❣️Contemplating a tour to Anzac Day in Gallipoli, Turkey? Then this guide is for you… because with a bucket list holiday to Gallipoli, you want to make sure you book the best tour.
We have put together the following guide and review, to help you understand your options for booking a tour to Anzac Day in Gallipoli. If you want to visit without a tour, then read our other guide to visiting Gallipoli which explains how to take the solo approach. However, if you want to stay longer and see more of Turkey OR you want the group experience of Anzac Day in Gallipoli, then a tour is probably for you!
Below we share and review three tour operators for you to consider, including pros and cons, the tour prices, itinerary options and more. Basically, we’ve done all the research for you! Subsequently, we take the challenge out of choosing the best package, as we compare several Anzac Day tours.
Then we also explain exactly what you can expect during the Anzac Day tour. As well, we’ve interviewed a traveller who joined a tour for Anzac Day 2023. So, a very big thank you to our friends who helped by sharing their experiences, and who provided many of the details for this post!
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Table of Contents
Gallipoli Map & Anzac Cove
The first thing that struck me about our visit to Gallipoli and Anzac Cove, was the size of the area! As you can see on the map that we’ve created, the sites numbered from three to thirteen cover many kilometres. It never occurred to me, that it would span such a large area. It’s also relevant to note that there is no public transport available. As such you are going to need a rental car, or join a tour.
Note that Çanakkale and Eceabat are the two towns that you can choose to stay in, as there is no accommodation close to Anzac Cove. These two towns are separated the Dardanelles Strait, however crossing the Strait is easily made via the regular ferries throughout the day. Information related to how to cross the Strait can be found in our other guide linked below – look for the arrow!
Key Things to Know About Booking an Anzac Day Tour
The first most important thing to know, is that you have options!
There are tours that pick you up in Istanbul on the 24th of April, and return you the following day on the 25th. You’ll find four day tours, through to 14 day tours that include the highlights of Turkey. For example an Anzac Tour that includes a Hot Air Balloon ride and visit to Cappadocia, or a visit to the white travertines of Pamukkale. All places that we’ve visited and can highly recommend!
There are even 13 to 16 day tours that include a visit to Egypt.
If you need a budget option, or if you prefer small group tours, there is something for you. In a nutshell, every type of need is accommodated. And we cover this below on our table and list of available options, packages and itineraries!
The Pros and Cons of a Group Tour
As I mentioned above we attended on a mission to make a self-guided tour. Though this is because we travel full-time and so budget travel is our priority. I believe if we’d travelled to Gallipoli and Turkey on vacation, we would have joined a tour.
But let’s look at the pros and cons to consider, when visiting Anzac with a tour.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| – Sense of community at the dawn service | – Restricted to a set timetable |
| – Meals and accommodation covered | – Costs more than visiting independently |
| – Variety of itinerary options | |
| – All the driving is done for you | |
| – No confusion about what to expect | |
| – Knowledgable guide with experience | |
| – Early access to the Anzac Cove |
These pros are a list based on the compared experiences between our self-guided experience and our friends experience, who visited as part of tour.
Much of what we have listed above is self-explanatory. But I feel it necessary to elaborate a little further on some of the aspects. See below for our thoughts on the following points.
No Confusion about what to expect
The roads into Anzac Cove are closed at set times leading up to and during the memorial and ceremonies of the dawn service. As such, it can be very difficult to find the right information about how to enter and what times the site can be accessed. Given that the event is only once a year and there are changes from one year to the next, it can be a challenge to find up-to-date info.
During our visit, we spent a great deal of time trying to find out what was going on. And when asking officials the day before, even they had doubts around the schedules. That said, we have created a fairly straight forward guide for the do-it-yourselfers, with the best links to reliable sources and information.
knowledgable Guide with Experience
The guides are local and very well experienced in the Anzac Day schedule of events. They will tell you exactly where to be at what time, what to bring and how to best prepare for the night at Anzac Cove and dawn service.
They’re super helpful, the can source anything you might be missing, such as sleeping gear and the like. In addition, if you join a longer tour itinerary they will be with you from start to finish. Naturally you’ll learn more about Turkey in the presence of a local guide.
early access to the Anzac Cove
Access to Anzac Cove is given first to the tour buses. This is helpful, as the size of the space is small and getting a prime spot for the dawn service is certainly ideal.
If your guide is well experienced, such as the guides from Travel Talk reportedly are, then they’ll know where they need to be and by what time. This enables you the luxury of getting to choose where you want to sleep for the night, and from where you will get to witness the dawn service.
