2015 GALLIPOLI GOLD TOURS FAQ

WHY ARE THE LUXURY GOLD GALLIPOLI TOURS A HIGHER PRICE THAN OTHERS?
You will travelling in a smaller, concentrated group, be staying in first class 5 star hotels and excellent boutique hotels. All entrance fees are included, professional English speaking tour guides, transportation, the chance to experience all delicious traditional Turkish foods. Ultimately, we want you to thoroughly enjoy your ANZAC tour and experience Turkey at its finest. Have nothing to worry about because our professional staff will take great care of you, so you will want to come back again!

Are prices guaranteed?
Our price guarantees that no increase in land costs will occur, once you have paid the deposit for your tour. Your initial deposit required is 25% in order to secure your reservation. This is your protection against international currency fluctuations. When you have paid for your domestic flight in full, there will be no change in the cost of the ticket, even if airfares rise later.

Last Minute Bookings?
The 100th Anniversary event in will be a hugely popular event, attracting more than 100,000 to the Gallipoli peninsular for the Dawn services on Anzac Day 2015. We recommend you book more than 6 months in advance in order to secure your chance of attendance at the event. Subject to availability and international currency fluctuations, we reserve the right to increase prices of these tours in the lead up to the event. For packaged plane tours, the prices may also change when booking last minute. Prices indicated are subject to flight availability before the commencement of your tour. Please contact TravelShop Turkey Murti's Tour if you wish to book last minute.

How much is the deposit?
Your booking deposit 25% of the total invoice amount.
Once paid, we can confirm your tour reservations and hotel arrangements for you. Your tour is guaranteed and prices are fixed once you pay your deposit.
How can I find your staff at the dawn service if I need assistance?

Our friendly staff are at your disposal 24/7 whilst you are on tour. On arrival, all the contact information for our team and local emergency contacts will be provided to you in your welcome pack. You may contact any of our representatives by telephone and we will attend to your needs. After the completion of the dawn services, our staff will be strategically placed at each memorial service location on the cove with a TravelShop Turkey sign. You may find them and gain their assistance there. Please also ensure to remember your designated meeting points after the completion of the ceremonies.

What to expect at Gallipoli:
Each of the commemorative services on 25 April is open to the public and a lot of people travel a long way to attend services. There are four commemorative sites at Gallipoli at which Anzac Day services are held each year and all four are open to the public. All commemorative sites are the sovereign territory of the Turkish people. They are located on the historic battlefields that are part of the Gallipoli Peninsula Historical National Park and are largely without permanent infrastructure.

Seating at the commemorative sites is available in the stands around the grassed area, or on the grassed area itself. Seating cannot be reserved. Once open on 24 April, the Anzac Commemorative Site fills quickly. People may end up sitting very close to each other and, if the site reaches capacity, people will be asked to stand throughout the evening. Large groups who arrive after midnight may not be able to find room to be seated as a group and should be prepared to split up to be seated or to stand.

An overnight program of music from the First World War era, documentaries, historical footage and onsite interviews provides you with the opportunity to learn more about the Gallipoli campaign and reflect on the reason you are making your trip to be part of the 100th Anzac Day services.

Walking Distances at the Cove:
Those attending the Dawn Service at the Anzac Commemorative Site can go on to attend the Australian service at Lone Pine, the Turkish 57th Regiment service or the New Zealand service at Chunuk Bair. However, due to the walking distances between the commemorative sites, it is generally not possible to attend all services on 25 April. You should have a moderate level of fitness if you plan to attend the Anzac Day commemorations. In fact, you can expect to walk up to 8km on uneven surfaces.

The walk from the Dawn Service to where the Australian service is held at Lone Pine is approximately 3km and includes a section of 1.5km of uneven dirt surface with a steep incline. This 3km walk takes visitors past the Ari Burnu, Beach, Shrapnel Valley and Shell Green Cemeteries. The route is well sign-posted.

After the conclusion of the service at Lone pine there is only limited time to walk from Lone Pine to the Turkish 57th Regiment Memorial service. The Turkish service starts approximately 15 minutes after the conclusion of the Lone Pine service. The walk between these two services is approximately thirty minutes.

The walk from Lone Pine to Chunuk Bair where the New Zealand service is held Is 3.2km up a steep bitumen surfaced road and takes approximately one hour and fifteen minutes. The route slopes uphill past the Turkish 57th Regiment Memorial, please be respectful when walking past as the Turkish service will still be in progress. Limited assistance may be available for people unable to walk between the commemorative sites.

