Greetings,

My husband and I will be visiting Turkey from Athens in late September, and are looking for recommendations on what to do.

We will just be finishing a 9 day whirlwind tour of Greece with a group of college students (I teach art history and am leading the tour) and want to relax after our Greek "vacation!" I imagine we will travel from Athens to Istanbul, which I am very excited about (I love teaching about the Hagia Sophia, and have never seen it).

Should we spend the entire time in Instanbul? We will arrive on a Tuesday and fly back to the U.S. on Saturday or Sunday. Obviously, we don't want anything too hectic - we will have plenty of long days in Greece, but at the same time, we don't want to miss anything spectacular.

What about a few nights in Istanbul, and a few nights on an island nearby or somewhere pretty and tranquil? I submitted another post asking about getting from Athens to Turkey via Island ferries...I wonder if that might be an option: we could leave Athens via ferry, chill on an island for a night or two, and then make our way to Istanbul for 2 - 3 nights...

I'd love to hear about islands, ferries, Istanbul, etc.

Thanks a ton!

I would divide that time between Istanbul and Kusadasi. Kusadasi is a gorgeous seaside resort town with the ruins of Ephesus nearby.

But if you think you will have had enough beach scenery in Greece, consider spending a couple of days in Cappadocia. Cappadocia is like no other place on earth with it's "fairy chimneys," cave dwellings, and the underground city.

I was just in Turkey in Dec 2008 and if you are interested, I invite you to check out my pics. Please take a good look at Cappadocia and you will see what I mean.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v4...view=slideshow

PS If you click my name and scroll to the bottom of my profile page you will find my trip report.

With 5 days, I would make a beeline (via a flight) for Istanbul--there is more than enough to fill that time and more. And that way you can make it leisurely, alternating your sightseeing with strolls through the great neighborhoods of Istanbul.
I imagine you will have had a lot of sun and sea in Greece, even if accompanied by students
Alternatively, google for the ferry schedule to see if a stop en route from Athens is a possibility.
Cappadocia is truly a wonder of the world, but with 5 days I would consider it too rushed.

With only 5 days I think I would be inclined to just stay in Istanbul. You could fly to Izmir and drive down towards Ephasus. Kusadasi is a nice beachy town and the ruins are amazing. However, there is certainly enough to do in Istanbul to fill up 5 days. We spent about 2.5 days there and feel like we missed a lot.

Tracy

5 days that's rough, there is so much to see and do. You could easily spend the whole time in Istanbul. I spent 30 days in Turkey from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, 2008 and feel that I missed many sites. Keep in mind the end of Sept. can have very good, or very bad weather in Turkey. So I'd make a good weather plan, and a bad weather plan. If you can squeeze it in Cappadocia is so beautiful, make sure to see the baloons over the Rose Valley first thing in the morning (6am-ish)from the top of the hill. Or go for a ride in one if the weather is good. Make sure to stay in a cave hotel if you go, they are so cool.

What ever you decide to do, Have Fun !

I would definitely spend the whole time in Istanbul. Especially since you'll be somewhat tired after your Greek "vacation". You only have five days, do you want to waste one of them traveling to another destination, check in at another hotel, etc. I spent 8 days in Istanbul in March and could have spent more. You can (and should) do a day trip up the Bosphorus which will be relaxing. I did a trip report and have photos posted. They are at: www.pbase.com/annforcier/istanbul. The trip report is here: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ith-photos.cfm

I agree with the others who said to spend all 5 days in Istanbul. Istanbul has a TON of things to do! I know people who go for 10 days and still say they skipped a few things!