Transportation to Troy

Transportation to Troy

How to get to Troy

The site of ancient Troy is not as easy to reach as you may think. It’s out of town, amidst the farms and villages of the Trojan plain. For directions if you are travelling by car, campervan, motorbike or bicycle, see below. Taking a tour is the easiest option and usually includes admission and a guide. Local transport is available (see below) but takes much longer, does not include the entrance fee, and without a guide you may find the ruins rather confusing. Most visitors say that having a guide makes a trip to Troy more enjoyable and meaningful. Taxis will offer to take you there from Canakkale, wait for you at the site and bring you back, but the cost is naturally higher than other options.

By your own transport

If you are going to Troy under your own steam, just drive or ride 25 km. south of Canakkale on the highway to Izmir and turn off at the junction marked TROIA (TROYA). The Troy site is 5 km. further along a winding country road. If you are coming from the Izmir direction, look out for the signpost after you pass through the town of Ezine.

By tour bus

If you are booked on a guided tour, then your bus will take you direct to the site. Just sit back and enjoy the rolling hills and varied scenery along the way.

By local transport

Minibuses to Troy primarily serve the residents of the village of Tevfikiye next to Troy. You may well be accompanied by villagers and school children as fellow passengers as well as sacks of rice or cans of olive oil plus spare parts for tractors. The bus usually passes through three villages near to each other, Tevfikiye, Ciplak and Kalafat. The driver knows that you want to visit Troy and will probably drop you off at the entrance.

The minibus marked “Truva” or “Tevfikiye” is the one you want. The minibuses depart from a minibus station under the bridge (koprubasi) about 10-15 minutes walk from the centre of Canakkale (i.e. the ferryboat terminal). On their return, the minibuses also make an extension to drop passengers at Canakkale bus station (otogar) then arrive back at the starting point.

The journey to Troy takes about 30-35 minutes and costs 4 TL (2010 price). If you wish to avoid a long wait, plan the timing of your trip carefully. Allow about 1.5 hours at Troy itself and half an hour for snacks and souvenir-hunting. Be sure you know the pick-up point for buses back to Canakkale. After a certain time, the only way out is by hitching a lift on a tractor or walking 5 km. to the highway then flagging down an Ezine, Ayvacik or Bayramic bus back to Canakkale.



The “summer only” times apply from when the clocks go forward one hour at the end of March to when clocks go back in late October.