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Assos is an ancient harbour town on the Northern Aegean coast, just 2 miles down the hill from the Roman ruins of Behramkale. It was founded by settlers from the Greek island of Lesbos. Do not confuse this Assos with its namesake in Greece: the Assos you are going to read about is located in present day Turkey, about 1.5 hour by bus from the city of Canakkale.
There are several nice boutique hotels in the small harbour of Assos. Most of the people that stay overnight at one of the nice hotels are well-off tourists from overseas who are on a private tour on the way to Izmir and Central Anatolia. Assos is a favourite stop due to its stunning scenery, the relatively well-preserved Roman ruins on the hill top, and the fact that it is located just 1.5 hours by bus from the city of Canakkale. After a long day visiting all the War Memorials on the Gallipoli Peninsula, it is a good way to unwind at this small village.
Local Police Station (Jandarma). In Turkey, Jandarmas (equivalent to Gendarmarie in France) are the para-military forces responsible for security in country districts in Turkey. Here is the Jandarma Office in Assos, located in a traditional building.
Architectures in this part of Turkish Aegean Coast are very much influenced by Greece. Prior to the population exchange in 1923, most of the towns and countryside in this part of Turkey were populated by Greeks, who were later moved to various Aegean islands.
This is the Boutique Hotel 'Nazlihan' where I stayed overnight. It was a bit pricy, but I did not have any reservation before hand and the last bus back to Ayvacik left at 1830, so there was really no choice but to stay here. However, the price included 4 course dinner and a hearty breakfast buffet, plus wonderful view of the sea and the harbour. Dinners and breakfast are served on tables right next to the harbour, which looks like this:
There are many stray cats hanging around the harbour, waiting for food. At dinner time, they walk around each and every table and look at the food on the table. While I was taking photos during breakfast, one of the cats jumped onto the table and start eating my breakfast!
The entrance and the reception of the hotel with nice ceiling and beautiful French doors. The whole building is made of solid blocks of stone.
A quiet cove in Assos. The village of Assos is so small, it takes less than 5 minutes to walk from one side to the other. On that particular day, there were just 30 people or so in the whole village, thus you get the chance to swim around the beautiful waters.
The little harbour with colourful little fishing boats. Across the sea from Assos is the beautiful Greek island of Lesbos. In the evening, you can see the lights of villages on Lesbos, but I could not quite figure out which villages they are (it could be Molivos, Patra, or Skala Skamina...)
Many locals come to Assos to enjoy fresh seafood. All hotel restaurants in Assos serve their food on a little platform built onto the sea.
How to get there:
By Bus: Nearest big city is Canakkale From Canakkale Otogar, take buses that go to Ayvacik centre (not Ayvalik), then change to a mini-bus to Assos (Behramkale). There are only 4 or 5 buses from Ayvacik to Assos, last one is at 1630. Make sure you have a hotel reservation if you want to stay overnight, otherwise you might have to walk all the way up the hill to Behramkale and look for one of the cheaper backpacker hostels. There are no backpacker places in Assos - only 3-4 star hotels. Mini-buses from Ayvacik will first pass by Behramkale before arriving at the harbour (Iskele) of Assos.
By Air: Nearest airport is Canakkale. Atlasjet offer one flight per day from Istanbul to Canakkale, but it is advisable to take the bus from Istanbul and change at Canakkale, or ask the driver to drop you off outside Ayvacik.
Sights: The old harbour of Assos, and the Roman ruins of Behramkale (Ancient Assos) are an ideal place for photo shoots, especially in the evening.
Copyrights 2008. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.
There are several nice boutique hotels in the small harbour of Assos. Most of the people that stay overnight at one of the nice hotels are well-off tourists from overseas who are on a private tour on the way to Izmir and Central Anatolia. Assos is a favourite stop due to its stunning scenery, the relatively well-preserved Roman ruins on the hill top, and the fact that it is located just 1.5 hours by bus from the city of Canakkale. After a long day visiting all the War Memorials on the Gallipoli Peninsula, it is a good way to unwind at this small village.
Local Police Station (Jandarma). In Turkey, Jandarmas (equivalent to Gendarmarie in France) are the para-military forces responsible for security in country districts in Turkey. Here is the Jandarma Office in Assos, located in a traditional building.
Architectures in this part of Turkish Aegean Coast are very much influenced by Greece. Prior to the population exchange in 1923, most of the towns and countryside in this part of Turkey were populated by Greeks, who were later moved to various Aegean islands.
This is the Boutique Hotel 'Nazlihan' where I stayed overnight. It was a bit pricy, but I did not have any reservation before hand and the last bus back to Ayvacik left at 1830, so there was really no choice but to stay here. However, the price included 4 course dinner and a hearty breakfast buffet, plus wonderful view of the sea and the harbour. Dinners and breakfast are served on tables right next to the harbour, which looks like this:
There are many stray cats hanging around the harbour, waiting for food. At dinner time, they walk around each and every table and look at the food on the table. While I was taking photos during breakfast, one of the cats jumped onto the table and start eating my breakfast!
The entrance and the reception of the hotel with nice ceiling and beautiful French doors. The whole building is made of solid blocks of stone.
A quiet cove in Assos. The village of Assos is so small, it takes less than 5 minutes to walk from one side to the other. On that particular day, there were just 30 people or so in the whole village, thus you get the chance to swim around the beautiful waters.
The little harbour with colourful little fishing boats. Across the sea from Assos is the beautiful Greek island of Lesbos. In the evening, you can see the lights of villages on Lesbos, but I could not quite figure out which villages they are (it could be Molivos, Patra, or Skala Skamina...)
Many locals come to Assos to enjoy fresh seafood. All hotel restaurants in Assos serve their food on a little platform built onto the sea.
How to get there:
By Bus: Nearest big city is Canakkale From Canakkale Otogar, take buses that go to Ayvacik centre (not Ayvalik), then change to a mini-bus to Assos (Behramkale). There are only 4 or 5 buses from Ayvacik to Assos, last one is at 1630. Make sure you have a hotel reservation if you want to stay overnight, otherwise you might have to walk all the way up the hill to Behramkale and look for one of the cheaper backpacker hostels. There are no backpacker places in Assos - only 3-4 star hotels. Mini-buses from Ayvacik will first pass by Behramkale before arriving at the harbour (Iskele) of Assos.
By Air: Nearest airport is Canakkale. Atlasjet offer one flight per day from Istanbul to Canakkale, but it is advisable to take the bus from Istanbul and change at Canakkale, or ask the driver to drop you off outside Ayvacik.
Sights: The old harbour of Assos, and the Roman ruins of Behramkale (Ancient Assos) are an ideal place for photo shoots, especially in the evening.
Copyrights 2008. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.
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