which is a better pick Turkey or Greece
 

Hi All

I'm travelling from the US and planning for a 9 day trip to Turkey and maybe Greece with my husband in May 2010 (21st to 31st).

Q:
1. Should we just do 1 of the 2 countries (turkey or greece) if so which one is a better pick. we are not much into history and monuments/ruins- we like beautiful places- nature (water, mountains, exotic locations). I love good food. We want to see palces/things but dont want to be on the move all the time- running from 1 place to the other. overall we want to feel good and relaxed when we come back.

2. if we do greece- which greek island should we go to? i've heard of santorini and crete are gorgeous?
3. if we do turkey- which places are a must do?
4. if we do greece (a couple of islands) and Turkey (istanbul and ephesus) both which places should we see and which flow is better? turkey-greece or greece-turkey?

your answers would be extremely helpful

thankyou

sumbul

There are a lot of questions in your post and I can answer only a few, but you'll probably hear from many more posters.

Greece: I've only visited Santorini and Athens and did love Santorini, so would recommend it for a few days.

Turkey: I loved every place that I went but I was there for three weeks: Istanbul, Pamukkale, Izmir, Antalya, Ankara with stops along the way (Ephesus, Troy, ruins of Hattusas (sp?)but there are a lot of ruins and museums, which I enjoy.

Nine days is not a lot of time but the countries are close so I guess you could do a bit of both. I think you could probably visit Istanbul and then a couple of Greek Islands.

Pick one, unless you hop over to some Greek islands from the Turkish coast.

yorkshire- if i were to do that which island would it be and is it worth the effort?

I don't feel I can answer that question. My advice is to peruse a guide book to get a better sense of your options geographically. Nine days is not a lot of time, so I would count on no more than three places though. Both countries are full of good food and natural beauty, so you can scarcely go wrong!
Turkey Travel Planner website is very helpful.
http://www.greektravel.com/islands.htm too

I've visited Turkey for two weeks in May and I've visited Greece for two weeks in May. No way would I ever combine the two in a 9 day trip. What are you looking for in a trip? If you want to be someplace that is definitely more different than normal, choose Turkey.

Are your flights already booked? If so, add those details for more specific recommendations.

no flights not booked yet....waiting for your responses to book flight. we will reach our destination(greec or turkey) on 22nd May and will leave 31st morning.

Forgot to mention. We spent 4 or 5 days in Istanbul and would return. We had 2 full days in Athens and, for us, it was one too many.

Turkey is wonderful. Greece is wonderful. Toss a coin.

Luisah, Im assuming you drove to the places you have mentioned in turkey- if thats true, how convenient was it in terms of road conditions, safety, did you have a GPS. Thanks
sumbul

I spent two weeks in Greece and took a 5 day cruise which involved several islands and a stop in Turkey. Just a thought.

O.K. out of "should I go to just one and which one?"-Greece. I have visited Turkey three times-Marmaris in 1970, Ephesus in 1989 and Cesme in 1992. I have visited Greece about 15 times from 1970. I am about to visit Istanbul and also hope to make it back to Greece before the Summer.
However visiting Athens and Istanbul is not an indicator of Greece and Turkey in general.
The Greek Islands call me back time after time after time....

If you are not interested in history and ruins, etc., but are into "beauty"... I'd suggest that the Greek islands are what you are interested in.

For me, I love the history and ruins... in addition to the beauty. I've been to both countries on the same trip but it was over 19 days.

With only 9 days, I'd only do one country.

Joannyc- which islands would you recommend and what flow would work best, given that i will fly in and out of athens. woudl you recommend flying between islands or taking ferries. thanks again

Yes, Santorini & Crete are gorgeous, but you want to do a lot in 9 days ( you will have jet lag for most of it coming from US!).

I think you should focus on Rhodes as it is the logical island to add to Turkey (just 1 hr ferry ride away) or Samos. But since you like history Rhodes is best,

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2007/0...-city-old.html


http://www.soultravelers3.com/2007/0...-greek-da.html

I think Turkey is better because you can get more luxury & ruins for your money.

This is a fantastic, authentic place to stay near Ephesus with wonderful people (She lives in Milano):

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2007/0...n-kindred.html

From there you can relax & see much:

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2007/0...s-stellar.html

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2007/0...ce-charms.html

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2007/0...hn-virgin.html

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2007/0...us-museum.html

Do this don't miss day trip (or do 1 night):

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2007/0...g-aphrodi.html

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2007/0...ale-and-h.html

If you stay Istanbul can be seen in 2 or 3 days

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2007/0...t-express.html

Cappadocia, Turkey is fantastic, but you will not have time unless you add more:

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2007/07/moon-walk.html



http://www.soultravelers3.com/2007/0...-palace-b.html

Hope that helps!

Again, you really need to do some research--Greek ferries can be complicated.

Don't try visiting both countries in only 9 days. That's just not enough time. If you stick with Greece you'll have enough time for Athens plus one or two islands that are close to each other, but nothing else.

I've been to Greece, but not Turkey. Flew from Athens to Crete for 5 days, ferried to Santori for 3 days and then flew back to Athens. It was just the right amount of time in each place. As someone said, ferry schedule may be tricky in May.

While in Santorini, which is one of the most stunning places I've seen, I met a group of people who had been traveling thru Turkey and Egypt. They all agreed that Turkey was the most favorite part of their trip. It been one of my list since then and hope to make it there this year.

<i>Which is a better pick Turkey or Greece?</i>

That's like asking "Which are better, apples or oranges?" I honestly can't answer that question, but can say that a trip to the Greek Islands, ending with a day or two in Athens, would be a very rewarding and relaxing trip. My blood pressure drops about ten points every time I go the Greek Islands.

Santorini is stunning, so 2-3 nights there would be top of my list. Fly directly from Athens to make best use of your time. Nine days isn't a lot, and it's not clear to me if that includes days of travel from/to the U.S. A second island should be both nearby (Naxos is only two hours by ferry, Paros an hour more), and compact enough to see in such a short time. Both those islands have great scenery.

Ferry travel isn't complicated at all unless you try to do the impossible (travel between islands that aren't connected). Santorini, Naxos, and Paros are all on the same ferry route, so travel between them is simple - buy your ticket, hop on board.

One factor to take into account is that May 22-24 is a Greek national holiday weekend (Pentacost). Nothing to worry about if you have your flight and accommodation booked, though. Start with Santorini and you should have no problem, as it is less affected than Naxos and Paros. Move to Naxos or Paros on the 24th, and the Greek holidaymakers will be headed home, so again no problems. :-)