Gallipoli Battlefield Tours from the UK: Cape Helles and Suvla Bay

For a British or Irish family, a Gallipoli battlefield tour means Cape Helles and Suvla Bay, not only Anzac Cove, and that takes at least two days on the peninsula. Most standard tours from Istanbul stop at the Anzac sector, so check before you book that the route includes the Helles Memorial, W and V Beaches and, if your relative served there in August 1915, Suvla. Our Troy, Cape Helles and Gallipoli tour from Istanbul covers Helles and Anzac over two days, from $430 per person. British passport holders need no visa for a visit of up to 90 days, and there are direct flights from the UK to Istanbul.

Why the British story is at Helles and Suvla

The 1915 campaign is often told as an Australian and New Zealand story, but the largest share of the Allied force was British. On 25 April 1915 the British 29th Division landed on five beaches around Cape Helles, at the southern tip of the peninsula, while the Anzacs landed further north. French troops made a diversionary landing at Kum Kale, on the Asian shore, before joining the British at Helles.

The aim was to take the high ground of Achi Baba within days and open the Dardanelles to the fleet. That never happened. The Helles front stalled within sight of the landing beaches, and the battles around the village of Krithia, from April to June, cost thousands of lives for very little ground.

In August 1915 a second British landing at Suvla Bay, north of Anzac, was meant to break the deadlock. The 10th (Irish) Division and the 11th Division landed there, and Territorial divisions from across Britain followed. Suvla, too, ended in stalemate. The whole force was evacuated in December 1915 and January 1916.

So if your great-grandfather served with a Lancashire, Dublin, Munster, Hampshire or Scottish battalion, with the Royal Naval Division, or with an Indian or Gurkha unit, the places that matter to you are probably at Helles or Suvla, not at Anzac Cove.

The Cape Helles sector, site by site

Helles is compact. The beaches, the main memorials and many of the cemeteries lie within a few kilometres of each other at the tip of the peninsula, under an hour's drive south of Eceabat.

The Helles Memorial carries the names of the British and Indian soldiers who died anywhere on the peninsula and have no known grave, together with Australians who died at Helles, according to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). It also serves as the battle memorial for the campaign. The site is open at all times.

A full day at Helles covers the memorial, both landing beaches, the French cemetery and the Turkish memorial, with time for one or two specific graves. Our Cape Helles and Anzac day tour from Çanakkale combines Helles in the morning with the Anzac sector in the afternoon.

Suvla Bay: the August landings

Suvla is the least visited part of the battlefield and, for that reason, one of the most rewarding. The bay is wide and open, with a salt lake behind it, and the ground is much as it was in 1915: farmland, scrub and low hills.

The CWGC cemeteries here include Lala Baba, Hill 10, Green Hill and Azmak. Irish visitors often come for the 10th (Irish) Division, which fought on the Kiretch Tepe ridge along the northern edge of the bay. The Newfoundland Regiment also served at Suvla in the autumn of 1915.

Suvla is not on the standard group itineraries, including ours. We arrange it on a private tour, either as an extra half day or as part of a two-day private route that also covers Helles. If a relative is buried or commemorated at Suvla, tell us the cemetery when you ask for a quote, and we plan the day around it.

Tracing a relative before you travel

A few hours of research at home makes the visit far more personal. Start with these:

1. CWGC Find War Dead (cwgc.org). Search by name, regiment and date of death. The record tells you whether the soldier has a grave, and where, or which memorial carries his name. Write down the plot and row, or the panel number on the Helles Memorial.
2. The battalion war diary. The National Archives in Kew holds First World War unit war diaries, and many Gallipoli diaries have been digitised. They often name the exact trench or position on a given day, which your guide can point out on the ground.
3. Service and pension records, if they survive, through the National Archives or the genealogy sites that host them.
4. The Gallipoli Association, a UK charity for the study of the campaign, publishes research and runs events for descendants.

Send us the CWGC references and any trench names before the trip. At Helles the cemeteries are close together, so several graves can usually be visited in one morning. At Suvla the distances are longer, and an extra hour or two may be needed.

