A war that made history, a wooden horse and a story with a twist: Troy was one of the stops on our Çanakkale journey.
What is the Gulf of Saros like on the way to Troy?
Heading towards Troy we followed the shore of the Gulf of Saros and could not resist stopping for photos. The colours of nature were green and blue, and the orange roofs of the houses that kept sliding into frame added a lovely warm note. The gulf is an arm of the Aegean just north of the Gallipoli peninsula.
Why is Troy so famous?
Troy is a name that has never faded since antiquity. It is known as the setting of a war that entered history, told in the Iliad, attributed to the ancient Greek poet Homer. The wooden horse comes from later ancient retellings and has fed literature, film and art for centuries. Troy is also a real archaeological site, with layers of settlement built one on top of another, and it is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
What is there to do at Troy?
Troy is a historic and visitable stop that you can easily drop in on while heading somewhere else. The wooden horse is the most recognised frame of the visit, and for us it was a stop with a surprise ending. The best approach is to slow down and walk the site: history lovers get the ancient layers, those who only know the story get the horse, and photographers get both.
How to fit Troy into a Çanakkale route
Because it sits on the way to many places, Troy slots easily into a trip towards Çanakkale. That is exactly what we did, right after the Gulf of Saros. Around Çanakkale you can pair it with other stories from the region, such as Assos, Bozcaada and Gökçeada.
A note from a riding instructor: on coastal roads, stop in a safe place for photos and keep your eyes on the road ahead. Our bag for the day held Rider Healthcare socks, with Galata Healthcare and Educated Moto Riders trips as options for the road.
Read the full story in Turkish with photos and videos: Truva Gezi Rehberi.