Anzac Day at Gallipoli - 2021

★   Services of an expert WW1 Historian

★   All excursions, scenic drives and sightseeing as described in the itinerary

★   Anzac Day Dawn Service at Anzac Cove

★   8 nights’ 4-star accommodation

★   Travel by comfortable air-conditioned coach

★   Breakfast daily (except Anzac Day), 5 lunches and 2 dinners

★   All entrance fees as per the itinerary

★   Copy of Mat McLachlan’s book, Gallipoli – The Battlefield Guide

★   Souvenir cap and document wallet

★   Welcome dinner in Istanbul

Tour itinerary

Day 1 - Monday 19 April | Arrive Istanbul

Welcome to our very special tour! Please make your own way to our centrally located Istanbul hotel. This evening we will meet our Historian and come together for a welcome dinner. (D)

STAR INCLUSIONS  ★ Welcome dinner in Istanbul

Day 2 - Tuesday 20 April | Istanbul

Today we will enjoy a full day of sightseeing in Istanbul. First we will visit the Blue Mosque, famous for its blue Iznik tiles and unique with its’ 6 minarets. We will then walk to the Hippodrome, which was the centre of sports events (chariot races and athletic games) and political activities in the old city. This afternoon we will continue with a tour of the Topkapi Palace Museum, the imperial residence of Ottoman Sultans. In the rooms of this palace, there are exhibits of the imperial treasury, Chinese porcelain, weapons, and holy relics (the Sword of King David, the staff of Moses, the Turban of Joseph, Relics of St. John the Baptist). Afterwards, our tour director will take us to the monumental tombs of the Sultans. We will end the day with a visit to the Grand Bazaar, the biggest oriental market in the world with around 4,000 shops selling antiques, jewellery, gold, carpets, leather and more. (B,L)

STAR INCLUSIONS  ★ Sightseeing in Istanbul  ★ Blue Mosque  ★ Hippodrome  ★ Topkapi Palace Museum  ★ Grand Bazaar

Day 3 - Wednesday 21 April | Istanbul – Gallipoli

Our journey in the footsteps of the Anzacs begins today. The group will assemble at our central meeting point in Istanbul at 8.00am for the 5-hour drive to the Gallipoli peninsula. As we drive along the shores of the Sea of Marmara and the straits of the Dardanelles, we will be viewing the waterway that the British, French and Anzac troops were intended to secure during the Gallipoli campaign. This inconspicuous stretch of sea was the cause of the carnage at Gallipoli. On arrival at the Gallipoli battlefield area we will enjoy a local lunch in the port town of Eceabat before crossing the Dardanelles by ferry and visiting Cimenlik Fort in the town of Canakkale. This fort was heavily engaged by Allied warships during the naval battles of February and March 1915 – a huge unexploded British naval shell is still embedded in one of the fort’s walls! (B, L)

STAR INCLUSIONS  ★ Ferry across the Dardanelles  ★ Cimenlik Fort

Day 4 - Wednesday 22 April 2021 | Anzac Sector

Today we will visit the battlefields that were the birthplace of the Anzac legend. We will explore Anzac Cove, North Beach, Shrapnel Gully, Lone Pine, The Nek, Quinn’s Post, Chunuk Bair and many more. The most moving part of this experience will be spending time in the cemeteries where thousands of Anzacs lie, and seeing the graves of legendary Anzacs including John Simpson, the ‘man with the donkey’. Lunch is included at a local restaurant today. (B, L)

STAR INCLUSIONS  ★ Gallipoli battlefields  ★ Anzac Cove  ★ North Beach  ★ Sharpnel Gully ★ Lone Pine  ★ The Nek  ★ Quinn’s Post  ★ Chunuk Bair

Day 5 - Thursday 23 April | Cape Helles and Suvla Bay

Today will be spent exploring a lesser-known, but no less important, chapter of the Gallipoli story, the battlefield at Cape Helles on the southern toe of the peninsula. British and French troops landed on the beaches at Helles at the same time the Australians came ashore at Anzac Cove. More than 30,000 of them were killed in nine months of fighting, as they desperately tried to advance northwards and link up with the Anzacs. Today we will visit the cemeteries where many of them still lie, as well as the beaches where they were mown down as they came ashore. We will also pay our respects to the soldiers on the other side of the line, the Turks, at the impressive Martyr’s Memorial overlooking Morto Bay. We will enjoy lunch at a local restaurant in the pretty village of Seddülbahir, before discovering the story of the Anzac’s forgotten battle at Gallipoli with a visit to the battlefield at Krithia. Hundreds of Australians and New Zealanders were killed here during a murderous advance in May 1915, yet today the battle is virtually unknown. This afternoon we will drive north to visit the battlefields at Suvla Bay, scene of missed opportunities and bitter disappointment during August 1915. This afternoon we will have the opportunity to sail along the Anzac Sector and experience the peninsula from a different point of view. (B,L)

*Important Note – Access to the waters around Anzac Cove will be subject to approval from the local authorities and can be revoked at any time. Therefore, the boat trip offered on this day of the itinerary will be subject to approval and weather conditions at the time of travel.

STAR INCLUSIONS  ★ Cape Helles  ★ Turkish Martyr’s Memorial  ★ Krithia ★ Boat trip along Anzac sector

Day 6 - Thursday 24 April | Troy Excursion

The pace will be relaxed today to prepare for our busy day tomorrow. In the morning we will travel south to tour the ancient city of Troy, immortalised in the tales of the Trojan War and the story of the famous Trojan Horse. Lunch will be at a local restaurant and this afternoon we will have time at leisure, a chance to rest before a long night and day ahead. In the evening we will depart for the Anzac Day Dawn Service.(B,L)

STAR INCLUSIONS  ★ Ancient city of Troy

Day 7 - Friday 25 April | Anzac Day

An Anzac Day we will never forget! We will continue our transfer to the Anzac Commemorative Site by coach. As the dawn breaks over the Gallipoli peninsula, we will join thousands of fellow Australians and New Zealanders in a once-in-a-lifetime event, the Dawn Service at Anzac Cove. As the sun rises behind us, the strains of the Last Post will echo across the valleys and ridges of Gallipoli, silent now but once the scene of so much sacrifice and tragedy.

Following the Dawn service we will walk up to Second Ridge to Lone Pine where the Australians in our group will attend the Australian service, while the New Zealanders in our group will continue to Chunuk Bair for the New Zealand service. After the service we leave the peninsula and return to our hotel. (Snack box)

STAR INCLUSIONS  ★ Official Dawn Service at Anzac Cove

Day 8 - Saturday 26 April | Gallipoli to Istanbul

We farewell Gallipoli this morning and return to our Istanbul hotel. This evening we will come together for a spectacular farewell dinner on a Bosphorus River Cruise, the perfect way to reflect on such a wonderful tour. (B,D)

STAR INCLUSIONS  ★ Farewell Dinner cruise

Day 9 - Sunday 27 April | Depart Istanbul

Sadly our tour comes to an end after breakfast at our Istanbul hotel. (B)


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