How to structure the trip from the UK

From London or a regional UK airport you fly to Istanbul, and the peninsula is about five hours' drive west. There are three sensible shapes:

Our 2-day private Gallipoli and Troy tour with guide and van is the flexible base for the second plan: the vehicle and guide are yours, so the route can include Helles or Suvla instead of the standard Anzac loop. For the third, the 6-day Istanbul, Gallipoli, Troy and Ephesus tour runs the whole line.

On entry, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office says a full British citizen passport lets you visit Turkey for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. Your passport must expire at least 150 days after the date you arrive and have at least one blank page. Turkey is on UTC+3 all year, so it is two hours ahead of the UK in summer and three hours ahead in winter. Our page on Turkey tour packages from the UK covers flights from different UK airports, and Istanbul city breaks from the UK helps with the Istanbul end.

2027 dates: 18 March, 24 and 25 April

Three dates in spring shape a visit.

• 18 March is Turkey's commemoration of the naval victory of 1915, when the Allied fleet failed to force the narrows. The Turkish memorials, especially the Çanakkale Martyrs' Memorial, are very busy around this date.
• 24 April has in recent years been the day of the Commonwealth commemoration at the Helles Memorial. On 24 April 2026, Anadolu Agency reported, diplomats, military representatives and descendants gathered there, with wreaths from the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, India, Canada, France and other countries.
• 25 April is Anzac Day. In 2027 it falls on a Sunday. The Dawn Service at Anzac requires a free, personal attendance pass through the official Australian and New Zealand registration, and the Australian Department of Veterans' Affairs says registration for 2027 will open towards the end of 2026.

The 2027 arrangements for these ceremonies have not yet been published, including whether and how members of the public can attend the Helles service. If you want to be there, plan for the week of 23 to 26 April, book Çanakkale hotels early, and confirm the details once they are announced.

Outside those dates, the best months are April to early June and September to October. The Turkish State Meteorological Service's long-term averages for Çanakkale give highs of about 23 °C in May and 27 °C in September. July and August are hot, and there is very little shade at Helles.

On the day: practical points

• The drive. From Çanakkale you cross to the peninsula by the short car ferry to Eceabat or Kilitbahir, or by the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge further north, depending on the route. From Istanbul you stay on the European side the whole way.
• Walking. The memorials are reached by short paths, but some beach cemeteries involve steps or slopes. Good shoes, a hat and water are essential at Helles, which is exposed.
• Facilities. There are few places to buy food at the tip of the peninsula. Our group tours include lunch; on private tours we plan a stop.
• Photography and conduct. The cemeteries are active places of remembrance and are maintained by the CWGC. Visitors are welcome; keep to the paths and treat them as you would a cemetery at home.
• Poppies and crosses. Many families bring a small wooden cross or a poppy wreath to leave at a grave or at the Helles Memorial. Keep it small and easy to pack.

Tours that cover this

All of these come with a licensed guide and hotel pickup. On the private tours you have your own car and driver, and you can reach us on WhatsApp during the trip.

• Troy, Cape Helles and Gallipoli tour from Istanbul, 2 days: from $430 per person. Troy on day one, then Kilitbahir, Achi Baba, V Beach, the Helles Memorial and the Anzac sector.
• Cape Helles and Anzac Gallipoli day tour from Çanakkale with lunch: from $211 per person, if you are staying in Çanakkale or Eceabat.
• Gallipoli and Troy tour from Istanbul, 2 days private with guide and van: from $235 per person, hotel not included. The route can be adapted to Helles or Suvla.
• Private 2-day Troy and Gallipoli tour from Istanbul with hotel: from $535 per person, with a 5-star or boutique hotel in Çanakkale.

Browse all Gallipoli tours, compare day trips and overnight stays on our Gallipoli tours from Istanbul page, or read about Troy and the Gallipoli Peninsula Historical Site. For a longer route, see our multi-day trips, the Gallipoli destination guide or ask for a tailor-made Turkey tour.

Frequently Asked Questions