Ancient City · Greek · Turkey
Troy
Troy is the mound of Hisarlik near the Dardanelles, where nine cities were built one on top of another from about 3000 BC to late Roman times. The ruins are low and complex, but the trenches through the hill show the layers of the city of the Trojan War legend, and the museum nearby explains them clearly.
Photo: Carole Raddato, CC BY-SA 2.0
Troy tickets: which one for you
Our pick for each kind of visit, with live dates and prices from GetYourGuide. Free cancellation on most.
Best for: Staying in Canakkale
A guided half day from Canakkale covering the walls, the trench and the sanctuary, with time left for Gallipoli or the waterfront the same day.
- A day trip from Istanbul: Troy full day tour from istanbul Transport there and back, a guide at the site and usually lunch; a very long day, but the only way to see Troy without a night away.
- Troy and Gallipoli together: 2 day gallipoli and troy tour from istanbul Two days with a night in the Dardanelles area, so the battlefields and the ruins each get proper time instead of a rushed stop.
Tickets and tours: all the options
The site and the Troy Museum are run by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and have separate tickets, both paid in euros at the gate or online through the ministry. The Museum Pass Turkiye, sold for the Aegean region or the whole country, covers both and saves money if you are also visiting Pergamon or Ephesus. Booking ahead is never needed.
Tours fall into three groups. From Canakkale there are guided half days at Troy alone and full days that add the Troy Museum or the Gallipoli battlefields across the strait, with transport from your hotel and entry often included. From Istanbul, full-day trips leave around dawn and return late at night, with five or six hours on the road each way, a guided walk at the site, a ferry crossing and lunch. Two-day trips from Istanbul pair Troy with Gallipoli and a night near the Dardanelles, and longer circuits continue south to Pergamon, Ephesus and Pamukkale. A few itineraries add a winery or the nearby hills of Mount Ida.
A guide matters more at Troy than at most sites, because the overlapping layers are hard to read on your own. If you are staying in Canakkale, a guided half day is the best choice; from Istanbul, a two-day trip with Gallipoli is far less tiring than a day trip.
What to see at Troy
Troy VI walls and East Gate
Past the wooden horse replica at the entrance, the path leads first to the eastern walls of Troy VI, the city of about 1700 to 1300 BC. The sloping limestone walls, built with neat offsets, and the angled East Gate are the best-preserved Bronze Age remains here and the strongest candidate for the walls Homer describes.
Schliemann's Trench and Troy II
Climb onto the mound to the great cut that Schliemann dug through the centre of the hill from 1870. Its sides show layer upon layer of earlier towns, and signs mark the levels. Nearby, the stone ramp and the outlines of large hall houses belong to Troy II, the wealthy town of around 2500 BC where he found the gold he called the treasure of Priam.
24 tickets and tours for Troy
Live dates and prices from GetYourGuide. Free cancellation on most tickets.
Temple of Athena
On the northern edge of the mound, scattered column drums and carved marble blocks mark the Temple of Athena of the Greek and Roman city of Ilion. Alexander the Great sacrificed here in 334 BC. Look out from the edge across the plain of the Scamander towards the Dardanelles, where the legend places the Greek camp and their beached ships.
Sanctuary and Troy I walls
Following the route round to the south-west, the path passes the oldest walls on the site, those of Troy I from around 3000 BC, deep in a trench. Below the citadel lies an open-air sanctuary with altars used in the late Bronze Age and again in Greek and Roman times, when Troy was a place of pilgrimage.
Odeon and Bouleuterion
The last stop, close to the exit, is the Roman city of Troy IX. The small Odeon, a roofed theatre for music and recitals, keeps its curved rows of marble seats, and the nearby Bouleuterion was the council house. Both date from the time when Roman emperors favoured Ilion as the legendary home of Aeneas.
A short history
The mound was first settled around 3600 BC, became a small fortified town around 3000 BC and was destroyed and rebuilt many times, leaving nine main layers. In the late Bronze Age the city, known to the Hittites as Wilusa, was a vassal of their empire. Greek and Roman Ilion later thrived as a religious centre linked to the Iliad, before decline in late antiquity. Frank Calvert, who owned land nearby, first identified the site, and Heinrich Schliemann dug here from 1870 to 1890, removing much of the evidence. Wilhelm Dorpfeld, Carl Blegen and from 1988 Manfred Korfmann refined the sequence. Troy has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998.
