Budget trip : Best way to get to Istanbul from Santorini?
 

Hi there,

I'll be visiting Santorini for the first time from 19th Sept - 22nd September 2010. From Santorini, I need to get to Istanbul with the most budget way possible. Ive checked 2 options:

a) Santorini-Athens by ferry. Then flight from Athens-Istanbul.

b) Santorini-Istanbul by flight.

However, these 2 options seem incredibly dear. It ranged from euro 160 - euro 200.
Im wondering if anyone knows of any other budget airlines besides Aegean, Olympic and Athenairways? Do you think these airlines are going to offer any discounted tickets for September? Right now, tickets that Ive checked are more than 100euro.

Would appreciate if you guys could lend a helping hand! Thanks!

Unless you get lucky with the Aegean or Olympic airfares the most economical way from Santorini to Istanbul would be a ferry to one of the Greek islands close to the Turkish coastline then another ferry into Turkey and a bus to Istanbul. From Santorini you can take a ferry to Mykonos to catch the ferry to Samos, then a ferry from Samos to Kusadasi, then a bus to Izmir to change for a bus to Istanbul. Or, on Tues., Thurs., and Sun. you can go from Santorini on a Blue Star night ferry to Rhodes, then take a ferry across to Marmaris, Bodrum or Fethiye, then a bus the rest of the way to Istanbul. www.bluestarferries.com

Obviously these routes will be a lot more time-consuming that a flight, but you indicated that budget was your focus.

Another possibility: www.skyexpress.gr will fly you from Santorini to Rhodes and you don't have to return to Athens. Be advised that their planes hold 19 and 29 passengers and the baggage limits are strict.

Regardless of how you get there, have either a USD $20 bill or €15 for the fee for the Turkish entry stamp in your passport.

Hey there!

Thanks for such a detailed explanation. I tried checking every single route that you mentioned, and after 2 hours of massive searching, its zero tickets + 3 Valiums. Thereafter, its Operation-Call-Off.

I even tried doing Santorini-Mykonos-Milan-Istanbul, but the costs just adds up to the same price as the Olympic airlines ticket, which flies directly from Santorini(via Athens) to Istanbul in about 4 hours. So, I guess budget travel is not gonna happen for this leg of the trip.:P

By the way, now that Ive gotten the airticket settled, Im wondering if you know where I can buy the Piraues-Santorini ticket in Athens? Im only arriving in Athens on Sept 17th, and wants to depart for Santorini on 19th. You think I can make it if I buy it then?? I read somewhere that the Blue Star ferry can carry up to 1700 passengers, and if its not a major holiday, chances are the tickets are not gonna be sold out.

Whats your take on this?

Really appreciate your help. Good things happen to good people? :)

p/s: Do I still need to pay 15Euro If im travelling via flight?

You can buy your ferry tickets when you first arrive at the Athens airport from the travel desk of Amphitrion Holidays in the Arrivals Hall between doors 2&3. You can buy them from the Blue Star Ferry website. You can buy them at the port about an hour before departure. You can buy them from the www.danae.gr website.

As I said, regardless of how you get there, have either a USD $20 bill or €15 for the fee for the Turkish entry stamp in your passport. Understand that this is the fee for Americans. It varies from country to country. http://www.mfa.gov.tr/visa-fees-at-b...or-2010.en.mfa

Atlasjet has flights between istanbul and mykonos twice a week. But I doubt that it will be any cheaper that flying via Athens.

Looking at the Atlasjet website I see €120 fares for Mykonos>Istanbul on Thursdays and €220 fares on Sundays. There are no flights on any other days. What I don't see is a continuation of the schedule that late into September.

http://www.atlasjet.com/AtlasjetWeb/atlasjet.kk?lang=EN

If the service from Mykonos to Istanbul is extended to September 23, there's an IJ Superjet from Santorini to Mykonos that departs at 9:30am and arrives at 12:30pm. The Thursday Flight to Istanbul departs at 2pm. You can make it if nothing goes wrong, but the Superjet is known for delays so you'll be taking a chance. You'd be better off spending one night on Mykonos to be sure you are there on time.

Thank you so much for taking time to reply,Brotherleelove and Galmica!

I had no choice but to purchase my ticket from Olympic Air.
Santorini-Istanbul via Athens, but it caused me a whopping Euro 192! But thats the best option available at this moment.. considering the fact that I can depart straight from Santorini and reach Istanbul in less than 4 hours.

I tried to purchase my Athens - Santorini ferry ticket from www.danae.gr, but sadly, the website wants to charge an additional 25euro for booking fees/ticket collection fee. My ticket originally costs Euro 38 only without the booking fee. So, can I take the risk and buy my ticket from Amphitrion Holidays on the day I arrive in Athens on
17th September?? I planned to leave for Santorini on 19th September, 7pm. What do you think?

That Sept. 19 7pm departure is on a Blue Star ferry. You don't have worry about that one. It holds 1800 passengers and I can assure you it won't be full. Waiting until you arrive to book w/ Amphitrion is fine.

I do recommend that you book yoursself a reserved aircraft-style reclining seat so you can relax when you want to but still have a seat to return to if you get up to wander around the ship. Tickets for these seats cost only €4 more than a basic economy ticket.