Hi
i am planning to fly to Athens first week of April 2004. I am trying to decide if I should spend more days seeing Greece or go to Istanbul. would appreciate help on 2 questions :
--what is a good and cheap way to get to Istanbul from Athens.
--Which other place besides Athens is recommended. I read some good reviews on Santorini and Thessaloniki. (I am not a big beach fan)

Thanks for your help!!

Santorini isn't famous for its beaches but for the fabulous views from the cliffs overlooking the caldera of the volcano it once was. There's a sense of timeless history and peace there that you don't find in many places on Earth. Definitely go to see for yourself.

Athens to Istanbul can be reached by bus, train or plane. If you can afford it and are on a time budget, take the plane. Otherwise take the train. I've heard a lot of negative things about the bus. Perhaps someone else can add to this.

I would go around the mainland of Greece. Delphi is amazingly beautiful as are the meteori. There are also many things to see in the Peloponese.

Thank you for your help!

Brotherleelove, thanks for your advice. do you know how long the train takes to go from athens to :
--Thessaloniki
--and from there to Istanbul?

also if you have any information on prices i would really appreciate that.

I'm sorry, that's information I don't have. Good Luck.

It's going to be an amazing year to be in Greece. You will be there during Lazarus Saturday, Palm Sunday, and Holy Week . . . quite a special time. (And, unusually, Western Easter and Greek Orthodox Easter is the same Sunday this year)

Check this week's San Francisco Chronicle travel report on some lesser-known islands:

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...RGPS5HGRG1.DTL

Plus, Turkey still has an entry visa cost of $100 to just enter the country (if you are American); as soon as they drop this, I might visit. In the meantime there's way too much to explore in Greece. I would bail on the mainland and experience the real island hospitality - before people get too burned out from the Games in July!!

Let us know what you decide : )
hth

hth-

No worries about getting burned out from the Games in July, they begin on August 13!! ;-)

Hi,
Rent a car and go to Delphi and then over to the Peloponese. There is so many ancient sites to see. Go to Naphlion. It is beautiful. Relax and enjoy.

I loved Delphi!The center of the universe. If you are in Athens the Friday and Saturday before Greek Orthodox Easter you will get to experience the religous processions through the streets. Be sure to eat lots of lamb, goat, and octopus. YUM!

Fastest IC trains from Athens to Thessaloniki takes 4:30. Slowest 5:20. There are also even slower direct trains, including overnight ones.

Athens to Istanbul takes almost 40 hours (two nights), w/ changes at Thessaloniki, Sofia & Dimitrovgrad.

I agree with the recommendations that you see the Peloponese and Naphlion in particular. It was a beautiful historic town with wonderful shops, several forts with spectatular views overlooking the Aegean. We visited towns in the Peloponses (Cyclades also) as part of a sailing vacation. So I have no idea how difficult it is to get to the Peloponeses by car. You might check out the ferry system because we saw Hellenic Ferries in all the ports and they looked very nice. It may be shorter in terms of time to take a ferry.)

Have a great trip.

There is a ferry line linking Volos-Greece to Istambul, the f/b Ariele.

Thanks all for the great advice!!

I think I will stick with Greece on this trip. Looks like there is a lot to do in Greece itself.