If you go to Turkey, which we loved, go to Ephesus. The ruins are awesome! We also loved Rhodes and Lindos in Rhodes. Santorini, loved by many and beautiful views, was not one of our favorites.

Yes, I've been to Ephesus and almost the entire coast of Turkey, and I would love to go back, and no doubt my husband would enjoy it. And we'd both are curious about Rhodes. So I am will have to think about the right combination of places, and how many trips this is going to take! But I'm sure it will be worth it.

Puntemes,

I also liked Rhodes very much. Did you look into Lindos? I only spent a day there a zillion years ago but I remember it having some beautiful ancient ruins.

Perhaps a day or two in Santorini en route to another island will be just right to see the Caldera. For us, it wasn't that Santorini had a lot of tourists as we went in October, it was more the fact that it didn't have the accessibility to hands-on history/ruins that can be found everywhere else in Greece.

The yogurt is amazing isn't it? Wonder why it is so much better... Santorini also has a wonderful fried feta cheese...

gruezi

gruezi,

That would exactly the plan -- to just spend two nights there as part of a trip that was primarily about other places of interest -- and no rushing. We can go back again.

I'd be interested to know which sites where you found most rewarding, no matter where they were. My husband is not an archeologist, but he does find that actually seeing the human settlements refines his ideas. He was really impressed walking around the Pnyx near the Acropolis. Seeing how close the residential town and assembly point were made him think differently about political development in Athens.

So, yes: Being able to get close to the site, and having the site not too much "reconstructed" by earlier archeologists is the point.

I still think Santorini will be on the list -- and we having nothing against pretty views and whitewash and blue -- but input on the quality of sites on the islands or in neighboring countries or the mainland is really valuable and most welcome.

Thank you.

puntemes,

It has been a long time since we did our big Greece trip - 2 weeks including a cruise to various islands and then also Ephesus. We were in Santorini last fall for a full week.

I'm afraid to say my real thoughts on Santorini because like Italy it is a Fodor's favorite, but,...

The views are spectacular. Just, in our experience, the rest of the island did not have the charm of other Greek islands we visited.

Mykonos 20 years ago was charming beyond compare. Windy lanes, the blue and white architecture, little churches on every corner and quaint pottery shops etc. I don't know what it is like now. Rhodes and Lindos were real islands where people lived their Greek lives. We saw little of this on Santorini - seems many leave for the winter. Even the tourist shops seemed a bit "junky" as opposed to artisan type shops. Oia definitely has its charm, and some very cute restaurants and bars, and definitely the views.

So, I know there are some other Fodorite's who can better direct you to a more authentic place in Greece. It's such a beautiful and amazing country.

gruezi

puntemes
While visiting Rhodes we went to Lindos by taxi. Our driver, who lives there, told us that the Acropolis in Lindos is older than the one in Athens so I imagine your husband would enjoy the history that surrounds Rhodes/Lindos.

I don't want to rain on anyone's history parade -- but what you see on the heights of Lindos is not quite authentic.

When Mussolini decided that he wanted to make Rhodes his Summer Place, a lot of things were "repaired. THe wonderful temple atop the Acropolis (the name for the sacred hill site) of Lindos WAS quite old, about as old as the Parthenon Temple on the Athens Acropolis -- but the Athens Acropolis itself is perhaps older as a place of worship.

At any rate, there was very little left of the Lindos temple, so they just merrily rebuilt -- if you look carefully at the columns, only the first 12-18" of each column is original... the rest was re-created (albeit with excellent marble and workmanship) in the 1930s. Same with the Crusader architecture on the Street of the Knights, particularly the Grand Masters Palace.

The most Authentic Greek ruins are at the edge of Rhodes town. the Rhodes acropolis,a few colums on a small rise, overlooking the sea, next to a stadium. Quite serene.

In Rhodes Town itself the most authentic and impressive structure of all it is the totally MASSIVE city walls -- 30-40 feet high, 30 feet across, built to resist the Turks. In 2006 it was still possible to walk on top of the walls 2 x a week. I heard u no longer can do that -- probably some stupid liability concern, alas.