<BR>Renaissance is offering some incredibly low prices for their 10-day Greek Isles cruise/trip in November and December. Can anyone tell me if it's worth visiting Athens, Istanbul, Ephesus, Crete etc. in November and December, or is too chilly? Thanks so much for any responses, as I have to make the decision in a few days!

You might check www.frommers.com. They have an ongoing discussion right now on the Greek Islands with an expert host.

Try this website. <BR>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv...historical.htm <BR>Enter the city, state or country and it will give you the average highs and lows by month, plus some other data. It looks a little chilly in Athens.

I took the Renaissance cruise to Greece and Turkey last May and I was surprised to learn that it SNOWS in Istanbul in the winter! So, check the weather. As it was, we had a cold snap in Istanbul and it got down to about 45. Everyone on the tour was dressed for the predicted 90 degree weather and we were miserably cold. Fortunately, it warmed up when the cruise started and we had great weather for the rest of the trip. <BR> <BR>In general, however, I believe that weather is 80% of a good vacation. My sister is a bargain shopper and she's almost always disappointed when she books Palm Springs in the summer or Mexico in the winter. Good luck.

hi pam, i hope that this message isn't getting to you too late. having been a five year resident of greece, i can tell you that the winter months are very bleak. many of the shops and restaurants close down for the winter. spring and summer are much better times for visiting greece and turkey.

I did a Greek Isles Cruise on Renaissance Cruises last December. The weather was fine. The temperature ranged from 50-60 degrees. It was perfect weather for sightseeing. At the ports we visited, all the shops and restaurants were open. Also, the historic sites in Greece and Turkey were not crowded this time of year.