I'm starting to plan a trip to Turkey and Greece. I'm thinking of 4 days in Istanbul then flying to Izmir to visit Ephesus then back to Istanbul to fly to Athens to end up going to Skopelos and Alonissos for a week. We'll end up back in Athens to fly home. Does that sound reasonable over 2 to 2 1/2 weeks or do we lose too much time flying from place to place? The connections don't seem optimal. Thanks for suggestions

dear richking52,
after spending 4 days in Istanbul, you can fly to Izmir to visit Ephesus and after visiting Ephesus staying one night in Kusadasi to take a ferry the other day in the morning from Kusadasi to Samos. From Samos you can fly to Athens easily. Olympic Airlines Samos-Athens -costs 70 euros aprox. one way. And the ferry from Kusadasi to Samos is around 20 usd per person and 10 euros tax.
an informative site about Kusadasi is www.kusadasi.biz , its a forum in English. You can get ideas from travellers.

Sound wonderfull but consider to add 3 days more within Turkey to include Cappadocia.

Happy travelling,
Murat

We will have completed a tour of Turkey ending up in Kusidasi. Would like to find out about the ferry to Samos, how to get tickets and schedule. Also, recommendation for 4 days in Greece. We have been to Athens before also Santorini and Corfu, although it was only for a day each. Any suggestions for a worthwhile yet restful 4 days in Greece?

Since you asked... I would skip Samos and drive from Kusadisi to Marmara,( about 3 hours) then catch the afternoon ferry to Rhodes, Greece. Rhodes is amazing- you can visit the medieval walled Old town, expore ancient sites/ruins, beaches, or drive just to enjoy the scenery.

Marmara to Rhodes is about 40 minutes on the high-speed hydrofoil.

Yes, Rhodes is great. Problem when I was there last year was cruise ships disgorging hundreds of British package holidaymakers. Try to find a day when they aren't there.
Then you can fly to Athens. Look at Aegean air schedules, there are usually some cheap options going.
Another possibility from Izmir to go to Cesme (about an hour by bus) then get the ferry to Chios. This is a wonderfully underdeveloped Greek island where the locals positively keep the tourist hordes out. There are lots of beaches, sights and history. From there you can fly to Athens or there are plenty of ferries too.

We've visited Rhodes two years in a row now, (both times in mid-July) and never found crowds to be a big problem. Sure, there are tourists within the Old town during the day and early evening, but if you plan your sightseeing around this, you can avoid most of that if it bothers you.

This time we stayed close to the walls of the Old Town, so were able to go back and forth easily. We much preferred this location (which we found fairly quiet, actually!) to our stay last year in Faliraki, the beach area.

Thank you for your help. It's wonderful yet confusing to have so many options.