Kestanbol Kaplıcaları (Alexandria Troas Kestanbol Thermal Springs)

What to expect

Kestanbol is a working thermal spa in quiet farm country on the Aegean side of the Biga Peninsula, west of the town of Ezine. It is not a wild spring and not a modern resort. Think of an older Turkish kaplıca hotel built around very hot, very salty water, with indoor pools and bath cabins, used mostly by Turkish visitors who come to bathe once or twice a day.

The setting is the draw for foreign travellers. The ruins of Alexandria Troas, a Hellenistic and Roman port city founded around 310 BC, lie a few kilometres away near Dalyan village, and the spa now trades under the name Alexandria Troas Kestanbol Kaplıcaları. Local tradition says these springs have been used for more than two thousand years.

The water is unusual. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism lists five springs:

Spring	Temperature	pH
Ana (main)	153°F67°C	5.92
Çamur (mud)	154°F68°C	5.86
İkinci (second)	117°F47°C	6.16
Hamam	88°F31°C	6.92
Göz Suyu (eye water)	70°F21°C	6.94

It classes the water as hyperthermal, hypertonic and radioactive, with chloride, sodium, iron and calcium. A 2013 report gave a mineral load of about 22 g per litre, which locals nicknamed the “water of youth”. A 2020 study at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University measured the geothermal fluid at 139-165°F59.5-74.1°C and found it saltier than Turkish limits allow for discharge to soil or the Ilıca stream. In short: this water is hot, salty and strong, and the hottest springs are cooled before they reach any pool.

We could not confirm current pool temperatures, the number of pools or how the baths are split between men and women. Travel listings describe indoor thermal pools at the hotel. Ask when you call.

History

Older Ottoman records list the village as Eski İstanbul; by 1912 it appears as Kestanbul or Kestanbol, which gave the springs their name. The spa buildings were damaged during the First World War and the War of Independence and rebuilt afterwards. The site is protected, and a restoration that kept its historic character reopened it on April 1, 2013.

Since then the spa has gone through more than one operator, and Çanakkale’s local press has followed its ups and downs for years. In August 2026 the Ezine district governor visited, met the current operator and toured the facilities, which local press described as an active thermal business.

Getting there

From Çanakkale city, drive south on the main road to Ezine, then head west on local roads toward the coast and the Alexandria Troas ruins. The whole trip is about 65 km (40 miles) and roughly an hour. From Ezine town it is about 18 km (11 miles), around 25 minutes. Roads are paved; the last stretch is a narrow village road, so take it slowly after dark.

Buses run often from Çanakkale to Ezine. From Ezine you will need a taxi or the local minibus toward the coastal villages; ask the driver for “Kestanbol Kaplıcası”. Çanakkale Airport is the nearest airport, and Istanbul and İzmir are both a long drive away.

When to go

The spa is open year-round. Spring (April to June) and autumn (September to November) are the best times, when the weather suits a soak and a walk around Alexandria Troas or Troy. Summer is hot and the nearby coast fills with holidaymakers. Winter is quiet and damp, which is when Turkish kaplıca regulars come.

Prices and booking

No current price list is published online, for rooms or day use. The ministry listing gives about 100 beds. Call the spa or ask at reception about:

• the day-use price and how many hours it covers
• whether private bath cabins (özel kabin) cost extra
• whether towels and slippers are included
• mud and massage prices, if offered

Bring cash as well as a card; small Turkish spas do not always take cards for extras.

Bathing culture

Kestanbol follows the Turkish kaplıca pattern. People come for a course of baths rather than a single swim, often staying a week or more and bathing twice a day for short sessions. Public pools at older spas are usually separate for men and women, and private family cabins let couples and families bathe together. In single-sex pools many people wear a swimsuit or wrap a peştemal (a thin cotton cloth); full nudity is not the norm. The ministry lists bathing, mud packs, inhalation and showers as the ways the water is used, and the spa is marketed for rheumatism, gynaecological complaints and respiratory problems. We make no health claims.

Where to stay nearby

The simplest option is to stay at the spa itself. Otherwise, Ezine town has basic hotels and is known for its white cheese. The coastal villages around Dalyan and Geyikli have summer pensions and are the jumping-off point for the island of Bozcaada. Çanakkale city, about an hour north, has the widest range of hotels and is the usual base for Troy and the Gallipoli battlefields.

Nearby stops worth adding

Alexandria Troas, a few kilometres away, is a large, partly excavated ancient city with a Roman bath complex among the olive trees. Troy, the UNESCO-listed site, is on the way between Çanakkale and Ezine, so you can see it on the drive down. Bozcaada island is a short ferry ride from Geyikli.

Safety notes

• Very hot source water: The main and mud springs are around 153-154°F67-68°C. Never touch an outflow or uncooled channel.
• Strong mineral water: Salty, mineral-heavy water can be tiring. Keep soaks to 15 to 20 minutes, drink plenty of plain water and rest between sessions.
• Health conditions: Pregnant visitors and people with heart, kidney or blood pressure problems should ask a doctor before thermal bathing.
• Do not drink it: The 2020 study found several dissolved substances well above drinking-water and discharge limits.