Bozcaada

About this place

Bozcaada, known in antiquity as Tenedos, is a Turkish island in the northeastern Aegean, about 46 km southwest of Çanakkale in a straight line. It covers 39.9 square kilometres, making it Turkey's third-largest island, and has about 3,100 residents. The island lives from tourism, grape growing and fishing, and has been famous for centuries for its grapes and red poppies. It appears in both the Iliad and the Aeneid, where legend says the Greeks hid their fleet here during the Trojan War. Its position at the entrance to the Dardanelles made it important in ancient times. A large stone castle stands by the harbour looking out to sea, and narrow cobbled lanes wind through the town between white houses with red and blue doors and shutters decked with flowers. Vineyards spread inland, and the west coast has cliffs, sandy beaches with clear water and a row of wind turbines. Visitors arrive by ferry from Geyikli on the mainland, wander the town lanes and the castle, and hire bikes or cars to reach the beaches. Sunset from the west coast is a highlight, and the island is busy on summer holidays.