Who Attends the Anzac Day Tours
You will be predominantly surrounded by Aussies, Kiwis and a few Turkish. Families with young children will be there and travellers of just about every age group will be in attendance. However see our table below for age restrictions, as some won’t accomodate families with young children.
My impression is that most people travel as part of tour. So there are many groups wearing branded tour hoodies.
We also saw many reporters and media crew filming and interviewing. Therefore it’s not uncommon to hear from family back home in New Zealand and Australia, to say you were spotted on the news!
If you are travelling with young children, or you find walking a struggle don’t worry as there are special assistance vehicles to help you around the site. You need simply ask for help and someone will provide guidance.
When is the Best Time to Book a Tour
Anzac Day tours are open for booking all year round, in some cases more than a year ahead. But even if you leave it to the last minute, no doubt there’ll still be something available a week before.
However, given that this is such a special trip to take, from our experience travellers tend to book this particular tour well in advance. And I would strongly recommend that you do the same… do the research, narrow down an itinerary and lock it in!
The Anzac Day Tour Itinerary & Timetable of Events
The days leading up to Anzac Day will vary depending the itinerary you have booking. However, generally all the buses begin to roll into Eceabat in the afternoon on the 24th of April in preparation.
Below is a basic timetable of what to expect. Though we do advise that this is subject to change according to timetable adjustments by the Dawn Service Site. Therefore, consult with the tour provider for more a more precise timetable.
24th and 25th of April –
- 5pm onwards – Buses begin to queue for entrance to the Anzac Memorial/Commemorative site
- When roads are opened, buses enter and travellers walk through checkpoints towards the Anzac Memorial/Commemorative site
- Spend the night sleeping on the grass at the Anzac Memorial/Commemorative site, overlooking Anzac Cove – documentaries begin to play in the early hours
- 5.30am – 7am – the Dawn Service
- 8am onwards – begin to think about making the walk up the valley towards the Australian service at Lone Pine, or the New Zealand service at Chunuk Bair
- 10am Lone Pine service commences
- 11.30am Chunuk Bair service commences
- 12.30 onwards – buses transport tour groups out and back to accommodation
Anzac Day Tour Providers
Let’s get started on the tour providers – my guess is this is probably the reason you are here! Now there are three main tour operators for you to consider. These are the most frequently booked, the most reliable, and the most trusted. You might find others, and if we find others worth including on this list, rest assured we’ll review and them here also.
⛳️ Three Tour Operators for Anzac Day: Travel Talk Tours, On the Go Tours & PP Travel
But before you jump in read our reviews of these three tour providers, then see our breakdown on their itineraries, packages and prices. Our table will help you figure out which of these tours are right for you.
Travel Talk Tours
First on the list is Travel Talk Tours… these guys are loved by Aussie and Kiwi travellers looking to visit Anzac Day. Especially popular with those living in the United Kingdom as they market heavily on the Kiwis in London and Aussies in London Facebook groups. If you are connected to these, you’ll have heard chat and recommendations of Travel Talk Tours among happy customers.
Our friends travelled with Travel Talk Tours in 2023 and raved about their experience. They attended the 10 day tour, which included Cappadocia and Pamukkale. Interestingly they spoke fondly of their guide Mustafa, whose name regularly appears in online reviews!
Reasons to choose Travel Talk Tours:
- Excellent discounted packages
- Many years experience attending the Anzac Day ceremonies
- Highly reviewed – 4.7 stars on 150+ reviews on Trustpilot
- 10 itineraries to choose from
- 2 day to 12 day itinerary options
- 12-42 group size depending on the package
- Travel Talk Anzac Hoodie
On the Go Tours
In a similar league to Travel Talk Tours is On the Go Tours. They are a UK based company with equally as much experience.
The maximum tour sizes are slightly smaller, depending of course on the overall number of registrations. What we like about On the Go Tours, is that their tour extends beyond Turkey. So if you are taking that once in a life-time journey from Australia or New Zealand, then tick off two countries, with a tour of Gallipoli and Egypt.
Reasons to choose On the Go Tours:
- Many years experience attending the Anzac Day ceremonies
- Highly reviewed – 4.5 stars on 140+ reviews on Trustpilot
- 6 itineraries to choose from
- 4 day to 11 day itinerary options of Turkey
- 13 day to 16 day itinerary options including Egypt
- 2-24/32 group size depending on the itinerary
- On the Go Anzac Hoodie
PP Travel Tours
PPTravel is Australian and New Zealand owned. They started running party tours in 1991 from the UK and over the years these tours have continued.
It has to be said, their website is on the simple side. But if it’s a cheap and cheerful, quick getaway you’re after then PPTravel might be perfect for you!
