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-   -   Critique my itinerary - is this too much traveling? (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/critique-my-itinerary-is-this-too-much-traveling-925266/)

mizzles Feb 25th, 2012 04:54 AM

Critique my itinerary - is this too much traveling?
 
Hello

Here is my itinerary. Didn't want to spend 3 nights in Prague but couldn't avoid it, ended up with this:

May 17: 4:40pm, Wash DC --> Paris --> Prague, land at 9am on May 18th (3 nights)
May 21: 5pm Prague --> AMS --> Istanbul, land at 1am on May 22 (1 1/2 nights)
May 23: 8pm Istanbul --> Athens (2 nights)
May 25: Athens --> mykonos (2 nights)
May 27: Mykonos --> Santorini (3 nights)
May 31: 7am Athens --> Paris --> Wash DC

The place where I have wiggle room is between Istanbul and Santorini. If this schedule is too packed, I could make the following change:

1) eliminate Athens. Instead, spend 2 1/2 nights in Istanbul and 3 nights in mykonos.
2) eliminate Athens. Instead, go to a greece island off the coast of Turkey for 2 nights.

Thoughts?

isabel Feb 25th, 2012 05:13 AM

Yes you need to eliminate something. One day in Istanbul is definitely not worth it.

The whole thing looks really choppy. Looks like you have a total of 13 days not counting the day you leave DC or the day you fly home. What is the priority of the trip. I often combine two very different and distant European locations in one trip but that's usually if I have more like three weeks. With less than two weeks you could still combine Prague and either Istanbul or Greece but I wouldn't try to do all three. Also, you say you didn't want to spend three nights in Prague? What is your point of going there? You want to take an overnight flight, with a change in AMS, after only a couple of days in Prague. I loved Prague, but I wouldnt' go to all that trouble (and expense?) just for a couple of days. Maybe you should drop Prague from this trip and concentrate on Turkey and Greece. Then you could do a few days each in Istanbul, AThens and one or two islands.

annhig Feb 25th, 2012 05:27 AM

sorry, mizzles, but it's bonkers. [well, you did ask].

for starters, whatever gives you the idea that 3 nights in Prague is too long? it gives you 2 days, and you'll just be beginning to recover from the jetlag etc. when you're off again, this time to Istanbul, where you don't even stay long enough to get a decent night's sleep, let alone actually see anything. just crackers.

i would eliminate everything except Prague and istanbul. or Istanbul and one other place.

however, trying to be constructive, if you are already locked into Prague and your flight into Istanbul, I would do this:

May 17: 4:40pm, Wash DC --> Paris --> Prague, land at 9am on May 18th (3 nights)
May 21: 5pm Prague --> AMS --> Istanbul, land at 1am on May
May 26: 8pm Istanbul --> Athens /Myknos/Santorini
May 31: 7am Athens --> Paris --> Wash DC

but honestly, your first itinerary looks like torture, not a holiday.

geetika Feb 25th, 2012 07:12 AM

Why wouldn't you want 3 nights in Prague, you'll probably spend the first sleeping off your jetlag. Haven't been to Istanbul, but from what I know a day is nowhere like enough to see all that vibrant city has to offer. If I were you I'd cut out one place, this itinarary is way too busy.

brotherleelove2004 Feb 25th, 2012 07:36 AM

If you can find a direct flight from Istanbul to Mykonos then eliminate your stop in Athens. Save a couple of days for Athens at the end of your trip. Don't try to fly back to Paris on the same day as your return to mainland Greece. Too much can go wrong.

If you're flying Air France to Paris make sure you have plenty of time to make your connecting flight to Prague. It's a terrible airport and Passport Control can sometimes take a ridiculously long time! And if your Prague flight leaves from another terminal you'll have to catch the shuttle, which takes extra time.

yiassas Feb 25th, 2012 09:09 AM

Yes, it is crazy!
What are your reasons for choosing the destinataions? It's a real mix, so it's hard to know what your interests/priorities are. Knowing that would help narrow it down.

Sassafrass Feb 25th, 2012 09:59 AM

Honestly, just my opinion, but if you do not have at least three nights and two full days for Istanbul, I would not go. Actually, having been there just recently, my three days there were really crammed and I left feeling as if I was leaving a restaurant halfway through the meal. Personally, for this trip, I would skip Prague and get a direct flight from DC to Istanbul. That way you could add two nights to Istanbul and one to Athens.


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