the fallen. At around 15:00 you leave the peninsula and begin the drive of about five to six hours back to Istanbul, arriving at approximately 21:00 to check into your hotel. Dinner and overnight in Istanbul.

After breakfast and check-out, with luggage storage available, you depart at about 08:30 for a guided tour of Istanbul's historic peninsula. The first visit is Topkapi Palace, the seat of the Ottoman sultans for centuries, where you discover royal treasures and learn about life at the imperial court. Next is the Blue Mosque, the Sultanahmet Mosque, an iconic 17th-century masterpiece renowned for its cascading domes and blue Iznik tiles. You then walk through the Hippodrome, the ancient Roman and Byzantine arena where several monuments still stand, before ending at the Spice Bazaar, where vibrant scents and colourful stalls of spices, teas and Turkish delight fill the historic market halls. The tour finishes in the afternoon in Istanbul; our team can advise you on transfer options or onward travel.