Although you will occasionally feel as if you have stepped back in history, Canakkale has firmly embraced the new millenium when it comes to the essentials of living. You will have no difficulty finding an internet cafe, fax facilities, cornflakes, cashpoints or a launderette. According to stastistics, half of all families in the city of Canakkale own a car, the majority use a mobile phone, and it as one of the lowest crime rates in Turkey.

Those who are enraptured by history will find plenty to slake their thirst in the area. There are also lots of uncrowded corners where the visitor can paddle along the shore, stretch out on the sand, scuba dive, or just sit in the shade, sip something exotic, and gaze out to sea hoping for a glimpse of some playful dolphins.

In the Gulf of Edremit, the air is claimed to have one of the highest concentrations of oxygen in the world. Around the province are thermal spas in small towns where a variety of ailments are treated. Geologists may have a field day studying these and other mineral springs where both hot and cold water gush from the ground. Bears are very rare nowadays, but small game and wild boars are plentiful in the countryside. Here, the rich variety of insect life, plants, mosses and lichens would keep a botanist busy for a lifetime.

When night falls, most of the socialising takes place on or near the seafront, where there are cafes, bars, tea gardens and discos to suit everyone's taste. In short, the city and province of Canakkale present a spectrum of pleasures, beliefs, larger-than-life characters, customs and undiscovered history awaiting exploration by the inquisitive mind or adventurous at heart.