Santorini to Bodrum to Istanbul
 

Looking to go to Santorini, Bodrum and Istanbul for a few days each. Does this work logistically or is it to difficult to plan? How would I get from Santorini to Bodrum? Ferry? Plane? Any suggestions on where to find ferries between these places? Also, how expensive and what airline would go from Bodrum to Istanbul? Would like to fly back to NYC from Istanbul. So, ideally trip would be NYC - Santorini - Bodrum - Istanbul in the first few weeks of August. Any help, suggestions on hotels/ferries/flights or ideas on destinations would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks for the help!!!

Whew-it sounds like you are tyimg to cover too many places in a few days-you loose a lot on travel days. We have been to Santorini & you can easily spend a few days there.From Athens you can take a ferry to Santorini.
If you want to fly in & out of Istanbul why not stay 3 days there unless you have been there. We have our first trip to Turkey in Sept & plan to spend 5 days in Istanbul-Chris

We are planning something similar, and I'm pretty sure that our routing takes us from Santorini-Athens-Rhodes-Bodrum. We are flying the Santorini-Athens-Rhodes portion on Aegean Air. I believe that the Bodrum portion of the trip is a day trip by boat and bus.

Anyway, you might try posting this question for Brotherleelove2004 who is an excellent source of information for this part of the world!

I have been to each place that you are going. I hope you have much more time than it appears you have! Santorini is not as easy to get to as one might assume. The flights are often cancelled or delayed from Athens... I have also had lost luggage 2x from Athens to Santorini so beware. Fly from Athens to Bodrum. Bodrum is wonderful and you need at least 3-4 days there to soak it in. You should fly from there to Istanbul. Istanbul is hands-down my favorite place in the world. You MUST be there for 5 days! Have fun!!!

From Santorini there is a direct ferry to Rhodes, and from there a ferry over to Bodrum. From Bodrum you can fly inexpensively to Istanbul, but I suggest you figure out a way to stop at Ephesus on the way, perhaps fly to Izmir, go to Ephesus, return to Izmir, then bus or fly the rest of the way to Istanbul.

You can also take a ferry from Santorini to Crete, and catch another one on to Rhodes from one of 3 Cretan departure ports.

Use www.gtp.gr to plan your route, although the timetables for August are not yet posted. In August it would be a good idea to book your ferry tickets in advance.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions and advice. I thought I would be able to go away for about 14 days but it seems like it will be more like 10 days. Am I better off just going to one country, say like Istanbul and Bodrum or Santorini/Mykonos instead of trying to go to Santorini-Bodrum-Istanbul? Also, does anyone know if there are nice beaches in Bodrum?

You have posed a tough question. My husband & Ihave been to Greece & so far it has been my favorite country to visit. Our first trip to Turkey is in September & from what I've been reading may take over 1st.I would suggest going to Turkey first as they are not on the Euro yet. We will be spending over 2 weeks in Turkey of our month vacaation & as I am researching it it seems like I am barely touching the surface,
I have been working with a very helpful tour agency in Turkey-Argeus Torism & TRavel. The agents e-mail I have is [email protected]
If you have any questions you can e-mail me direct at [email protected]
Enyoy

anyone have any suggestion on flights to Athens?
thanks again.

flights to Athens from ????
If you ask from Istanbul; its daily by Turkish Airlines or Olympic,
happy travelling
Murat

Sorry, should have said flights from NYC to Athens. Then looking to go to Santorini and Mykonos. Which island should I fly to first and how would I get there from Athens? Trip would probably be 10 days give or take.
Thanks!
Mark

Olympic has direct flights NYC-Athens, and from there you can catch another flight on Olympic or Aegean to either Santorini or Mykonos. You can also take one of the many ferries that depart from Athens/Piraeus to either island. There's an express bus from the airport to Piraeus.

www.gtp.gr is the best ferry schedule website. Plug in your travel dates and see what's available.

Hi there - my friends and I are doing a similar trip in August/September. Flying from NYC to Athens, then returning Istanbul to NYC - both direct flights - both on Delta. Booked together it cost almost the same as our roundtrip flight did last year in/out of Athens.

Sorry - posted my reply before it was complete!

In between getting to Athens & leaving from Istanbul, we are flying from Athens to Mykonos, ferrying from Mykonos to Crete, and then flying from Crete (with connection through Athens) to Istanbul. We don't have a lot of time in Turkey (5 days) so we are planning to just stay in Istanbul and do day trips out of the city.

We've booked just about everything already, except our hotel in Turkey - we're planning to stay in Taksim and still trying to decide on the hotel.

Happymz; share your options with us so we can comment on the hotels....
Do not skip Elounda, Chania when in Crete, I loved the village in Heraklion called Archanes. In Mykonos dine by the waterfront restaurants a night out till early morning ;-)
Happy Travelling

Murat frm Cappadocia

Hi Murat - thanks for the offer for advice! Sorry for the delay in responding, I'm not on here nearly as often as I would like!!

In Mykonos, we are already booked at Hotel Harmony - that's where we stayed last year and we were very happy with it.

On Crete, we are already booked at Casa Delfino in Chania. Unfortunately we are only there (Crete) for 3 nights but we will do our best to make the most of it, so any suggestions on what to focus on for our 2.5 days is most welcome.

In Istanbul, we are considering the Marmara or Larespark Hotels. We want to be in Taksim, and would prefer not to stay in the usual business hotels we stay in for business travel, but are also struggling with trying to book a room for 3 persons. Any advice/tips for Istanbul hotels is very appreciated!

Thank you! ~ Megan

Hi Happymz,
Both hotels are good. The Marmara is more upscale, having said that The Marmara also has another one called The Marmara Pera, also recommended by Conde Nast Johansens. It is a fun neighbourhood.
Happy Travelling,
Murat