Guide
The Troy Culture Route crosses Çanakkale, the ancient Troas, a region that links the Aegean with the Sea of Marmara from west to east and Europe with Asia from north to south. Archaeological work shows that from around 7000 BC Anatolian peoples passed this way on their migrations into Europe, and the land keeps traces of the Trojan Wars, the Hellenes, Lydians and Persians, Alexander the Great, Rome, Byzantium and the Ottomans. In the First World War the Dardanelles Campaign was fought here, a turning point in that war and in world history.
The route begins at Troy, the city of Homer's Iliad, where Paris ran away with Helen and the Trojan Wars were fought, which Schliemann named as the home of Priam's treasure, and which is on UNESCO's World Heritage List. From there it runs about 120 km to the ancient harbour of Assos. Walking or cycling the whole route takes around five to seven days, depending on your pace and the time you spend in villages, on beaches and at historic sites; because it is divided into stages, shorter or themed trips are possible too.
When to go
- Climate
- Across Çanakkale as a whole, monthly mean temperatures run from 6.4 °C in January to 25.2 °C in August; the mean stays between 15 and 25 °C in May, June, September and October; rainfall is heaviest in December (105 mm) and lightest in August (11 mm). Long-term means for 1929-2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).
