Greece and Turkey in the spring

Too much time in Istanbul and not enough time in Greece. Do you really want to do this with a 1 year old and a 4 year old?

I agree with what James said. And I think Istanbul and Athens are not good cities for children to be at. If you wish for the trip to be a pleasant experience for the boys, I suggest going to a place for enjoying nature, perhaps a botanical garden. The best gardens that I was at is the Royal Kew Gardens near London. Most of the plants are in glass buildings, and the grounds are very pleasant for strolling on a sunny day. I guess you could find a good botanical gardens in France.

Thank you for your feedback. Just to give you a little more info, we are living in Toledo Spain for 9 months. We just went to Paris, Bayeux (MSM and DDay beaches), Rome, and Switzerland (Berner Oberland region and Montreaux) in about 3 and a half weeks for our Christmas vacation. The kids did great and we always make sure we find a good balance for us no matter where we go. Can you please let me know why you say Istanbul and Athens are not good cities for kids?
We are planning another kind weekend to London so I will make sure to schedule in the gardens.
Thank you!

I would prefer to give 11 days to either one country or the other. True, you might fly either way, whether Istanbul-Athens or Istanbul-Cappadocia, but you would get a better picture of that one country.

For me, it would depend a lot on flights. There are lots of little kids in Istanbul, though most of them were born there. It shouldn't be a problem. From Istanbul to Athens, you'll fly. Will you have to return to Athens to fly home? Then maybe it's not worth traveling one of the Islands. It'll probably be too cold to go in the water. Wouldn't coastal pleasures be better in Spain? Unless you're rent a car to see the island?