Ever been to Greek Islands and Aegean coast of Turkey in November?
 

Thinking about doing this - actually October 29-November 8, this year.

What will weather be like? I wouldn't go in the summer as I wouldn't be able to stand the heat. We would be on a cruise, so no need for ferries to get around.
Istanbul, Pergamum, Volos, Crete, Rhodes, Ephesus and finally, Athens (what's going on there these days?)

The best website I know of for weather is www.wunderground.com. It has a tab under "travel and actities" for "travel planner" and then you can see a month at a time ("use "calendar select") for historical weather for the month. Temperature, cloudiness, etc. Click on the name of the month for more details. It shows Athens and Istanbul between 50s and 60s farenheit.

The other consideration is whether "tourist" things would be open off season. If your cruise is going there I can't imagine that the major things wouldn't be open, but if there is something in particular you "have" to see you might do some further research to confirm.

The islands will be off season in November, so don't expect too much action..
But as i see you will visit Rhodos and Crete, these are very big islands with permanent population all year round... so everything is going to be open..
Volos is a city, a very nice one, on the foot of the beautiful Pilio mountain, one of the nicest regions of Mainland Greece.

What is that you wanna know about Athens? not sure i understand your question...

oh and as for the weather, it will be warmer on Crete ( the most southern point of Europe) and Rhodos, and colder in Athens and Volos...
Weather in November is not predictable actually, it could be rainy, cold or you could even enjoy the sun and 20 C .....

clausar - Athens - My husband is skittish about going there because of the marches/riots(?) re: the economy. I say, it's a big city, I doubt it would affect us. But he's not so comfortable.

Whatever happened is in Athens was peaceful, there have been riots only on 3-4 different days, and they only took place on a central square of Athens. ( Syntagma Square).
300 meters away from the square you wouldn't even had noticed anything.
There is no reason to worry about, besides you will only be visiting the city for a few hours, during your cruise.

The media are showing the same 30 seconds of video clips over and over, making it appear there are constant marches and riots in Athens. That couldn't be further from the truth! Those clips were from last February, and involved only a small area around Syntagma Square. As far as I know nothing like that has occurred since then. If there were a demonstration in Athens when you are there, it would be easy to avoid, as the tourist areas near the Acropolis and in Plaka are normally not affected.

Now, as for November, since you will be on a cruise you will be spending most of your time aboard ship, anyway. The port towns will be less crowded than summer, many of the shops will be closed, but museums and archaeological sites still open. The weather may not be ideal, but perhaps better for sightseeing than in the height of summer. :-)

We were in Athens in September and fell in live with it...if there are demonstrations just avoid that area...you won't even kne anything is going on!

I actually stayed in a hotel just off Syntagma Square twice last year, and while I was there everything was normal. The only crowds around the square were tourists watching changing of the guard at the Parliament building. :-)

Helmdall - What do yo mean by "the weather will not be ideal..."? Rainy?

kenav, have a look at what i said regarding the weather, i live in Greece..
November is usually a cold month, it can be rainy, but it is also quite possible that it will be sunny at 20 C.....
On the other hand, not having to deal with the head of the summer, makes sight seeings much more pleasant....

What I mean is not ideal for sunbathing or sitting in outdoor cafes. You may be lucky and have warm, sunny weather during your entire trip, but autumn weather can be variable. When it is windy you will need to wear a jacket or sweater.

I have prepared a trip planner showing actual weather history for the island of Rhodes during the period you want to travel. Scroll to the bottom of the page and you will see records dating back several years: http://tinyurl.com/ccqhvtf

Here is another for Istanbul during the same period: http://tinyurl.com/cqrgfmo
:-)

Thanks.