The city of Canakkale, on the Marmora coast, is the second city to be situated on two continents after Istanbul and is the nearest major town to the site of ancient Troy.

The first inhabitants of the city are recorded to have lived there circa 6000 years ago, but the real history of Canakkale started with Troy, which was set up between 3500 and 3000 B.C. and became the brightest cultural centre of its time during 3000 and 2000 B.C. Troy is at the centre of the celebrated ancient Greek myth of the Trojan War, featuring Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, and Paris, prince of Troy, who kidnapped her from her Spartan husband Menelaus and the struggle to get her back, embodied in the heroic figures of Hector and the infamous Achilles. The Spartans eventually managed to sack Troy by outsmarting the Trojans with the use of the infamous wooden horse. Many golden screen adaptations have been made of the story, but the most recent and celebrated was the 2004 Hollywood blockbuster starring Brad Pitt as Achilles. The wooden horse film prop has found permanent residence on the Canakkale seafront.

Following the fall of Troy, (unrelated to the Homerian myth) many other famous names passed by these shores, including Alexander the Great, until 1367 when the peninsula came under the control of the Ottomans.

Canakkale and Gallipoli reappear in a pivotal event in modern history. The Gallipoli campaign took place at Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey from 25 April 1915 to 9 January 1916, during the First World War. A joint British and French operation was mounted to capture the Ottoman capital of Istanbul and secure a sea route to Russia. The attempt failed, with heavy casualties on both sides. The loss of Allied troops at Gallipoli is still remembered today as one of the most disastrous losses endured by British troops on European soil.

The inhabitants of modern Troy, however prefer to remember their ancient history and every year they celebrate it with the International Troy Festival in August (10th to 16th) including guided tours of the ancient ruins, folkloristic retelling of the famous Homerian mythical tale and re-enactments.

If you wish to walk in the footsteps of Achilles and Hector, Flythomascook operates regular flights to Bodrum from several UK airports.