Karabiga is a town in the Biga District of Canakkale province. The mouth of the Biga river is situated here in a bay named after the town. In ancient Greek this would have been known as Priapus or Priapos, named after the famous fertility God.
Coming from Canakkale on the E90, passing through Lapseki and 86km away from Canakkale it is well signposted.

Karabiga is a small holiday resort with a busy fishing harbour and small freight container port. There is a beach which is popular with local tourists and there are a number of cafes and restaurants in and around the town. There is also a market day on Fridays.

There are a few interesting stone houses in the town and a large brick warehouse and there are plenty of shops and more than one supermarket. This is a quiet and peaceful place to relax and watch the world go by.

The town has its very own Maritime Festival in late June early July with demonstrations and performances of sport, art and cultural activities.
This area was once famous for its wine production and historians have documented the fact that the wine from here was exceptionally good. Karabiga was founded by Greek settlers in the 7th century BC.

The main attraction here is the old fortress on the hill which can be seen as you enter the town. Large segments of castle walls and towers stand out against the skyline. The remains of the city walls and castle with its 24 towers guarding the harbour and bay give you an idea as to the scale of this castle.

This would have been quite spectacular in its heyday, dominating the cliffs and the rocky bays of this coastline. It would have been quite a formidable deterrent to any approaching enemy. I cannot find any information about when it was built but the inner walls are made with brick and then coated with stone.

If you are going to climb the hill to observe the ruins up close then be sure to wear some good shoes or walking boots and be careful of the steep drops by the cliff edges. There is no safety fencing here. Like nearby Parion the ruins of Priapos have yet to be excavated and although work is well under way at Parion it hasn’t even commenced here. Perhaps in time we will learn more about the history of this once magnificent ruin.

From the top of the hill you cannot help but notice the Cenal Electric Power plant, a coal fired power plant that was granted a license in 2013 amid much local protest from people against the project who were worried about its environmental effects.. As you approach the old ruins this modern infrastructure unfortunately dominates the landscape and the beautiful bay and it has probably put paid to Karabiga attracting tourists in any great numbers. The lack of any large hotels or expansion in the tourist infrastructure would tend to confirm this.

Nearby on the main road in and out of the town is the battleground of the battle of Granicus in 334 BC which was fought between Alexander the Great and the Persian Empire. The town and the surrounding area is full of history much of which is documented by many ancient writers and geographers.