Special needs assistance is available for people with mobility impairment. A person's mobility problems must substantially impair their ability to move around. Visitors must be able to walk 400-600 meters unassisted. In all instances supporting documentation from a medical practitioner substantiating the medical condition must be provided to the Department of Veterans affairs with the individual's special needs application. More information can be obtained from the Department of Veterans' Affairs website www.dva.gov.au, the Visit Gallipoli website, emailing gallipoli@dva.gov.au or telephoning (+61) 02 6289 6124. You can also write to:
Major Commemorations (Gallipoli)
Gallipoli Projects Section
PO Box 21
WODEN ACT 2606
There are a large number of coaches accessing commemorative sites on Anzac Day. To facilitate the safe and efficient movement of our VIP and Special Needs guests, Travel Shop Turkey are providing a limited shuttle service between sites. Please make contact well ahead of Anzac Day.

What sort of facilities are there?
Food and refreshments are available for purchase from Turkish food sellers on site. You may bring in your own food. We encourage you to bring water but do not open the bottles until you are on site. Alcohol is strictly prohibited. There are temporary chemical toilets and hand washing facilities installed from 22-25 April at the Anzac Commemorative Site, Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair sites. Swimming in the waters of the Anzac area is strictly prohibited.

GROUP BOOKING DISCOUNTS:
Please ask for special group discount if you are a group more than 6 people.

OFFICE LOCATIONS:
If you are looking for a local agency in your area to book this tour, please inform us so we can pass you our local agency contact details. We have representative agencies working for us worldwide. Forward us your contact details today so we can assist you with our nearest local agency.
AIRPORT TRANSFERS:
Arrival transfers are included from Ataturk International Airport between the hours of 8:00 a.m. til 11:00 p.m. every two hours on the days designated in the itineraries. We can arrange your return transfers and transfers from Sabiha Gokcen airport at an extra cost. Please book your additional transfers before the 10th April 2012.

GOLD HOTELS:
Gold ANZAC Day Tour means that you will be in first class accommodation throughout the tour, which is range of 5 star hotels, boutique hotels in Assos and thermal hotels in Pamukkale.

Our Gold ANZAC Day tour hotels are namely in Istanbul: Central Palace Hotel, in Assos: Assos Park Hotel, in Kusadasi: Charisma Deluxe Hotel, in Pamukkale: Colossae Spa Hotel.

All hotels named above may be substituted based on room availability or if necessary for any other reason determined by TravelShop Turkey.

TOUR GUIDES:
You will be assisted by a fluent English speaking professional tour guide who is deeply knowledgeable of Turkey and Gallipoli.

ENTRANCE FEES:
Entrance fees make up to approx 30% of the tour cost. All entrance fees mentioned in the itinerary are included in the tour price and will be paid for by TravelShop Turkey.

TRANSPORTATION:
Air-conditioned coach transportation throughout your tour, with a TV. All drivers are professionally licensed. All coaches on our tours stop around every 2 hours so that you are able to stretch your legs, use washroom facilities and buy snacks for the journey. Our buses have a maximum of 40 people so that the bus will not be over crowded.

FOOD:
A wide selection of tasty traditional Turkish food for you to experience while in our country. All breakfasts are included, some dinners are included except in Istanbul, but a few nights you are free to explore for your own choices. In Fethiye and Antalya the hotels are All Inclusive including all food and alcohol.

PLEASE NOTE: If you decide not to eat at the BBQ you are still able to sit at the same area and soak up the atmosphere before heading to the Dawn Service.

DAWN SERVICE:
The volumes expected to attend the 100th anniversary service is approx 100,000 people. However this figure changes every year. There is stadium seating, as well as areas to lie down on. You will find WC facilities surrounding the area. There is no ideal time to arrive at ANZAC Cove, we arrive approx 20:00pm and are here until the completion of the services on Anzac Day at approximately 15:00pm the next day. Please bear in mind the weather is very hot during the day but very cold during the night there is no indoor enclosure and you are outside all night so don't forget your sleeping bags and lots of warm clothing.

Note: All timings specified in our itineraries are subject to local authorities and Australian and New Zealand security controls. The cove is a geographically small place, and there are frequently disruptions to access to the cove caused by the attendance of important diplomats and governmental representatives. In the event there are major public figures attending the services, it is completely beyond our control to gain access to areas that have been momentarily closed or restricted for access by the Australian Federal Police and Turkish Jandarma. We will do our utmost to provide all services mentioned in your itinerary subject to the above force majeure.

SLEEPING BAGS:
We provide sleeping bags for hire, please let us know in advance if you wish to have one for the night at ANZAC Cove.

WHAT TIME DO THE CEREMONIES START AFTER THE DAWN SERVICE?
After the Dawn Service you will need to take a walk up to the rest of the services.
The timings can change each year but are approximately as follows.

