Anzac Day Tours to Gallipoli

Event and PP Tour Information

Despite the airline chaos caused by the volcanic ash over Europe our 2010 Anzac Day tours ran as per schedule. Again proving PP's commitment to passengers, many contingencies were put in place to make sure all were given the best opportunity to get to Anzac Cove. No stone was left unturned and those at the dawn service had an experience of a lifetime.

Events like this back up our claim that you should put your trust with experienced and professional tour operators to ensure your Anzac Day pilgrimage is truly memorable, smooth and a unique experience.

Based in excellent central Istanbul accommodation our tours to Gallipoli are renowned as the smoothest and most organised for Anzac Day, with the combination of both experienced PP and Turkish guides on every coach.

In 2011 we are again joining forces with our excellent local partner Indigo Tours, one of Turkey's most respected tour operators, to offer great value land based ANZAC Day tours to Gallipoli on April 25th. Choose from 2, 4, 5 and 9-day tours. This year's tours sold out so book early for your 2011 Anzac Day experience.

All tours start and finish in Istanbul, giving you the flexibility to organise your own flight to Turkey and then let us escort you to one of the most moving experiences of your life.

Fully Qualified, local guides from Indigo Tours, along with our own experienced PP reps will accompany you throughout the duration of your tour, giving you a combination of local knowledge with a touch of home. Indigo use air-conditioned, non-smoking, coaches and offer excellent 3 star hotels in city centre Istanbul. Rooms are mostly triples and twins. Turkish style breakfasts are provided on mornings if you have spent the previous night in a hotel on your tour.

Choose from our short 2 day tour, that simply takes you from Istanbul and Gallipoli back for Anzac Day and back. Along with fully guided tours and through briefings of the whole commemorative site. Our 4 and 5 day tours include quality accommodation before and after Anzac Day, along with tours of the city and with options of a Turkish cabaret show, Bosporus cruise and Turkish bath. Our 9 night tour is the ultimate Anzac experience. Travel to Pamukkale, Kusadasi, Ephesus, Kucukkuya and Troy before being on the Gallipoli Peninsula for Anzac Day.

We don't camp on our tours and of great importance is the fact we have an experienced PP rep on each tour. This link is vital and goes a huge way to assisting you get the most out of your Anzac Day experience. You are fully briefed and given a thorough background to the campaign, along with fully guided tours of the Gallipoli peninsula. All entrance fees to escorted sites (where applicable) are included as well as a souvenir Anzac Day T-shirt. Most importantly we will take you to the unforgettable dawn service on April 25.

Don't waste time. Now is the time to get yourself organised, you can book your tour and reserve your flights to Istanbul.

Flights to Istanbul
The best site we believe to book your own flights is Opodo. It was created by the major European airlines and offers the cheapest options with them all.

Istanbul Airport Shuttles
You can book airport shuttles online with Istanbul Airport Shuttle. Dependant on how many you are, Istanbul Airport Shuttle runs airport transfers to and from the Sultanahmet area of Istanbul. Prices start from just €4 per person from Ataturk airport just €7 per person from Sabiha Gokcen airport.

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Accommodation

Istanbul is an amazing megacity. The 5th largest in the world - straddling both Europe and Asia across the Bosporus, it is truly vast, so choosing where you are based at the beginning and end of your Anzac Tour is very important.

All our Istanbul accommodation is based in wonderful Sultanahmet and the close by Beyazýt areas - they are the only places to be in Istanbul. All the major sites are here - the Blue Mosque, Aya Sophia, the Grand Bazaar. Plus it is a clean, safe area with a fantastic selection of restaurants and nightlife. Our local guides take you to many of these special sites as well as the amazing underground cistern. All our hotels and our new hostel are of a high Turkish standard - so you can be assured your tour will start and finish smoothly.

