Kepez, Çanakkale

Kepez is a seaside town in Çanakkale Province, Turkey, located 3 kilometers from the city of Çanakkale city center. The town has its own municipality which was established in 1992. The population of Kepez as of 2019 is around 25,000 by conservative estimates. Kepez is the first stop along the main Izmir to Canakkale highway, the D550, as you make your entry into Canakkale city.

Kepez today has everything that you would need of a town. It is close enough to the centre of Canakkale for a short trip by taxi or bus. It is made up of predominantly new housing in the form of apartment blocks which are built to the new standards of construction and therefore earthquake proof unlike many of the older buildings in Canakkale city centre.

Kepez has a port. It acts as the port of Canakkale and receives freighters as well as cruise ships. There is a water park in Kepez and it does have its own beach area. The sea front promenade runs all the way from Kepez through to Canakkale with a few breaks by the Kolin Hotel which hopefully will get joined up soon and make it a continuous walk and cycle way all the way through to Canakkale city centre.

The best restaurants in Kepez are undoubtedly along the promenade seafront area which is about a ten to fifteen minute walk from the town centre. There are some nice cafes too, a picnic area and some spectacular scenery. The town has an impressive Municipality Building, a large park and picnic area and playground for children as well as a small park in the centre which has a couple of small tea houses. There are some excellent supermarkets and small shops and an abundance of small restaurants. The area is served with a good central taxi point and is on the Canakkale bus route with regular connections to the city centre. For shopping Kepez is ideally placed for easy access to the new 17Burda shopping centre packed with all the well known brands and cafes and the large Kipa mega store just down the main central high Street called Ataturk Cadessi which runs right through the middle of Kepez and which is the main road in and out of the town.

Kepez has its own covered market which is open every Monday. Served by almost every conceivable type of store and with a well planned and modern environment it is easy to see why Kepez is popular with people moving to Canakkale. Rental prices in Kepez are considerably less than what you might pay in the larger cities in Turkey. Life here is more relaxed here and apart from Friday’s market day in the city of Canakkale you are unlikely to get caught in a traffic jam.

For those concerned about health facilities, Kepez has a large Dental Centre, Social Services Centre and two very good hospitals nearby. The first is the 18th March University Hospital and the second if the brand new Canakkale Hospital, both of which are very impressive.

In Kepez we have the Turhan Mildon Culture and Craft Centre with regular events taking place and if you fancy watching a film then just head on down to the Cinemaximum at 17 burda. There is a very good Uygulama hotel in Kepez and a sports stadium. For those interested in Chess there is also a chess club with its own dedicated premises.

Not only is Kepez surrounded by everything that you need and would want from a town but it is also much cheaper to live here in terms of daily shopping and utilities. The climate is moderate so no heavy winter heating bills and the summer climate is not so hot as to have to run your air conditioning unit all day long. On every level you will find living in Kepez to be significantly cheaper than other major Turkish cities. Kepez is close enough to some beautiful sandy beaches just a stones throw away.

Coordinates: 40°05′59″N 26°23′48″E / 40.09972°N 26.39667°E / 40.09972; 26.39667