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ANZAC Day Travel Guide: Getting to the Gallipoli Dawn Service

The complete travel-planning guide for ANZAC Day at Gallipoli: how to get there, where to stay, what the overnight vigil involves and how to book the right tour.

8 min read · Last updated March 2026

Attending ANZAC Day at Gallipoli is a once-in-a-lifetime journey, but it takes real planning. This travel guide brings together everything you need to organise the trip end to end.

From reaching the peninsula to surviving the cold overnight vigil, here is how to get it right.

Getting to Gallipoli for ANZAC Day

Most international visitors fly into Istanbul, then travel roughly five hours to the peninsula by organised coach. Commemorative tours handle the transport, permits and timing, which is the simplest option for the 25 April crowds.

Where to stay around 25 April

Accommodation in Eceabat and Canakkale books out far in advance. Many ANZAC Day packages include the overnight stay or the vigil itself rather than a hotel, so check exactly what is covered before booking.

The overnight vigil and Dawn Service

Visitors enter the ANZAC Commemorative Site the evening before and stay through a cold night until the early-morning Dawn Service. Warm layers, a sleeping mat and patience are essential.

Booking early is everything

Because numbers are capped and demand is high, secure your tour, transport and stay many months ahead. Last-minute ANZAC Day arrangements are extremely difficult.

Frequently asked questions

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