One island on way from Greece to Turkey
 

Hello all,

i'm a female travelling solo to Greece in June'14 for about 12-13 days. I'll be spending most of the time (a week) in the Peloponnese and 2 days in Athens. I'd like to stop at one island for 2 days before heading on to Turkey by ferry . I'm interested in architecture, food, music, festivals, culture, quaint towns and not much in crowded/touristy places, nightclubs, swimming/ water activities.
Can anyone suggest one island (since I'll only have time for one not very large island) that fits my interests, is inexpensive and which has connections from Piraeus and to one of the ports in Turkey? I'm getting totally confused trying to zero in on one out of the thousands of really picturesque islands. Ofcourse Samos/ Chios seems like the closest to Turkey, but is there any other island in any of the island groups that you would recommend? I'd rather take the slower, overnight ferries to reach an island since it saves on time+cost of spending overnight at a hotel.

We spent two weeks in the Dodecanese and loved it. I am not sure which islands are on the direct line from Athens and Turkey but Samos (part of the Northern Aegean chain I believe) was the one that jumped out to me.

Here are the pics from our trip

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gir...7635104334882/

If you're only going to stop on one Greek island before heading into Turkey your best choices for a ferry from Athens are Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Kos and Rhodes.

Check here for ferry connections from Athens' port of Piraeus: http://www.gtp.gr Schedules for June may not yet be complete.

Thanks!
Lovely photos jamikins. What time of the year did you visit?

In Jamikins' photos, can't find any taken at Samos. It may well be the best isle to choose, given your requirements (ferry connection from Piraeus and to Turkey & inexpensive, good on architecture, quaint towns, etc). The other option is Rhodes. Here's a link showing the Turkey-ferry connections: http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/t...ndFerries.html.

For the other 3, the situation w your strictures is: Lesvos, Chios very rewarding, but the port towns not so much & to explore in short time, car-hire needed. Kos has good beaches but for other aspects not so much. Here's what I know about Samos & Rhodes:

RHODES -- the big PLUS: is, excellent o'nite ferry sked from Athens; Blue Star line (best choice) leaves Piraeus 1800, arrives Rhodes 9 am next day. (To save money & not have to sleep on floor, book a bunk in a 4-bunk all female cabin). Since u are not there to swim, stay in Rhodes Old Town (a great little spot away from tourist crowds, down a lane right by the huge medieval walls is http://www.medievalinn.com/#/ ... €45 single in June (yes not super cheap but Rhodes is a major target); you can enjoy OLD Town history/ruins (walk on top of wall!!) food/music in 2 days. Here is an excellent website on sightseeing in Old Town & beyond : http://www.faliraki-info.com/sights/ DRAWBACK: Entry fee from Rhodes - Marmaris is high (see turkey link above) and Marmaris is much farther from Istanbul if that is your destination.

SAMOS -- Big PLUSSES: lots of history/culture/views right in Port Town of Vathy; great bargain hotel right on the water, 600 yards from port (they will pick u up if u book ahead and phone them on arrival) http://www.pythagoras-hotel.com -- about €30 single ASK for balcony on water!. Small beach below, for quick dip if it's warm. Here's good brief overview: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/7c27b/660a5/ In town a must-see: BEST museum in N.E. Aegean,w. giant kouros statue (world's largest!). Also walk up to "Ano Vathy" (upper town) for old houses, super view across bay. Also 1-2 days a week there's a local bus round island tour; ask hotelier. Good eats near portside: Garden Taverna, behind Hotel Aeolus. BEST dining view, next to Hotel, Taverna TASSOS, tables at water level, FAB view of sunset in mouth of bay; unforgettable. Also a PLUS: short ferry to Kusadasi Turkey, right near must-see Ephesus ruins. DRAWBACK: So far, gtp. gr website for june ferries from Piraeus only show daytime ferries Hellenic lines lv 8:05 arr 16:30, to Karlovassi (another port, u get a bus to Vathy). There IS an o'nite ferry (NEL line) dep 17:00 arr 7 or 8:00 next day -- currently only showing thru April on schedule but a June sked probably will pop up i na few weeks.

NOTE: in June ferries r not full so can buy economy ticket last minute, but if u want a bunk on Blue Star/rhodes or other, better to book earlier.

The fifth from last photo shows the harbour we stayed in on Samos.

We though the island had a great vibe and we would go back