silverdogd

I am trying to plan a trip to Greece with a stop in Turkey and Italy- I am going May12 landing in Athens May 13,2014 and returning to USA June 2,2014. I am on a tight budget because I am paying for 3 people. Any help/advice/iteneraries,places to stay,where to go or not go-Whats worth the money and what isnt would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance

yorkshire

The logistics of trying to visit three countries in three weeks is probably what is tripping you up. What do you mean by "a stop" in Italy and Turkey? Are you flying out of Athens?

greg

What's worth the money is a personal preference. Others can say their preferences that can be totally tangential to your taste.

If you have done the accounting, what would probably burden your budget within your control are the number of places you visit, which in turn spike up the transportation cost and the accommodation cost by not being able to use longer term lower cost apartment rentals. The number of people is presumably an uncontrollable constraint.

brotherleelove2004

Are you also returning home from Athens or from either Turkey or Italy? You've made this difficult for yourself, and without knowing what stops you want to make in these countries makes it difficult for us to be of any constructive assistance to you. If you have specific stops you want to make we need to know so we can help you figure out the travel logistics involved. If you don't know where you want to go that needs to be your first research project. We can guess and speculate and tell you our favorites but we don't know you and what it is you want to see or do in these countries. Is it partying, or shopping, or historical exploration, or beach/sunbathing, quiet relaxation or big-city activities? I think now you can see that we need to know......help us help you!

silverdogd

I am flying into Athens May13 arriving at 9am. I am flying out of Athens June2 at 11 am to return to the states. I would really like to go to Santorini,Rhodes,Mykonos Istanbul and to Rome if this is feasible. I have 3 weeks to travel. Yes I am paying for the trip and 3 people are going. That is a constant. I dont know if 3 countries in 3 weeks is doable or not. I can not seem to find reliable info on train travel in Greece-Ferries to the islands seem expensive to me so I thought flying would be as cheap and also speed things up. I am willing to forgo either Istanbul or Rome if need be. It doesnt really matter to us we are just excited to be going at all If anyone wants to give me their favorite cities to visit Im all ears I hear that Delphi is also nice-I am researching all possibilities at this time and highly interested in what you have to say.If Rome and or Istanbul are not feasable then we can stay in Greece only. I am very open to suggestions and any help Thanks again

silverdogd

I am interested more in history and culture and the arts. My girls would probably love the beaches and I need to relax as well

HappyTrvlr

Your list of places are all over the map. For ancient history, stay in Napflion on tne Peloponnesian Peninsula and visit the Mycenae, Epidavros, Tyrns, Corinth. Drive to Olympia and then north to Delphi and back to Athens airport to fly to an island or get a ferry.There are six major groups of Greek islands plus Crete so choose island within a group or near another group if possible. I don't believe there is train service in Greece. Study the ferry websites and Aegean airline flights. Santorini is known for it's views not for it's beaches. Go to Paros, Naxos or Crete for good beaches. Spend a few days in Athens at the end of your itinerary. Perhaps you could spend two weeks in Greece and the third in Turkey. However, I would fecommend spending all your time in Greece. Italy would be a stretch. I don't recall the ferries being expensive.

brotherleelove2004

You arrive in Athens early enough for a convenient connecting flight to Mykonos or Santorini on either Olympic Air or Aegean Airlines. both have websites. From Mykonos there will be daily highspeed ferries to Santorini, or vice-versa. I suggest Mykonos first so you can get to Rhodes on MWF from Santorini by overnight ferry, and yes of course you can fly but it will mean flying back to Athens first for a connecting flight to Rhodes. From Rhodes you can take a ferry into Turkey at Marmaris or Bodrum, and from there you can fly to Istanbul. Domestic flights in Turkey are inexpensive. From Istanbul you can most likely fly non-stop to Rome, and then from Rome you can catch a flight back to Athens.

At this time there are no international trains going into or out of Greece.

Your itinerary is do-able, of course, but will probably be exhausting. I suggest you focus on Greece and Turkey OR Italy, depending on your preferences. Both are wonderful and beautiful and have a lot to offer. If you choose to enter Turkey from Rhodes you can enjoy the So. Turkish coastline before continuing on to Istanbul. Oludeniz is a fantastic beach town.

greg

Looks like you have already have round trip tickets to Athens? Unless you were buying awards tickets, you have ruled out a powerful way to manage your time and expenses - choosing where to fly into and where to come home. Just because you are visiting Greece does not mean you have to round trip to Athens.

Plane fares are not usually cheaper than the boats, with exception when Aegean airlines releases low fares and you are comparing to the high speed boat as opposed to the Blue Star car ferries.
The Greek ferry schedules are very fluid. You really don’t know the actual sailing under days before the trip. You get approximately correct schedule about two weeks ahead. If you want to get some idea now, use www.gtp.gr/RoutesForm.asp. The May schedule will have significantly more ships, but you will not see them until spring.

You have a duplicate thread http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-daughters.cfm

For your future reference, here is how a sample air fare could have looked like with Rome. Since I don’t know where you are coming from, I used Chicago in this example. This assumes Mykonos to Santorini on boat for both cases.

<u>Your way: Round trip to Athens, then round trip to Rome</u>

$1073 ORD-ATH, ATH-ORD on USair
$70 Athens-Mykonos Aegean Air
$97 Santorini-Athens Aegean Air
$160 ATH-FCO, FCO-ATH Aegean Air
----------------------------------
$1400 per person

<u>Fly to Athens, come home from Rome (FCO)</u>

$1130 ORD-ATH, FCO-ORD on USair
$70 Athens-Mykonos Aegean Air
$92 Santorini-Rome Aegean Air
--------------------------------------------------
$1292 per person

Not only your current way costs more, it also consumes one day in back tracking to Athens.

silverdogd

You guys are a Godsend! I think I am going to spend most of my time in Greece and maybe go to Turkey- Thank you all so much-Please feel free to contact me if you have anything to add-Im so flexible and open to suggestions from those who have gone before meIn fact if anyone just wants to plan this out for me Id probably like it Big THANKS

silverdogd

Greg-Im from NC and hours away from any decent airports I wish I had come here before I did anything but searched for best fares from hometown And didnt consider going to other places until after I had booked the tickets bc Greece is where my daughters wanted to go-There or Thailand. Anyway someone told me that eurorail trips were cheap and went everywhere and I have discovered they do not. Thanks so much everyone!

kja

Are you fully committed to visiting more than Greece? With the time you have, not to mention the costs of going to another country, it might make sense to consider focusing your attention on Greece.

dgunbug

We spent 6 weeks in Greece (2 three week trips). IMO there is plenty to see there. Why not spend 1/2 the trip traveling through the Peloponnesian peninsula which abounds in ancient ruins and history, making a loop back through Delphi. Spend a few days in Athens and then go to two islands. IMO santorini is the most beautiful, but Mykonos comes in close second and there are great beaches there which the kids would appreciate. The ancient ruins of Delos would make a great day trip from Mykonos if you still desire more history. I believe the cost of your trip would be greatly reduced this way and you would not be short changing yourself. Incidentally, there is also plenty to see in turkey so save that for a future trip when you can spend 2-3 weeks there.

silverdogd

Thanks so much everyone- We will only be going to Greece So excited and i will post pictures when we return-Safe travels