Bozcaada Island (Tenedos): Castle, Greek Quarter, Vineyards and Ayazma Beach

Lying six kilometres off the Asian mainland south of the Dardanelles, Bozcaada (known in antiquity as Tenedos, the island behind which Homer says the Greek fleet hid while leaving the Wooden Horse on the beach at Troy) is Turkey's third-largest island and its premier wine-producing island. Because a third of the island's flat, wind-swept terrain is covered in low, goblet-pruned vineyards and buildings are restricted to two-storey stone-and-timber houses, Bozcaada has an unhurried, car-light charm.

How to Get to Bozcaada from Çanakkale (Geyikli Ferry vs Summer Fast Catamaran)

• Year-Round via Geyikli Yükyeri Pier (30-minute Ferry Crossing): drive 50 minutes south of Çanakkale (or take the hourly Geyikli / Bozcaada minibus from Çanakkale Bus Station / Troy junction) to Geyikli Pier, where large GESTAŞ roll-on/roll-off ferries sail to Bozcaada Town in 30 minutes. Crucial summer tip for drivers: foot passengers never need a reservation and can board any ferry freely (since Bozcaada Town sits right at the ferry ramp and island minibuses run from the castle to every beach and Polente); if you want to take a car onto the island between June and September, book a timed online vehicle slot at gdu.com.tr days ahead.

Four Essential Experiences on Bozcaada

1. Bozcaada Castle (Directly Beside the Ferry Pier): one of the best-preserved medieval coastal fortresses in the Aegean, rebuilt by the Venetians, Genoese and Sultan Mehmed II in 1455 and expanded in 1815 with a moat and drawbridge overlooking the strait.
2. The Greek Quarter (Rum Mahallesi) & Turkish Quarter (Alaybey): a narrow cobbled street divides the town's historic halves. Wander the grid of the Greek Quarter past the 1869 clock-tower bell spire of the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary (Meryem Ana Kilisesi), where two-storey stone houses with bay windows host artisan bakeries (famous for crunchy almond-and-mastic damla sakızlı bademli kurabiye cookies at Çiçek Pastanesi and handmade red-poppy syrup and green tomato jam) and evening seafood taverns under grapevines.
3. Swimming at Ayazma Beach & Aquarium Bay (Akvaryum Koyu): on the southern shore (15 minutes by island minibus from the castle), Ayazma offers a wide, one-kilometre golden sand beach with crystal-clear, briskly refreshing turquoise water, while rocky Akvaryum Koyu further east is a natural snorkelling pool.
4. Vineyard Tastings & Sunset at Polente Lighthouse: sample indigenous island wines made from red Kuntra (Karalahna) and Karasakız and white Çavuş and Vasilaki grapes at family wineries (Corvus, Talay, Amadeus or Ataol), then head to the western cliff tip of Polente Lighthouse and Windmills an hour before dusk to watch the sun sink into the open Aegean.