Getting there
Troy lies about 30 km south-west of Canakkale, the town on the Asian shore of the Dardanelles that makes the natural base. Dolmus minibuses to Tevfikiye leave from a stop near the river bridge in central Canakkale roughly every hour and take about 40 minutes; the site entrance is a short walk from the last stop. A taxi from Canakkale costs more but saves the wait on the way back. Intercity buses from Istanbul reach Canakkale in about five to six hours, and ferries cross from Eceabat and Gelibolu on the European side. Canakkale airport has flights from Istanbul and Ankara. By car, follow signs from the main coast road south of Canakkale; there is parking by the entrance, and the museum is on the access road.
Rules and what to bring
Keep to the marked paths and walkways and do not climb on the walls or into the trenches, which are fragile and still being studied. Drones need official permission. Bring water, a hat and sunscreen in summer, as there is little shade on the mound, and a windproof layer in spring and autumn, when wind off the Dardanelles can be strong. There are toilets and a small café by the entrance.
When to go
Coach tours from Istanbul usually arrive between late morning and early afternoon, after a dawn start, and groups from Canakkale come in mid-morning. At opening or in the last two hours before closing the site is calmer, and the low light helps to pick out the walls.
The best months are April to June, when the plain is green and poppies grow between the stones, and September to October, when the sea is still warm for a swim near Canakkale. July and August are hot and exposed on the mound, so go early. Winter is quiet and often windy or wet, with the site closing earlier. Around 25 April the whole area fills with visitors to the Anzac Day services at Gallipoli, and hotels in Canakkale are booked well ahead. Allow about two hours for the site and as long again for the museum.
Combine it with
The Troy Museum stands on the access road, a short walk from the site, and holds finds from the excavations, including gold jewellery returned from abroad. The Gallipoli battlefields and memorials are across the Dardanelles, about an hour away by car and ferry. Alexandria Troas, a large Hellenistic ruin, lies about an hour south, and Pergamon is a three-hour drive.
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At a glance
| Hours | 8.30 am to 8 pm May–Sep, 8.30 am to 5.30 pm Oct–Apr; last tickets 30 minutes before closing |
|---|---|
| Closed | Open daily |
| Entry fee | from EUR 27; under-8s free; museum ticketed separately |
| Time needed | 2 hours, plus 1 to 2 for the museum |
| Best time | At opening or late afternoon; Apr–Jun and Sep–Oct |
| Booking | Pay at the gate; no need to book ahead |
| Access | Gravel paths and wooden walkways with some steps; little shade; only partly manageable with a pushchair |
| Getting there | Dolmus minibus from Canakkale to Tevfikiye, about 40 minutes; the gate is next to the stop |
| Founded | 3000 BC (c. 3000 BC (Troy I)) |
| Excavated | 1871 |
| Civilisation | Greek |
| Area | 1.6 km² |
| UNESCO | Archaeological Site of Troy |
| Website | muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?sectionId=TRV01&distId=TRV |
| Checked | October 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
When is Troy open?
8.30 am to 8 pm May–Sep, 8.30 am to 5.30 pm Oct–Apr; last tickets 30 minutes before closing. Open daily.
How much is the entry fee for Troy?
Entry fee: from EUR 27; under-8s free; museum ticketed separately.
How long do you need at Troy?
Allow 2 hours, plus 1 to 2 for the museum for Troy.
Do I need to book Troy in advance?
Pay at the gate; no need to book ahead.
Can I book a ticket or tour for Troy online?
Yes. GetYourGuide lists 24 tickets and tours for Troy, with live dates and prices and free cancellation on most of them.
When is the best time to visit Troy?
At opening or late afternoon; Apr–Jun and Sep–Oct.
How do I get to Troy?
Dolmus minibus from Canakkale to Tevfikiye, about 40 minutes; the gate is next to the stop.
Is Troy accessible, and what is the terrain like?
Gravel paths and wooden walkways with some steps; little shade; only partly manageable with a pushchair.
Is Troy worth visiting?
Worth it for anyone who has read Homer and wants to stand on the walls of Troy VI. Skip or shorten it if you expect columns and temples on the scale of Ephesus: the remains are mostly foundations, and the museum often impresses more.
How old is Troy?
Troy dates from 3000 BC (c. 3000 BC (Troy I)). Excavations began in 1871.
Is Troy a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
Yes. Troy is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Archaeological Site of Troy.