steve51864

My wife and I have an extra 5 days in Athens that we would like to use to visit cities like Ephesus, Izmir, etc. in the western part of Turkey. What is the best way to get there from Athens? What city should we arrive to start our tour? Where can we rent a car to do the touring?

I have tried to use Agean Air, but they don't seem to fly there! Nor do Easyjet or Ryanair! Ferry might take too long, no? Would appreciate any suggestions.

steve51864

I just found that there is a flight from Athens to Kos, via Agean Air, which is closest to the Turkey western coast. However, are there ferry from Kos to Turkey? If there is, will I be able to find a rental car there?

Steve_James

Hi Steve - I was in Kos a couple of years ago. There was definitely a day-trippers service (- hydrofoil, I think) across to Bodrum - although I didn't use it.

As I recall, it was a daily service when I was there in September.

Hope this helps ...

Steve

steve51864

Thanks for the tip. After a further investigation, I came up with this possible itinerary. What do you all think?

1. Athens 3 days, arrival on May 15th, 1:30pm.

2. Fly to Samos and ferry to Kusadasi

3. Rent a car in Kusadasi to tour around west Coast of Turkey, 5 days

4. Rhodes, Santorini, Crete, (each 2 days, not necessary in that order).

5. Return to Athens on May 30th, 2007 @ 5:20pm, for a flight home.



Questions:

1. What order of these 3 islands would you all recommend to best fit the return ferry from Kusadasi to Samos? Maybe a flight is possible to bypass Samos ferry?

2. Would you add/subtract or even change the 3 islands? (due to ferry schedule or any other reason?)

3. What places would you recommend to explore on the west coast of Turkey?

Thanks for any additional info.

Weadles

steve51864,

I'm not sure how you get between Kusadisi and the Greek Islands that you've picked. Even if boat service is available, it might be quicker to fly back to Athens, then take a connecting flight to the islands you've chosen, all of which have airports.

I'd recommend trying to base in one island, two at the most, since you don't have so much time. Something to consider is that you probably need to be back in Athens the night before a flight home. We had major delays and cancellations on both boats and small intra-island planes ( in July/August) due to rough seas and high winds.

With only five or six ( at the most) days to spare, you might want to think about staying the whole time in either Crete or Rhodes. Both of these islands offer everything from beautiful vistas to archeological ruins and beaches. You certainly won't run out of things to do.

Weadles

Just wanted to add that you can fly between Rhodes and Crete. I think the planes may only fly into Heraklion, which is not my favorite city in Crete, although it's home to the incredible archaeological museum. Heraklion is about a two hour drive ( almost 3 by bus) from Chania, a fantastic port city located on a historic harbour. We just loved it there, and found it a wonderful place to stay for a few days.

Good luck!