anzac cove

When you arrive at Gallipoli and walk down to Anzac Cove you are struck with several observations -- Anzac Cove is quite small, it lacks any cover, the Turkish soldiers occupied the high ground and it was their land that they were defending. The stunted trees have a distinct lean as the area suffers from severe winds. The best example of this is the lone pine tree at the "Lone Pine Cemetary and Memorial Walls". At the top of Hill #700 there is a relief map which shows the importance of the area -- those in possession controlled the waters of both areas. The headstones list the soldier's name, age and a family statement. The speech given by the Turkish President many years ago is cast in a wall. It is an emotional experience to read the inscriptions on the headstones and be mindful of the president's message which ends by saying "They are now our sons". I am very reluctant to give a rating as I believe this site is above such tourist details. However, the area is an excellent reminder of the futility of war and the loss of so many lives, both young and old, from both sides of the conflict.

I first heard Gallipoli on the movie with the same title when I was a kid and since then I am curious. What I love about it was really the very long walk and the occational sheeps that were walking and nimbling and less human in sight. I am only reading the history of this place in the internet and if its not winter I think its nice to have a quick swim in this cove. That time the water was really calm and inviting. From the cove I walked uphill upto Lone Pine and never went to the NZ memorial since I am running out of time to get into the last dolmus at 1500. It will be nice I think to be here in April.

Being a second generation immigrant from Hong Kong and living in Australia for over 30 years, I always knew the importance of Anzac Day. Even though I have no family members who served it was such an important place to visit. I was amazed at how rough the landscape would've been, how young the soldiers were from both the allied forces and the Turkish. We visited in Feb which was in the freezing cold but it added to the experience of what the soldiers did to defend their country. I felt more appreciative of being Australian and would recommend visiting Gallipoli to learn about this historical event

I highly recommend the audio guide on the website. - http://www.anzacsite.gov.au/2visiting/walk_info.htmlThis is a great historical walking tour that will help you understand battle of Gallipoli. It starts at the Anzac Cove Commemorative Site located at North Beach and finishes at a lookout near Walkers ridge cemetery overlooking the start point. You wander around and really get a great picture of what it was like as a young soldier fighting against a determined enemy.Getting there:Self drive: Car hire: 100TL, Fuel:30TL, Ferry:25TLTour: 70TL per person, but you will be rushed and unable to do it at your own pace so I would recommend hiring a car.Take some lunch/water as there is not much once you are there.Some other suggestions for info you might want to look through before you get there are:Gallipoli - Watch the 1981 Film ‘Gallipoli’ (starring a very young Mel Gibson) - It won’t give you much historical detail, and most of the film is set in Australia and Egypt but it will get you in the right frame of mind for your visit.Wikipedia - Have a read/skim through of the wikipedia page, it gives some good background info and you can understand what is actually happening in reference to the films.Canakkale - Watch the 2012 Turkish film “Çanakkale 1915’ - It is a pretty average film, (and you have to read subtitles), with all sorts of nationalistic propaganda, but it does give a pretty good overall history of the campaign and can give you a point of reference for what this all meant from the Turkish side of the battle.For those that are super interested, or are spending a lot of time on transport and need something to keep you entertained, the book, Gallipoli by Peter FitzSimons is a really good read (also available as an Audio Book). Be warned, it is a very long book, so only attempt this if you are very interested.

Unexplainable, one must experience it for themselves. I was able to attend ANZAC day ceremonies with the VIP cohort as part of a group from New Zealand. We made our way down to the shores. The Australian and New Zealand monuments were also great to see and pay respect to the fallen soldiers. İ would of enjoyed travelling between the areas on foot as that would of allowed me to derive greater meaning of what took place here a century ago. A truly remarkable place which deserves the greatest recognition from everyone - regardless being invaded, the Turks have shown great compassion by maintaining these sites.

