Istanbul from Rhodes?
 

Can anyone recommend taking the ferry from Rhodes to Marmaris then flying to Istanbul? We will be in Rhodes for a few days in early July and are looking for an alternative to flying back to Athens before flying to Istanbul. We are traveling with our two children (9 and 13).

Its a quick trip from Rhodes and the Turkish airline system is good and relatively cheap, and of course Istanbul is the central point for all flights. Any time you can spend in Istanbul will be great !

Thanks Marko. We are planning to spend 6 days in Istanbul. Anything in Istanbul you would recommend that was really amazing, or anything that didn't live up to its hype, that you would suggest we avoid? What about tours versus touring around on our own?
Looking forward to your reply.

I hope this works, I haven't done it before but here is the trip report from last year.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...rko&fid=29

Sorry didn't work the way I planned, but if you scroll down to about post 117, titled " A turkish delight, Istanbul " it will contain the info...good luck.

I recall reading somewhere a visa is necessary and it's fairly expensive, which might put a damper on a day trip.

There was a while when it cost each American $100 to enter Turkey, but that was short-lived. Now it's back to $20/pp. If you're an American you don't have to get this visa in advance, it's issued upon arrival for 90 days at your "port of entry".

At the counter just to the left of customs at Istanbul airport . It isn't obvious so keep an eye out especially when tired after a long flight.