For a first visit to Greece (approx. 10 days in April or May), would you recommend a cruise, a small group tour, or individual touring (with the use of private guides, drivers, etc)? My husband and I have different travel styles (he’s more of a cruise/group traveler, I’m more of an independent traveler)…but neither of us has been to Greece before so I’m exploring all the alternatives. He’d also like to see Istanbul, if that is at all practical. Sooo…Athens, Santorini, Istanbul? Athens, Crete, Istanbul? No Istanbul? Alternatives to Santorini? We’re well traveled but as you can see, all over the place when it comes to this trip. We live in Oregon if that makes a difference. Any suggestions would be much appreciated! Thank you!
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8319 posts
If you'd like to take a cruise of the Eastern Med for April or May and go into Istanbul, check out Celebrity Infinity or Norwegian's Icon--their incredible new generation ship.
All of the other cruises for April and May are ultra expensive cruises.
I use Vacations to Go's website to research cruises. We've cruised the Eastern Med a couple of times in recent years, and enjoy a few days in Athens before or after the cruise. They often do the itinerary out of Italy too.
Posted by
Freedonia
16277 posts
Ten days is just enough time to get a sample of Greece.
Do some research and decide what you want to see. Don't forget to include an island or two.
You can mix both of your styles by planning on day tours rather than overnight. This way, you can decide where you will stay and then travel independently between overnight locations. But then have a guide to take you locally.
The local guides can be private or via small group tours.
I would leave Instanbul for another trip.
My personal recommendation is Athens, Delphi and the Peloponese on the mainland and then a couple of islands included--Crete and Santorini are popular choices.
It's easy to get to and between the islands via a short flight or fast ferries.
Posted by
Washington DC
28073 posts
Crete is a very large island. It would chew up a lot of your time unless you just opt for a cruise that makes a stop or two there.
Istanbul is a fascinating city, but I wouldn't try to include it on a 10-day trip to Greece--again, unless you decide on a cruise. (I can't imagine a one-day cruise stop in a city like Istanbul, but plenty of people do that.) To see Athens, some of the classical sites, part of the Peloponnese and a couple of islands would require multiple 10-day trips, so I'd hold off on Istanbul this time around. It's not really practical to get there by train from Athens on a short trip. Flying to Istanbul would chew up a large chunk of one of your precious days; IST airport is a long slog from the historic part of the city. Istanbul is quite an intense experience; I wouldn't want to try to see it in a rush.
Posted by
33 posts
Dear carolsorgen,
I can't say enough about Viking Cruises. They have small ships and go to all the stops you cite. I went on a Mediterranean cruise with them Journey to Antiquities, hitting Athens and Crete, in 2022. They have another that has all your stops. The nice thing is you don't have to pack and unpack on your trip, as you are in a traveling hotel. Their excursions are smallish, but the tour guides are terrific. In Crete we went to Agia Tria, a wonderful monastery. Others went to The Palace of Knossos, but you spend a lot of time driving to this destination.