Turkey vs Greece
 

We have 12 days and are currently booked into Istanbul out of Athens. We have just discovered how long the ferry ride is and are considering the following changes:<BR><BR>1. Omit Athens and visit Turkey only. <BR>2. If we cannot change our flight now we would want to fly out of Istanbul direct to Athens but what does this flight cost? or does it make more sense to accept the ferry ride and visit the Greek islands on route to Athens instead?<BR><BR>Any comments. Many thanks in advance.

I would say to omit Athens. And I love Greece!! With 12 days it may be a better idea to explore a little more of Turkey. Why not investigate what you would like to see in Turkey and plan it around that? I am of course assuming here that you have not been to Turkey before. <BR>I'm sorry, I am not the one to give detailed advice on Turkey as I have had only trip there. <BR>If you cannot change your flight then definitely start looking at the islands along the way. When you find which ones you stop at you can always post here again with questions!

First I have to say that you can not see the Turkey in 12 days so it's up to you you can go to Turkey fisrt the sail to greece via Islands Possible from Kusadasi, Bodrum or Marmaris. The ferry from Turkish to Greek Island takes between 3 hours to 5 hours (depend on which route are you going to use) not far.<BR><BR>ABC

I would spend:<BR>- 3 days in Istanbul<BR>- 2 days in Cappadocia, flying via Kayseri<BR>- fly to Marmaris (Dalaman) from Istanbul, and take high speed ferry to Rhodos for 1-2 days<BR>- Fly to Santorini for 2-3 days<BR>- Fly to Athens the day before leaving.<BR><BR>In Athens, stay in and never leave Plaka and you will like it. It may be best to skip Cappadocia due to the short time you have, or drive to Marmaris and take in Ephesus on the way instead of 2 other days on this trip.<BR><BR>Flying will make the most of your precious time. Ferries and busses add 12 hours to the long trips of this itinerary.

Amen to Carol's comments, but I would not skip Cappadocia, it it so facinating & primitive in comparison. I would skip Rhodes & go to Kusadasi/Ephusus, then a ferry ride to Samos, Naxos & Santorini & flight to Athens. My opinion, opinions are like rear ends, everyone has one! Do some more online research & find out what really appeals to you. I did this this May & it is doable without killing yourself.

We did a similar trip in May although it was the opposite direction. The reason I suggested flying is we had a nightmare waiting in Athens trying to get to the islands. We were there 2 days longer than intended because the high winds meant the ferries were not running, and because the ferries were not running, you could not get a flight anywhere. Athens is a one-day town, dirty and noisy.<BR><BR>After 18 hours on the ferry we vowed to never take one again. We skipped Ephesus (we are not into ruins and the Acropolis was enough for us). If you like ruins, Ephesus is supposed to be the best. We were really glad we went to Rhodes instead of Paros or Naxos. We stayed in the walled city.<BR><BR>Go to at least one Greek island, whatever you do. It is magical.<BR><BR>We liked Turkey a lot more than Greece. It was much less expensive, and the people were nicer overall. There are nice Greeks also, but we ran into some nasty ones too. Every Turk we met was kind and helpful. Istanbul is beautiful and Cappadocia is so different than anything else you will see on the trip.

Sheila,<BR>If it is of any help to you, I'm flying over to Istanbul from Athens next Saturday. Round trip costs approximately 250 Euro. Both Olympic Airways and Turkish Airlines have daily early morning flights connecting Istanbul and Athens respectively. Turkish also has a late evening flight twice a week (on Monday and maybe Thursday).

thanks for all the information. I will continue my search and come back with more questions. Does anyone know of a site that list accomodations by star rating? (like the NRMA does for Australia)

You can do the both country at once, however it will be a rush holiday. Do not miss Cappadocia when you are in Turkey. Remember, you can always come back to explore more of the country.<BR><BR>Good luck<BR>

As it turns out we are unable to change our flight so we will be departing Athens. Carol can you or anyone here advise on cost of flight from Rhodes to Santorini and Santorini to Athens and what airline to book with.<BR><BR>many thanks.

aegean chronus airlines you can check their website:<BR>www. aegeanair.com

Both flights were under $90 US/pp a year ago when I was there.

Sorry... it was Olympic.<BR><BR>The Dalaman-Istanbul leg of our trip was about $90 US plus $20 each for transfers from Marmaris, and Istanbul-Kayseri was also about $90 US plus $30 each for transfers from Kayseri to Urgup, I believe this was $30 return. We flew Turkish Airlines.<BR><BR>We found both airlines to be acceptable, however, my husband and I have flown extensively on smaller regional airlines with less frills. Olympic offers free Tang. Turkish Airlines offers a box lunch consisting of a cheese bun and a dessert of some kind, and free non-alcoholic beverages.<BR><BR>All of the above trips involve a bus or walking across a tarmac rather than the usual gates you may be acustomed (SP?)to.<BR><BR>Turkish airlines has a cool security system. You check your bag, it is x-rayed, then when you board, you have to identify your bag again. It is chalk marked and will not go without you.<BR><BR>We went in May 2001 and we booked the flights about 2 days ahead. I have been told it is cheaper since they cost more to book from NA.

turkey is very close to the island of<BR>lesvos (and i am sure many others however i am only familiar with lesvos). i believe that they have<BR>boats which leave in the morning going to turkey and return in the eve. to <BR>lesvos. i am sure it is less than<BR>2 hour ride.