4 Day Tours

Newport Hotel: Is a modern hotel with good facilities very close to the amazing Grand Bazaar. All rooms have private facilities. It has its own restaurant and terrace bar.
Newport Hotel on Google Maps
More info on the Newport Hotel

Cheers Hostel: Cheers is one of Istanbul's newest hostel (opened mid 2009) and has already gained a reputation as the city's funkiest and friendliest hostels. Its position is fabulous, being almost right besides the city's two grand land marks - the Aya Sophia and Blue Mosque. The view from its roof top bar is truly fabulous. This boutique hostel has 6, 8 and 10-bedded dorms with character (amazing for a hostel). Dorms have shared facilities, while it also has a triple and quad with private facilities. Turkish breakfast buffet is served on the roof terrace and it also has free internet.
Cheers Hostel on Google Maps
Click here for more info on our Istanbul hostel

Assos Hotel: Is an excellent standard modern hotel with fine facilities. All rooms are fully appointed and it's roof terrace restaurant has fantastic views of the Bosporus.
the Assos Hotel on Google Maps
More info on the Assos hotel

5 Day Tours:

Santa Sophia Hotel: Is a good Turkish standard hotel. It is in a good position, close to both the Grand Bazaar and a short walk to the Blue Mosque. It has free internet. This hotel is also used at the beginning of our 9 day tours.
Santa Sophia on Google Maps
More info on the Santa Sophia hotel

The Best Noble Hotel: Is a good Turkish standard hotel. It is in a fine position, in the old town of Istanbul and only 2 streets down from Hagia Sophia Museum and and a short walk to the Blue Mosque. It has free internet.
Best Noble Hotel on Google Maps
More info on the Best Noble hotel

Frequently Asked Questions about ANZAC Day

The PP ANZAC Day Experience

Being at Gallipoli for the Dawn Service is a unique and once in a life time experience and we believe you must put your trust in an operator who really knows this remote peninsula, is professional, well organised and will ensure you get the most of time at this special place.

To be part of the pilgrimage at Anzac Cove on 25 April you have to join a tour group, local authorities have made it virtually impossible to do it independently. With the increase popularity of Anzac Day at Gallipoli over the past decade there are now many options to choose from.

Despite the airline chaos caused by the volcanic ash over Europe in April our 2010 Anzac Day tours ran as per schedule. Again proving PP's commitment to passengers, many contingencies were put in place to make sure all were given the best opportunity to get to Anzac Cove. No stone was left unturned and those at the dawn service had an experience of a lifetime.

Events like this back up our claim that you should put your trust with experienced and professional tour operators to ensure your Anzac Day pilgrimage is truly memorable, smooth and a unique experience.

With our vast experience of operating to Gallipoli for Anzac Day we really know the landings area, are highly organised when it comes to the movement of our passengers at this extremely busy and special time and also know how to make this occasion especially memorable and unique to our passengers.

One of the major attributes of the PP/Indigo tours is that we have our own PP rep on each tour. Our local partner Indigo is the most respected local operator in Turkey and have been operating successfully for well over two decades and we are proud to working with them again. Events like the volcano flight crisis demonstrate how good and dedicated Indigo are. They worked tirelessly to ensure every passengers who got to Istanbul, no matter how badly delayed, got to Anzac Cove for this once in a life time experience. The back up and support of superb operators like Indigo is a massive asset to a big tour like this.

Having an experienced PP tour leader with you all the way makes a huge difference to your Anzac experience. You are not just shown around the sites and then dumped at Anzac cove. We also provide fully guided tours of the Gallipoli peninsula with a full historical background to the ill-fated campaign. We aim to give you a thorough background to the ill-fated campaign, to assist you understand why there are so many of our forefathers lying in this remote part of Turkey.

Istanbul
All Anzac tours being and end in the Turkish cultural capital. All our hotels and our new hostel are of a high standard and best of all are in the Sultanahmet area - the only place to be in Istanbul. All the major sites are here - the Blue Mosque, Aya Sophia, the Grand Bazaar. Plus it is a clean, safe area with a fantastic selection of restaurants and nightlife. Our local guides take you to many of these special sites as well as the amazing underground cistern.

Anzac Cove and the Dawn Service
At PP Travel, we believe it is vital that you are fully prepared and briefed before spending the night at Anzac Cove in readiness for the service at first light. It is an amazing (and a very cold and long) night at the specially prepared commemorative Anzac site at north beach.

The site is a sea of colour with thousands of backpackers out on the grass or in the stands wrapped in sleeping bags and flags. War veterans, the military and media mix with the young travellers in this unique and peaceful environment. You will be entertained by the guest speakers, folk songs, service bands and stories shown on the big screens either side of the stands.

Our PP reps will be at the cove through the night and then at the Australian memorial service at Lone Pine and the New Zealand service at Chunuk Bair. You will not be hoarded together like sheep or told what you have to do. We believe the Anzac Cove experience on the night of the 24th and at dawn on April 25 is a unique personal thing. However you will fully briefed on this unique night and morning.