I highly recommend the audio guide on the website. - http://www.anzacsite.gov.au/2visiting/walk_info.htmlThis is a great historical walking tour that will help you understand battle of Gallipoli. It starts at the Anzac Cove Commemorative Site located at North Beach and finishes at a lookout near Walkers ridge cemetery overlooking the start point. You wander around and really get a great picture of what it was like as a young soldier fighting against a determined enemy.Getting there:Self drive: Car hire: 100TL, Fuel:30TL, Ferry:25TLTour: 70TL per person, but you will be rushed and unable to do it at your own pace so I would recommend hiring a car.Take some lunch/water as there is not much on once you are there.Some other suggestions for info you might want to look through before you get there are:Gallipoli - Watch the 1981 Film ‘Gallipoli’ (starring a very young Mel Gibson) - It won’t give you much historical detail, and most of the film is set in Australia and Egypt but it will get you in the right frame of mind for your visit.Wikipedia - Have a read/skim through of the wikipedia page, it gives some good background info and you can understand what is actually happening in reference to the films.Canakkale - Watch the 2012 Turkish film “Çanakkale 1915’ - It is a pretty average film, (and you have to read subtitles), with all sorts of nationalistic propaganda, but it does give a pretty good overall history of the campaign and can give you a point of reference for what this all meant from the Turkish side of the battle.For those that are super interested, or are spending a lot of time on transport and need something to keep you entertained, the book, Gallipoli by Peter FitzSimons is a really good read (also available as an Audio Book). Be warned, it is a very long book, so only attempt this if you are very interested.

The Sphinx. Incredible natural rock/clay formation. Make sure you see it from both North beach/Anzac Cove and from the lookout near Walkers Ridge cemetery.

Being descended from a couple of ANZAC originals of this famous location & bring a returned soldier myself, I've always had a yearning to visit this place. My wife & I visited him late December 2014. If you're an Aussie / Kiwi / Pom, and have any interest in a generation of men the likes of will never be seen again, then this place should be on your to do list. We did a full day guided tour with the best in the business Kenan Celik OAM. In our opinion we are glad we took the advice of a respected contact & forked out €200 for his knowledge & guidance.The place is vast and the Turkish government has not always looked after this place as it does now with such reverence, so it is hard to determine the battlefield without an expert guide. I will be back again. Three days was not enough to visit this place.

You must visit the magnificent Gaba Tepe Museum (Çanakkale Epic Presentation Centre). The re-built museum now designed to reflect the shape of a warship of the period opened in 2012, it has 11 multi media experiences that chronicle what happened at Gallipoli in 2015; these are supplemented by state of the art displays of artefacts from the time. A visit to Gallipoli is not a visit without going through this museum.

For Australians and Kiwis this is a testimony to courage, mateship and understanding among supposed enemies. To the British at the time us Colonials were mere fodder and totally dispensable but to see a memorial such as this almost 100 years after the event is an absolute credit to the people of Turkey

Being a kiwi and having past family that participated in the wars it was hard not to be affected by the tragic stories of the campaign for both the Anzac s and the Turks. Being here and going to the Monument sites and reading the stories of what happened deepens your appreciation for the freedoms we Anzac experience today. We traveled here from Istanbul which is 5hrs drive, then stayed in Canakkale. Highly recommend all Anzacs visit.

Coming to terms with what happen there 100 years ago.So sad, such a waste of lives. I really got the true picture of what took place.

As someone who has never heard of Gallipoli before (Canadian), this place was was very moving and beautiful as a place for remembrance for all the lives that were lost. It is a very huge place to visit, but it is worth the trip, even if you don't know much, or anything about the events that happened here.

it was very emotional place for me to do anzac anniversary.....always wanted to do that and finally i was on the cove on 25th april this year,waled to lonepine etcwords not enough to describe....

Worth doing a bit of extra reading to fully understand the tragedies on all sides. The war cemeteries are well-kept, and one can take some comfort in the fact that the fallen are resting in some of the loveliest spots found in the area.