10:30 Australian National service
11.45 Turkish National service
13:00 New Zealand National service

To get up to each of the services you need to take a walk from ANZAC Cove up to Lone Pine which takes about an 1.5 hours we recommend leaving after the Dawn services as many people are heading to the other ceremonies. To get from the Australia service to the Turkish services takes around 40 minutes and then another 40 mins to the New Zealand Services so you will need to decide which ceremony you wish to attend as you will not be able to attend all three. For any disabled people wishing to join the tour and attend the services please let us know so that we can make necessary arrangements for you at ANZAC.

WHERE DO WE MEET AFTER THE CEREMONIES HAVE ALL FINISHED?
Departure from the peninsula is very hard with so many people, we will leave approximately 3:30 p.m.
When the ceremonies have finished the Diplomats & Government Officials are the first to leave the area. After these have left the area they will then start letting the tour buses in, please note that that this can take some time as there are 100,000 visitors to ANZAC. The first meeting point for the tour buses is at Lone Pine (Australian Service) the second point at the Chunuk Bair (New Zealand Service). The buses are only allowed to go round once so please be at one of these meetings points. Please also note that the buses are not allowed to enter straight After attending the ANZAC services,, so you will be waiting around for your bus. We will have staff designated outside Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair to show where the bus will pick you up from.

ANY RESTAURANTS AVAILABLE AT THE DAWN SERVICE AND ANZAC CEREMONIES?
There are plenty of snack bars selling kebabs, potatoes, sandwiches etc as well as water and soft drinks. No alcohol is served anyway during the day or night at ANZAC Cove or the surrounding areas. Alcohol is forbidden in the area and there are security check points.

SINGLE SUPPLEMENT TRAVELLERS:
We have many customers who travel alone. If you don't mind sharing your room with another traveller then we can arrange a twin share, we will not charge you for single supplement.

SHOPPING:
You will have plenty of time throughout your tour to visit the local shops. Istanbul isn't always the best place to shop! It is the best place to bargain however. If there is something in particular you are looking for, please ask your tour guide and they will advise you on the best place to go. Carpet, leather and jewellery shopping is best done in Kusadasi/Ephesus where you will visit the factories, also learn a lot more about the product from the factory guides.

EARLY ARRIVALS:
If you are arriving in Turkey a few days prior to tour start date, we are more than happy to arrange transfers and accommodation for you. This will not be included in the itinerary cost. Additional costs will be advised once further information is given by the customer.

OPTIONAL TOURS:
Bosphorus Cruise, ANZAC party, Turkish bath, Cappadocia Turkish night, Ballooning in Cappadocia. These are optional due to the fact not everybody is interested in these activities. That way the customer is not charged for something they do not wish to do. The optional tours are at very reasonable prices each of themare highly recommended! However these are also non refundable so please make sure that you are able to attend these activities before booking.

WHAT TIMES AND DATES ARE THE OPTIONAL EXTRAS ?

WELCOME GALA DINNER and TURKISH 1001 NIGHT:
Starts at 20:00 on the 22nd April. We will pick you up from your hotel between 19:00 and 19:30 and return you to your hotel once dinner has finished.

BOSPHORUS CRUISE:
Starts at 15:30 on the 23rd April. We will pick you up from your hotel between 14:30 and 15:00 and transfer you to the harbour for your cruise.

TravelShop Turkey Bosphorus Cruise

TURKISH BATH:
If you wish to participate in a Turkish Bath during your tour please speak to a Travelshop Turkey representative who will be happy to help arrange this for you in Istanbul.

PLEASE NOTE: ALL EXTRAS (apart from the Turkish bath Istanbul) NEED TO BE BOOKED BEFORE ARRIVAL INTO TURKEY HOWEVER PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE ARE NON REFUNDABLE PLEASE READ OUT TERMS AND CONDTIONS FOR ALL CANCELLATION POLICIES.

When booking any extras please make sure that your flight times coincide with all our activities. We will send you vouchers for any option extras please retain as proof of purchase.

VISAS:
Depending on your nationality or passport, you will be able to purchase a visa when you arrive at the airport in Turkey. Please however confirm this with your national embassy, as some nationalities require this to be done in advance. Australia and England are charged approx £10 GPB on arrival, New Zealand is able to enter free of charge. Please note that this fee maybe subject to change.

MONEY:
We use New Turkish Lira. Although in a lot of places they will accept US, EURO or GBP. We recommend that exchanging to lira will save you money and confusion. There are many change offices throughout Turkey, along with ATM machines for you to withdraw also. Most shops will accept your credit cards.

OUR STAFF:
Our tour staff are very friendly, from Turkey, New Zealand, Australia and the UK who have traveled extensively through Turkey and the rest of the world. Their attachment to ANZAC Day is also very important, they understand how important it is for our customers from their respected nations. They will be at hand to help you with anything you need, as they have been through it all before!

TravelShop Turkey ANZAC Day Tour

Please contact the TravelShop Turkey team well ahead of the 100th Anniversary ANZAC Day at Gallipoli.