Museum of Troy — Attraction in Çanakkale Merkez

First off, no need for the audio guide unless you prefer hearing to reading. There is tons of material in both English and Turkish inside. I ended up not using the guide beyond a couple steps, because it was slow and not focused enough on the items in front of us.

But my big concern is the extra charges for “headphones.” There are signs at the desk for headphones (costing around ten euros). They asked us if we wanted audio guides (not headphones), and then quoted the same price. But when I saw the ticket, it claimed the audio guide was included in the 27 euro ticket. This seemed strange and maybe shady. As a foreigner I assumed I was missing something, even tho it was clear that the headphones were not being purchased.

When we returned the audio guides (and their attached headphones) at the end of the tour we were presented with two unopened boxes of wireless headphones as a “gift.” I refused these (why would I want this “gift”) and am left wondering why we were charged for audio guides that should have been free with the ticket, and somehow given “gifts” that were meant to be purchased? Something weird is going on here and honestly it left a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t mind paying more to visit a site like this as a foreigner… I do mind feeling like I was tricked...

Traveling from Istanbul to Assos we followed the recommendation of some very good Turkish friends from Canakkale to stop-over and visit the Troia Museum. Arriving there with anticipation, we had to realize that the ticket for foreigners is about 17 times the price Turkish citizens have to pay. Such difference of 60 TL, approx. 1,60€ for Turkish citizens vs. 27€ for foreigners seems ridiculously high. The alternative to book a museum pass for 165€ with a validity of only 15 days (some time ago apparently still valid for an entire year) is pretty much a joke. Even though with one Turkish citizenship in the family, but with no further discount on the ticket for even children without a Turkish ID we decided to unfortunately skip the visit. Discounts to attract locals are absolutely okay and more than welcome, but on such a scale appear to be a scam, presumably with the intention to rip off uninformed travel groups...

€27 for the Troy Museum in Çanakkale? It’s laughable - and telling. That’s more than the Louvre, the Vatican Museums, or the Prado. The British Museum? Still free. And yet Turkey charges more for a museum that barely meets international curatorial standards.

This isn’t just about one ticket. It’s about a country that consistently fails to respect educated, culturally interested travelers. Instead of welcoming them, Turkey overcharges, underdelivers, and treats heritage like a theme park.

And the result? The tourists who actually care about history and culture are going elsewhere. What’s left is mass tourism with zero interest in context - beach crowds and Instagram selfies.

If Turkey wants to be taken seriously as a cultural destination, it should stop pricing out the very people who would appreciate it most. Until then, don’t be surprised when the world’s educated travelers cross it...