Hey guys! My sister and I are planning on visiting Turkey and Greece in 11 days (including flight days) . We would like to go to Istanbul for 4 days and then to Athens for a day and then Santorini for 3 days. I am having doubts now about not spending enough time each place. Do you think it's doable? We will be flying from NY. Do you think we should just stick to Turkey and explore more cities and leave Greece for another trip? Thanks in advance!

It really depends on what you want to see and experience.

I spent 5 days in Istanbul and could easily have enjoyed more time there, and I was very glad to have a chunk of time in other parts of Turkey, too. You might find some helpful information in my trip report - just click on my name to find it.

Happy planning!

You won't be able to scratch the surface of Turkey in 11 days but at least you'll be able to see a good bit rather than a fragmented rush... Istanbul, Ephesus and Pamukkale, and Cappodacia are essentials and will give you a good cross section of the charms of Turkey in 11 days.
Of course you can do something similar in Greece, but not really both in that time....

Depending on arrival and departure times and calculating the time needed to get to your hotel, check in/out and the flights between the all the places, you won't have 11 days but much less.

Athens in day is very short, when the city would need 3 nights.. and 3 days ( is it 2 nights?) for Santorini are very short as well.

Why don't you save Greece for a future travel and try to explore Turkey during these 11 days?

Tommmo we posted at the same time....
Just when i had finished a long post for your Crete thread, my pc ate it... will try again later.....

To answer your question, yes. Leave Greece for another trip.

Clausar ....Look forward to it. I'm getting lonely over at "17 days in Crete"

Thank you guys so much for the input! We are just gonna go explore Turkey in those 11 days. I def want to check out Istanbul and Cappodacia. What other cities should we visit and how long should be spent in those places. I particular love nature especially overlooking mountains! We love food and different culture. Are there any particular restaurants we should visit? We are fan of hookah/shisha so if there's any place you know in Istanbul that has good hookah/shisha and food, I'd appreciate the input! Once again thanks!

If you want a 'chill out' time in Turkey, visit Kas on the coast. It is a beautiful little town with great seafood restaurants. I will look up the boutique hotel where we stayed, it was just out of the town in a gorgeous stone Mediterranean building - absolutely paradise! Beautiful pool, outdoor restaurant was fantastic, right on the sea for frequent dips in that aqua marine coloured water.

There's a great hookah tea room just off the main road outside the Grand Bazaar inside the mosque grounds-roughly opp.the cinema. Good food all over the Sultanahmed area where you'll stay.
If you go to Selcuk (great town) for Ephesus you should do a bus trip up to Pamukkale (jaw-dropping mountain of white calcium formations).From nearby Izmir you can fly to Cappodocia (Kayseri) on cheap airlines and then back to Istanbul.