Reasons to choose PP Travel Tours:
- Cheap and cheerful
- Many years experience attending the Anzac Day ceremonies
- 2 itineraries to choose from
- 2 day to 4 day itinerary options
- PPTravel Anzac Hoodie
Comparison of Travel Talk, On the Go & PPTravel
Below we compare the three best tour operators. The following information will help you understand at a glance, categories related to budget, itinerary options, accommodation style, deposit, and what is included in terms of meals.
More information about prices and itinerary options, can be found in the table further below.
| Travel Talk | On the Go | PP Travel |
|---|---|---|
| midrange | more expensive | budget |
| 10 itinerary options | 6 itineraries | 2 itineraries |
| 3-5 star | 4-5 star | hostels (+option of hotel) |
| age – 18+ | age – 16 to 18 with an adult | all ages |
| some meals incl | some meals incl | some meals incl |
| prices based on shared doubles | prices based on shared doubles | prices based on shared dorms |
| 80 USD pp deposit | 200 GBP pp deposit | 50 GBP pp deposit |
| full payment 60 days prior | full payment 60 days prior | full payment 4-8 weeks prior |
| ANZAC hoodie | ANZAC hoodie | ANZAC hoodie |
Table of Anzac Day Tour Packages & Prices
Okay, here come the nuts and bolts. This following section will help put it all into perspective, with comparisons of packages you’ll be able to see what best suits your travel needs.
Click each itinerary below, to view the related tour.
Note: As you can see some prices are displayed in different currencies. This is because I wanted to list them in the same currency that the tour operators quote. Travel Talk and On the Go price in USD, while PPTravel prices in GBP.
| Travel Talk | On the Go | PPTravel |
|---|---|---|
| 2 days – $ | x | 2 days – ￡149 |
| 3 days – $ | x | x |
| 4 days – $ | 4 days – $ 865 | 4 days – ￡289 |
| 5 days – $ | 5 days – $ 1145 | x |
| 6 days – $ | 6 days – $ 1425 | x |
| 8 days – $ | x | x |
| 9 days – $ | x | x |
| 10 days – $ | x | x |
| 11 days – $ | 11 days – $ 2685 | x |
| 12 days – $ | x | x |
| x | 13 days – $ 2165 (Egypt) | x |
| x | 16 days – $3025 (Egypt) | x |
Who to Book for Your Anzac Day Tour
Based on the above, PPTravel is the ultimate option in budget travel. This is because they keep the trips short and provide hostel stays. If you are looking for a tour with a young and fun crowd, then this is a great choice.
Meanwhile, Travel Talk provides great discounts on their tours. They are almost always discounted, therefore we primarily recommend this tour provider for an all round budget pleasing, full option package. They are reliable, trustworthy and boast excellent reviews.
Alternatively, On the Go is slightly more expensive. However there is also a chance, depending on the number of bookings, that the group sizes are kept slightly smaller. I also love that they include a travel itinerary option for Egypt. What’s more these tours are slightly cheaper than the itineraries for Turkey.
💡 Note: If you book your On the Go tour via the TourHub platform you can receive a discount. Simply click the links, register with TourHub, and get 4% EXTRA TourHub discount applied to the itinerary quote.
Visiting the Following Day (after Anzac Day)
Perhaps the most important thing to consider when booking a tour to Anzac in Gallipoli is – how much do I want to see.
Most of the itineraries include the overnight stay at the Anzac Commemorative Site only. In other words, you won’t have the opportunity to return the following day to visit without the crowds. As such we recommend that you book an itinerary that returns the following day. For example the 10 day Travel Talk itinerary.
As I mentioned at the beginning, Gallipoli is a very large site. We definitely recommend a visit to both Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair, and other highlights such as Shrapnel Valley Cemetery, Beach Cemetery and Ari Burnu Cemetery. To do this you have to return the following day when the roads are open as normal. This also provides visitors the opportunity to visit family memorials and headstones, in different cemetery locations.
Final Thoughts
Anzac Day in Gallipoli 2022 was relatively quiet as travellers only recently began returning to world travel. While Anzac Day Gallipoli in 2023 was much busier with some 1500 visitors registering for the event. It is likely that 2024 will be even busier.
We recommend that a tour is definitely the way to go, as you are given earlier access to the Memorial site. This means, finding your sleeping place is easy and certainly a great deal less stressful.
In addition to this, and probably the best reason to visit Anzac in Gallipoli as a tour, is the sense of community and camaraderie. This pilgrimage to Anzac is an extremely emotional and powerful experience… and there is something special about doing it with others. The shared experiences like this are the kind that you’ll remember forever and always.
~ We will remember them ~
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