Parga ,Epirus and Sporadi or/Tinos ,Samos and Turkish coast

Riadhou-
It might be easier for others to weigh in on this if you give some description of what your interests are, who are you traveling with, etc., when you go on summer vacations.

Hi Riadhou --
I agree, a little more information could be useful ... i.e. do you already have your flights? Are you flying in and out of Athens? How long is your trip? Have you checked ferry schedules to make sure the above itineraries are possible and/or reasonable?

I am not familiar with your first option (Parga, etc.). And I have not visited Tinos. But I have visited the others, and have some questions/thoughts.

In your second group, Tinos is an outlier. I haven't researched extensively but I'm not sure how you'd get from Tinos to Samos. Perhaps you've already figured this out, and if so, great. Otherwise. you might exchange Tinos for an island closer to Samos (Ikaria? Patmos?). Or you could skip Tinos and add some stops, either in Turkey or Greece.

In Turkey: You say you want to visit Ephesus, and then Kas, then make a day trip to Kastellorizo. It's a long journey from Ephesus to Kas. You could make a stop or two along the way. Possibly Bodrum? Or Dalyan? Or Patera (one of my favorites). If you're interested in ruins, you'll find them all along this beautiful coastline. Are you planning to rent a car? Take buses? Where would you go after Kas? Fly home from Istanbul??

In Greece: Start in Samos, take a day trip to Ephesus, then back to Samos. Work your way down the Dodecannese by ferry, visiting islands you haven't seen (have you been to Nisyros, to walk in the crater of the volcano?? Leros? Lipsi?). Once you reach Kastellorizo, spend a couple of nights there. It's one of the most beautiful Greek islands, in my opinion. Swim with the sea turtles. See the blue cave. Lots to do. If you want to see Kas, take a day trip from Kastellorizo. Then ferry back to Rhodes, fly to Athens and home.

Dear Charlene,
Thank you for your kind message and for all the information
I am from a mediterranean country. I want to visit countries which are over the sea, lakes and rivers.

But the beaches are not the first interest of my travel.

I would like to have a beautiful and romantic walk along a quay, a harbor or on the terrace of a cafe or restaurant with a picturesque view over the sea.

I would like to find some local festivals, traditional folklore groups, enjoy great food, and a warm nightlife. I don't like very quiet places.

I like to visit beautiful villages, beautiful nature, meet local people and visit some museums ,charming raditionnel architecture and some archeologic sites.

Best regards
Riadhou

Dear Charlene

I forgot to inform you that i programmed to visit Greece and Turkey with my wife from 9 to 30 August 2018.
I am 64 years old and My wife 58 .
I haven't booked yet my tickets.

I will flight to mykonos and then the ferry for tinos.Or il will take a flight to Athens and the ferry to tinos.

To reach samos there are 2 ways:
-From mykonos which is 20 mn ferry from Tinis
- or from syros where i programmed to stay for 2 days.

In Turkey, i will have a stop in Bodrum for 2 days before reaching Kas.
From kas ,it is possible to return to Dalaman and have a flight from there to istanbul and then to home.

In Greece:
-I have visited patmos , lipsi Rhodes and symi but not nissyros yet.
Unfortunately ,there is no direct ferry from samos to nissyros.i must go to kos and then to nissyros,or I have to combinate samos with leros and then to nissyros.

From nissyros ,it is a long journey by ferry to Kastellorizo.

In this case ,how do you imagine the nicest itinetary.?

Best regards
Riadhou

Hi Riadhou --
I'm glad you have figured out the Tinos>Samos connection. I think this sounds like a great trip. However, both Greece and Turkey will be very hot and crowded in August. If there is any chance you could reschedule your trip to September, I would recommend that.

Be sure to check out the Turkish visa situation. If you need a visa, I suspect you could get it when you land in Kusadasi, or perhaps you could do it in advance, online? But check this out.

After seeing Ephesus, do you plan to rent a car or take buses? We used buses, and the system works very well. A car would give you more freedom to set your own schedule. The highways are good and road signs seemed easy to follow.

If you have time, there is another interesting stop you might make between Bodrum and Kas. Dalyan, which is near the Dalaman airport, is a lively little town, heavily visited by British tourists. This means lots of restaurants and activity, which you seem to like. The highlight here is a river cruise, which passes Lycian tombs carved into the cliffs. You visit a market, and a mud bath, which was very interesting. Dalyan also has a sea turtle hospital, which we found fascinating. We stayed at the Kilim Hotel. From our hotel's dock on the river, we could see the Lycian tombs and all the boats passing by. You might enjoy a couple of nights here.

For your day on Kastellorizo, you can walk along the beautiful deep-water harbor. There is no beach, but several places with steps going into the water, where you could stop for a swim. The harbor is lined with shops and restaurants, where you can linger and enjoy the view. Walk up toward the remains of the castle, for a close-up view of a Lycian tomb. See the short black-and-white film of the history of Kastellorizo, in the cultural center (I think it shows daily, around noon).

I hope you have a wonderful trip!