Troy I to Troy IX — roughly 3,000 years of settlement, rebuilt on itself again and again in one hill above the Dardanelles. Here's what's actually in the ground, and how to see it.
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Troy isn't one ruin — it's at least nine, stacked directly on top of each other from roughly 3000 BC to the Roman era. Excavators number the layers Troy I (deepest, oldest) to Troy IX (shallowest, most recent). This is roughly what's in the ground, top to bottom.
The uppermost layer is the Roman city of Ilium, which grew into a genuine pilgrimage site once Rome linked its own founding myth back to Troy. Temple foundations and a small theatre from this period are visible on site.
A Greek settlement was established over the Bronze Age ruins, later visited by Xerxes and Alexander the Great, both of whom are recorded making offerings at what they understood to be the site of Homeric Troy.
Troy VIIb represents resettlement after a destruction event, by people whose pottery and building styles differ from the layer beneath — commonly read as new arrivals following whatever happened to Troy VIIa.
A fortified citadel with massive sloping walls, considered by most archaeologists the strongest candidate for the "Troy" of the Iliad tradition. Troy VIIa shows a violent destruction layer dated to around 1180 BC — thought to be, though not proven to be, the war Homer describes centuries later.
Troy II is where Heinrich Schliemann controversially believed he had found "Priam's Treasure" in the 1870s — a hoard now dated to this earlier, pre-Homeric layer rather than to the Troy of legend.
The oldest layer of all: a small fortified Early Bronze Age settlement at the base of the mound, the foundation everything above it was eventually built on top of, over the following three millennia.
Nine cities in the ground don't all look like nine cities above it. Here's what a visitor actually sees on site today.
Walking paths thread through excavated stone house foundations and defensive walls spanning the site's different layers — the same foundations and walls visible in the dig above, now open to walk through rather than read about.
No wooden horse survives from antiquity — it's part of the Iliad's story, not an excavated artefact. Visitors today see a modern wooden horse replica near the site itself, and another well-known replica on the Çanakkale waterfront, originally built for a film production.
The Troy Museum, opened in 2018 near Tevfikiye village, holds artefacts from across the nine layers — a short walk from the excavation itself, and commonly ticketed separately from the site.
Both are worth doing, but they're not the same stop. Here's how they compare if you're deciding.
| Just the ruins | Ruins + Troy Museum | |
|---|---|---|
| Time needed | 1.5–2.5 hours, unhurried | Add roughly another hour for the museum |
| What you see | Excavated foundations and walls across the nine layers, on the ground where they were found | The same site, plus artefacts from all nine layers displayed together, including finds from the Schliemann excavations |
| Best for | Travellers short on time, or focused on walking the actual excavation | Anyone who wants the finds as well as the foundations — most first-time visitors |
| Ticketing | Entrance fee at the site — check current pricing before you go | Site and museum are commonly ticketed separately, a short walk apart |
Three genuine options depending on where you're staying and how much time you have. All bookable on GetYourGuide with free cancellation.
Most people see Troy in half a day and have time to spare. These are the two things worth adding, both bookable alongside your Troy visit.
An entrance fee applies at the site, with the Troy Museum commonly ticketed separately a short walk away. Check the current rate and any combined pricing before you go.
The site and museum keep seasonal hours that shift through the year. Check current opening times before you set out, especially outside peak summer months.
Allow 1.5–2.5 hours to walk the ruins at an unhurried pace; add another hour or so for the museum if you're visiting both.
Sun protection and sturdy, closed shoes — the paths are uneven excavated ground with little shade across most of the site.
Troy sits near the village of Tevfikiye, a short drive from Çanakkale, on the Turkish side of the Dardanelles.
Easiest as a half or full-day trip from Çanakkale, or a long full-day tour from Istanbul that crosses the Dardanelles by road or ferry.
The mound at Hisarlık was resettled and rebuilt on itself repeatedly for roughly 3,000 years, from around 3000 BC into the Roman and Byzantine eras. Archaeologists number these superimposed settlements Troy I through Troy IX, each built over the ruins of the last — which is why the site reads as a stack of cities rather than a single set of ruins.
Troy VI and the following phase, Troy VIIa (roughly 1700–1200 BC), are the layers most commonly associated with the Late Bronze Age city and the Trojan War tradition in Homer's Iliad — Troy VIIa shows signs of a violent destruction around 1180 BC. The link to a specific historical war is debated among scholars and is presented here as tradition, not settled fact.
No wooden horse survives from antiquity — it's part of the Iliad's story, not an excavated artefact. Visitors today see a modern wooden horse replica near the site itself and another well-known replica on the Çanakkale waterfront, originally built for a film production.
The Troy Museum, opened in 2018 near Tevfikiye village, and the archaeological site are separate stops a short walk apart, and are commonly ticketed separately. Check current pricing and hours before you go, as they change year to year.
Troy sits a short drive from Çanakkale, so it's easiest as a half or full-day trip from there, or as a longer full-day tour from Istanbul that typically crosses the Dardanelles by road bridge or ferry. Guided tours handle the transfers for you.