Anzac Day Tours 2027: 4 Days from Istanbul to the Dawn Service

On the night of April 24, Australians and New Zealanders gather on the grass above North Beach and wait through the cold hours for the Dawn Service. Our Anzac Day tours for 2027 bring you to that night, with four days around it: the battlefields before, a rest after, and Troy on the way home. Your own guide and driver stay with you from Istanbul and back.

Attendance Passes on Our Anzac Day Tours

Every person at the services needs a valid attendance pass. Each guest registers online, and the rules do not let a tour company register for you. So we send you the steps, check your registration with you and plan the four days around it. Registration for 2027 is due to open towards the end of 2026, and our guide to Anzac Day 2027 at Gallipoli explains the services in detail. Everything else, from the hotels to the night drive, we arrange.

Day 1, April 23: Istanbul to the Gallipoli Peninsula

A driver collects you at your hotel in Istanbul, and the road runs west for about four and a half hours. On the Gallipoli peninsula, the Çanakkale Epic Promotion Center near Kabatepe sets out the campaign with films and simulations. Then you walk along Anzac Cove before the timed road controls of the service days, and you read the words of 1934 on the stone near Arıburnu Cemetery.

Day 2, April 24: The Ridges and the Night Before

In the morning, your guide takes you up the ridge road to Lone Pine, the 57th Regiment Memorial and the New Zealand memorial at Chunuk Bair. You see them in daylight, so on Anzac Day you already know the ground. In the afternoon, you rest at the hotel. At night, your driver takes you to Kilye Cove, the only parking for private vehicles. From there, shuttles run to Beach Cemetery, and you walk the last kilometer to the site.

Day 3, April 25: The Dawn Service, Then Lone Pine or Chunuk Bair

In 2026, the Anzac Commemorative Site opened late in the evening of April 24, and the Dawn Service began before first light on April 25. The organizers publish the 2027 timings closer to the day. After the Dawn Service, you choose one of two services: the Lone Pine Australian Memorial Service, about 3.2 km up Artillery Road, or the Chunuk Bair New Zealand Memorial Service, a further 3.3 km. Afterwards, your driver collects you and takes you back to the hotel for the afternoon.

What to Bring for the Night

The night is long and cold, and the day can turn hot. So pack warm layers, a hat and a plastic sheet to sit on. At the entry, you pass airport-style security, liquids go in containers of 100 ml or less, and folding chairs are not allowed.

Day 4, April 26: Troy and Back to Istanbul

You cross the strait for Troy, the mound of nine cities on the Asian shore, and the finds in the Troy Museum next to it. Then the road takes you back to Istanbul over the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, and you reach your hotel in the evening. For the site itself, our Gallipoli and Troy tour gives Troy a full morning on any other date.

Where You Stay on Our Anzac Day Tours

The nights of April 23 and 25 are in Çanakkale or Eceabat, close to the peninsula, in hotels we book with you. Both towns fill months ahead of Anzac Day, so we book your rooms as soon as you confirm. The night of April 24 you spend at the service.

Joining Our Anzac Day Tours from Australia or New Zealand

You fly into Istanbul, and our driver meets you at the airport. A night or two in the city before April 23 helps after the long flight. If you are looking for a relative’s grave, send us his name and unit with your booking, and we add it to the battlefield day.

Is there a name you want to find on the peninsula before the Dawn Service? Tell us, and day two will start at his grave.