Gallipoli & the North Aegean - Discover Turkey: Experience the Best of Turkey - page 244

With its student population, sweeping waterfront promenade and proximity to Gallipoli
and Troy, Çanakkale has rightfully grown in stature as a travel destination. Its nightlife is
raucous and international visitors often rate a night here as more intimate and friendly
than some more famous Turkish party towns.
For a culture fix, the old town has original hamams and mosques.
During the summer, try to plan your visit for midweek to sidestep the hordes of holi-
daying Turks. Çanakkale is almost unbearably overcrowded around Anzac Day (25 April)
and the Turkish equivalent, Çanakkale Deniz Zaferi (Çanakkale Naval Victory, 18
March).

Sights & Activities

MILITARY MUSEUM
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( 213 1730; Çimenlik Sokak; admission " 4; 9am-5pm Tue, Wed & Fri-Sun; ) A park in the
military zone at the southern end of the quay houses this museum. It's free to enter the
park, which is open every day and is dotted with guns, cannons and military artefacts.
A late-Ottoman building contains informative exhibits on the Gallipoli battles and some
war relics, including fused bullets that hit each other in midair. Nearby is a replica of the
Nusrat minelayer (Nusrat Mayın Gemisi), which disabled three Allied ships in the Gal-
lipoli campaign.
Mehmet the Conqueror built the impressive Çimenlik Kalesi Offline map Google map
(Meadow Castle) in 1452, and Süleyman the Magnificent repaired it in 1551. Inside are some
paintings of the battles of Gallipoli.

| Museum