Anzac Cove

Anzac Cove is the small cove on Turkey’s Gallipoli Peninsula where the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) landed during World War I. It then became the primary base for Australian and New Zealand troops during the eight-month Battle of Gallipoli. The landing date, April 25, has since been designated as Anzac Day and serves as a day of commemoration for the 60,000 Australians and 18,000 New Zealanders who were killed during the war.

Today, Anzac Cove is the site of an annual Anzac Day memorial service, held at dawn on April 25 and attended by thousands of Australian and New Zealand tourists every year. Until 1999, the service was held at the Ari Burnu War Cemetery, but has since moved to a new site on North Beach known as the Anzac Commemorative Site. A monolith at the Ari Burnu Cemetery displays the words of peace and reconciliation that Ataturk delivered to the first visitors to the Gallipoli battlefields in 1934.

A visit to Anzac Cove will likely be part of a larger exploration of the Gallipoli Peninsula, including the Kabatepe Information Center and Museum, the Salim Mutlu War Museum and several battlefields, monuments and war cemeteries.

Practical Information

The best way to visit Anzac Cove and the Gallipoli Peninsula is by guided tour. While it is possible to visit on a long day trip from Istanbul, many people opt instead to base themselves in Eceabat or Canakkale and arrange tours from there.