Gökçeada

Overview

Gökçeada is an island in the northeast Aegean, off the Gallipoli peninsula in Çanakkale province. In ancient times, its name was Imbros. Across it, hills of volcanic andesite rise, cut by deep green valleys and fed by fresh springs. Up in those hills, old Greek Orthodox stone villages are protected for their architecture. Down by the sea, you find sandy beaches, rocky coves and a salt lake.

Where Gökçeada lies

The island lies west of the Gallipoli peninsula, 14 miles by sea from the harbor of Kabatepe. It covers 289.5 km² (112 sq mi), and its link to the mainland is the port of Kuzu Limanı on the northeast coast. From there, roads then lead to the villages and to the main town at the center.

Quick facts

• Good for: stone hill villages, island food, beaches, a slow pace
• Best combined with: Gallipoli, Bozcaada

History of Gökçeada

From Imbros to Gökçeada

First, the Roman writer Pliny knew the island as Imbros. The Ottomans called it İmroz, and the name appears that way in the Kitab-ı Bahriye, the sailing book of Piri Reis. Sultan Mehmed II added it to the Ottoman state in 1455. On July 29, 1970, it took its present name, Gökçeada. In recent decades, the island turned to organic farming in 2002 and to farm tourism from 2008. Since June 2011, it has carried the Cittaslow title, the mark of a "slow town."

The Villages of Gökçeada

Zeytinli and its coffee

Zeytinli sits on an olive-covered slope, about 3 km (2 miles) from the island's center. Its coffeehouses serve dibek coffee, the island's well-known treat. Along with it, try the pudding flavored with mastic. Besides coffee, the village cooks cullama with nettles and fennel and pours island wine. The village also has the church of Agios Georgios.

Tepeköy on the hilltop

Further on, Tepeköy lies about 10 km (6 miles) from the center, and it is the highest village on the island. Here, two churches stand, known as Panagia and Agia Maria.

Kaleköy and the castle

Kaleköy lies about 4 km (2.5 miles) from the center, and in summer it is one of the liveliest places on the island. Because "kale" means castle, its name points to the ruins of a Byzantine castle. Upper Kaleköy grew at the foot of the castle ruins. In the village stand two churches, Agios Nikolaos and Agia Marina. Below it, by the shore, lower Kaleköy holds most of the island's hotels and restaurants. Nearby, its beach lies where the Büyük Dere stream meets the sea.

Dereköy and Eski Bademli

Finally, Dereköy, 16 km (10 miles) from the center, is the largest of the old Greek Orthodox villages. In the 1950s and 1960s, it counted about 600 households, but many houses now stand empty. In Dereköy, too, the Marmaros Waterfall drops 38 m (125 ft). By contrast, Eski Bademli lies closer to the center and keeps its Church of the Virgin Mary, an old laundry house and its former school.

The Coast of Gökçeada

Beaches and the Salt Lake

On the south coast, the beach of Aydıncık, once Kefalos, stretches along the shore. At Eşelek lies the Salt Lake, where people bathe in its mud. Around the port, the wide bay of Kuzu Limanı serves mostly as a beach. Along the north coast, waves beat the rocks of Yıldız Koy, Yelken Kaya and Peynir Kayalıkları.

The underwater park

Between Yıldızkoy and Yelkenkaya, a stretch of sea with unusual rock shapes became an underwater national park. Today, a marine research foundation looks after it.

Visiting Gökçeada

Getting to Gökçeada

To reach Gökçeada, take one of the daily ferries from Kabatepe, on the Gallipoli peninsula, or from central Çanakkale. Both arrive at Kuzu Limanı, and from there roads lead on to the villages, so a car or a driver makes the day easier. We plan your ferry and your driver on Gökçeada, from Kuzu Limanı to the villages.

Before you go

On our day trip, the ferry takes you across, and your driver meets you on the island. First, you climb to Tepeköy and see its churches from outside. You stop for dibek coffee in Zeytinli. After lunch, you drive to Kaleköy, and then you see the Salt Lake before the ferry back. For the peninsula itself, see Gallipoli, and for the other island of the province, Bozcaada. Our Çanakkale guide covers the whole region.

Updated: October 26, 2026.

Seeing Gökçeada with Us

Would you like a slow day on an Aegean island? Our Gökçeada day trip takes you by ferry to the hill villages, the coffeehouses of Zeytinli and the castle of Kaleköy. For the battlefields across the water, add our Gallipoli and Troy tour. The ferry sets the day on Gökçeada, so send us your date and we will plan Zeytinli and Kaleköy around it.