Greek islands and Turkey - easily done?
 

Dreaming of a future trip today - we would really like to do a trip that conisited of one or two Greek? islands then finish up in Istanbul but I think that even tho these countries are in close proximity, transportation from here to there might not be very easy. Can anyone suggest an itinerary that would accomplish this - we would have about two weeks - we live in the States so I am thinking we fly into Athens? no need to stay there, have seem the highlights, then proceed by plane or ferry - are we going to have to return to Athens to get to Istanbul? We would prefer to do two islands then fly / ferry? to Istanbul. Thanks for your input.

Have you considered flying into Antalya or Izmir and out of Istanbul. I was doing research for a potential trip to Izmir and noticed the eastern Aegean Greek islands were easily visited. Best of luck figuring out all of the ferry connections--it is mind boggling! Two weeks sounds like a lot but once you start working on connections it shrinks rapidly. I suggest first figuring out which islands you most want to visit and work from there. Also consider how many days you want in Istanbul.

It will be a LOT cheaper to fly in/out of Istanbul. Plus you'll likely have non-stop options from the U.S. if you live near a major hub. A recent non-stop fare (mid April) on Turkish Airlines from D.C. to Istanbul was $710 all in.

You can start and end with a few days in Istanbul and put the two Greek islands in the middle of the trip.

Budget airline Borajet has flights to/from Mykonos/Istanbul (SAW) on Thursdays and Sundays which gives you a full week in Greece (roughly $100 USD RT). From Mykonos there are many ferry options....

http://www.borajet.com.tr/tarifeler.aspx

There are many ferries between Turkey and the eastern Greek islands. Here's a web site: http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/t...ndFerries.html

Alternatives :

- Open jaw athens to Kos, Samos, Chios, Rhodes, Lesvos
Ferry to mainland Turkey, flight or drive to istanbul
Fly back

- Fly to Istanbul
Drive or Fly to Izmir for Samos, Chios
Ferry to another island
ferry back to Turkey
fly-drive to ist

- Fly to Ist
Fly to Dalaman
ferry to Rhodes from Fethiye or Marmaris
Rhodes to other island(s)
back to Turkey
fly/drive to Istanbul

thank you all! but am I correct in believing that the only flight from Istanbul to an island is from IST to Mykonos, twice a week? and no ferries go to Istanbul - we have to ferry to Izmir or another costal city and fly or drive NOT to Istabul. Are there buses? thanks

Turkish buses are wonderful. They are the best I have travelled on. No need to book ahead, just get yourself to the Otogar and find a bus going where you want. They are usually very frequent. There are various different companies depending on the area you are travelling in. And slow and fast buses. Get your hotel to recommend. Prices are cheap, drinks and snacks are served free, seats are comfortable and assigned when you buy your ticket, air is conditionned!Main roads are straight and empty once you get out of the big cities. Taxis are waiting at the other end.

suec1
There are no ferries connecting Greece with Greece, and Borajet should be the only airline connecting a greek island with Istanbul....
Mykonos has a central location in the Aegean, and it is very covenient if you want to visit some other islands that are nearby.
Which islands did you have in mind ?

<< There are no ferries connecting Greece with Greece ... >>

clausar, was this what you meant to say?

I just figure he meant to say Greece with Turkey because that is what I am finding. I assume this is because of all the bad history between them as geographically it doesn't seem to make much sense. You really don't find many cruises that start in Athens and end in Istanbul with a focus on the islands - a few, not many, esp. on the more mainstream cruise lines. I guess I need to pick one or the other and save the not picked one for another trip.

oops i wanted to say Greece with Istanbul :)

suec1
This has nothing to do with history... but with geography..
Greeks have no motivation to take a ferry to go to Istanbul, they can either drive, if they are in Northern Greece, which is the shorter way, or fly from Southern Greece.
Istanbul is one of the favorite destinations of Greeks
As from smaller Aegean Islands, there is simply no demand for such a connection,as these islands only have a few thousand inhabitants.
Where there is a demand ( east Aegean islands) there is always a ferry connection to Turkey, like on Chios, Rhodes, Lesvos etc.
As for cruise ships, this is another long subject..
Generally speaking and due to law restrictions, there is only a cruise line using Piraeus as a base port ( Louis Cruises) and they do have a cruise that includes Istanbul.
All other Cruise companies do not allow you to embark in Piraeus, but this is about to change, and might be different next year. ( even if it sounds a simple thing, it is a very complicated issue involving union of ship workers etc)