Information about Bozcaada (Tenedos), Turkey

             
 
Bozcaada is a little known island off the west coast of Turkey with quaint cobblestone streets and beautiful vineyards. The island was formerly called Tenedos and is known from mythology as the island where the heroes of Homer's Iliad stopped before descending upon Troy. Bozcaada is located almost exactly opposite of the ancient site of Troy. The first inhabitants of the island were the Pelasgians. Later Persians, Romans, Byzantines, Genoese and Venetians also settled here. After the capture of Byzantium by the Ottomans, the island became part of the empire but was settled by Greeks up to the time of the Turkish Republic. The island keeps its Greek character and there are still some Greeks living on the island. The town is charming and features cobblestone streets and unusual stone houses. There is a medieval fortress.

The countryside is full of vineyards and there are a couple of excellent beaches on the south side of the island. Bozcaada has many wine products that may be sampled. To get to Bozca Island (Tenedos) by car, the most convenient route from Istanbul is via ferry to Bandirma, then continue on to Canakkale, and Geyikli.  You can also travel through picturesque countryside via Tekirdag, Eceabat, Canakkale, Geyikli and finally Geyikli. The distance is about 400 km and it takes 6-7 hours by car including the ferry to the island. You may want to visit Gallipoli and Troy on the way. You can also get there by bus in the summer time. From Geyikli-Yukyeri the boats run daily around four times and there are extra ferries on the weekends in season. The ferry time is only about 25 minutes.