At PP we will do everything we can to assist you get the most out of what should be an unforgettable experience.

History

ANZAC Day - 25 April - is probably Australia's most important national occasion but why this day special to Australians?

When war broke out in 1914 Australia had been a federal commonwealth for only 14 years. The new national government was eager to establish its reputation among the nations of the world. In 1915 Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula to open the way to the Black Sea for the allied navies. The plan was to capture Constantinople (now Istanbul), the capital of the Ottoman Empire and an ally of Germany. They landed at Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Turkish defenders. What had been planned as a bold stroke to knock Turkey out of the war quickly became a stalemate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915 the allied forces were evacuated after both sides had suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. Over 8,000 Australian soldiers were killed. News of the landing at Gallipoli made a profound impact on Australians at home and 25 April quickly became the day on which Australians remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in war.

Although the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives of capturing Constantinople and knocking Turkey out of the war, the Australian and New Zealand actions during the campaign bequeathed an intangible but powerful legacy. The creation of what became known as the "ANZAC legend" became an important part of the national identity of both nations. This shaped the ways they viewed both their past and future.

Early commemorations
The date, 25 April, was officially named ANZAC Day in 1916 and was marked by a wide variety of ceremonies and services in Australia, a march through London, and a sports day in the Australian camp in Egypt. In London over 2,000 Australian and New Zealand troops marched through the streets. A London newspaper headline dubbed them "The knights of Gallipoli". Marches were held all over Australia in 1916. Wounded soldiers from Gallipoli attended the Sydney march in convoys of cars, attended by nurses. For the remaining years of the war, ANZAC Day was used as an occasion for patriotic rallies and recruiting campaigns, and parades of serving members of the AIF were held in most cities.

Dawn Service
The Dawn Service observed on ANZAC Day has its origins in an operational routine which is still observed by the Australian Army today. During battle, the half-light of dawn was one of the most favoured times for an attack. Soldiers in defensive positions were, therefore, woken up in the dark, before dawn, so by the time first light crept across the battlefield they were awake, alert, and manning their weapons. This was, and still is, known as "stand-to". It was also repeated at sunset.

After the First World War, returned soldiers sought the comradeship they felt in those quiet, peaceful moments before dawn. With symbolic links to the dawn landing at Gallipoli, a dawn stand-to or ceremony became a common form of ANZAC Day remembrance during the 1920s; the first official dawn service was held at the Sydney Cenotaph in 1927. Dawn services were originally very simple and followed the operational ritual. In many cases they were restricted to veterans only and the daytime ceremony was for families and other well-wishers. Before dawn the gathered veterans would be ordered to "stand to" and two minutes' silence would follow. At the end of this time a lone bugler would play the Last Post and then concluded the service with Reveille.

At Gallipoli
On Anzac Day in 1985, the name "Anzac Cove" was officially recognised by the Turkish government. Back then the Anzac Day services were very small affairs and held at the Ari Burnu Cemetery within the cove. From the mid 1990s the number of mainly young backpackers who made the annual pilgrimage grew and grew until 1999 when the number of people attending forced authorities to make another site. A purpose built "Anzac Commemorative Site" was constructed nearby on North Beach in time for the 2000 service.

Over the years, ANZAC Cove beach has been degraded by erosion, and the construction of the coast road from Gaba Tepe to Suvla, originally started by Australian engineers just prior to the evacuation of ANZAC in December 1915, resulted in the beach being further reduced and bounded by a steep earth embankment.

In 2003 the Australian government announced that it was negotiating with Turkey to place Anzac Cove on the National Heritage List, which included Australian sites such as the Eureka Stockade gardens. However this request was dismissed by the Turkish government as the Gallipoli peninsula itself is Turkish territory and already a national park in the Turkish National Park System.

ANZAC Day Photos

Anzac Day Gallipoli 2010 25/04/2010	Anzac Day Gallipoli 2009 25/04/2009	Anzac Day Gallipoli 2008 25/04/2008
Anzac Day Gallipoli 2007 25/04/2007	Anzac Day Gallipoli 2006 25/04/2006	Anzac Day Gallipoli 2005 25/04/2005
Anzac Day 2004 25/04/2004	Anzac Day 2003 25/04/2003	Anzac Day 2001 Reunion 03/05/2001
Anzac Day 2001 25/04/2001