Gallipoli the place is a pilgrimage destination for visitors from Australia and New Zealand

Across the Dardanelles from Canakkale lies the Gallipoli Peninsula. Its historic significance cannot be overestimated. World War I would have been considerably shorter had the British Empire’s troops succeeded in taking the heights of the peninsula. As it was, Turkish machine-gun nests kept the Allies pinned along the beaches, cutting them to shreds and effectively delaying any further Allied movement on the Eastern Front. The overwhelming majority of the Allied forces on the beaches at Gallipoli came from the Australia-New Zealand Army Corps (the ANZACs), and the place is a pilgrimage destination for visitors from Australia and New Zealand, especially on or around ANZAC Day, 25 April.

Most of the battlefield is now part of a national park, and the scenery of pine trees, green hills, ochre cliffs and sandy beaches is well worth a look. The most important sites are fairly spread out, so the best way to see the area is with a car or as part of a guided tour. Anyone can take a walk along the heights, look down on the beaches and understand why the Australians and New Zealanders below had hardly a prayer. Turkey’s founder, Ataturk, first gained fame for his defence of Conkbayiri Hill in 1915.

He later erected a touching memorial to the forces he helped defeat.

When to travel to Gallipoli

The best time to visit this region is during the Anzac Day when many people from Australia and New Zealand come to Gallipoli to pay respect to those who died in the war.