Eceabat (pronounced ay-JAY-ah-baht) is a town on Gallipoli Peninsula in Eastern Thrace, northwestern Turkey. The town is located opposite Çanakkale, the main city of the area, across the Straits of Dardanelles.

Understand

On the northern banks of the Straits of Dardanelles, Eceabat, pop. around 5,000, is the nearest main town to World War I battlefields and memorials of Gallipoli Peninsula and serves as the hub to visit there. It also offers some accommodation options for those preferring a quieter and nearer alternative than Çanakkale.

Get in

Eceabat lies on the main Istanbul–Çanakkale highway (D100/E80 and D110/E84 between Istanbul and Keşan, and D550/E87 from Keşan onwards), lying around 190 km away from Istanbul.

In the absence of a bridge spanning the Straits of Dardanelles, the town is connected to Çanakkale by quite frequent (and 24-hr) ferries, accepting both passengers and cars/vehicles.

Since all buses operating between Istanbul and Çanakkale cross the Straits via Eceabat, it's possible to get on one in Istanbul and get off at Eceabat, most likely at the waterfront where they queue for the ferry.

Go next

Kilitbahir Fortress

• Perhaps why you are at Eceabat in the first place is to visit battlefields and war memorials of Gallipoli. From Eceabat, taking either direction—west or east—will deliver you to the national park, however the route via west, although more scenic as it lies along the Dardanelles, is very winding and full of potholes quite a bit, so it will take a bit longer.
• The nearby village of Kilitbahir to south (which also has ferry links with Çanakkale) is full of pleasant traditional stone architecture and its impressive citadel dating back to 15th century is well worth a visit.

Routes through Eceabat

Keşan ← Gallipoli National Park entrance ←

N  S

→ Çanakkale → Izmir