Please help with itinerary Greece, Turkey

You can take a ferry from Rhodes to Bodrum if the ferry schedule works for you. Bodrum is lovely and relaxing, but I would not spend 7 nights there and only 2 nights in Istanbul (there is not enough to do in Bodrum for a whole week, whereas there's too much to do in Istanbul). I would add many more days in Istanbul unless you don't care for large cities. Istanbul is a fascinating city, I would give it as many days as you can (but I would put it at the beginning of the trip, not the end, if possible - only because it's fairly intense).

El Vino Hotel and Suites in Bodrum is a gorgeous hotel (https://www.booking.com/hotel/tr/el-vino-suites.html) I really enjoyed it.

Your itinerary is pretty aggressive for a first time traveler to Europe not going on a guided tour.
It is so easy to get overwhelmed with the pressures of travel to so many places, not including taking in so much history, architecture, culture and food in a short time. After many fast moving European trips, we missed out on so much by not traveling slower. And if possible, you might try to stay another couple of days in London--an important city.
When we first toured the Mediterranean, we took a 12 day cruise starting in Rome and ending in Venice. Stops were made at Malta, Crete, Athens and all the popular tourist Greek islands--and one stop in Turkey. The price was downright cheap for what we got, and everything was organized for us.
We now know where we'd like to go back to in the future. We would love to take a more in depth tour of Turkey, but that will be in another year or two--when politics calm down.
Good luck on planning your European trip. I assure that this won't be your last trip.

Sounds like a great trip, Joanne! I have not been to Bodrum, so I don’t know what causes you to plan 7 nights there, by far your longest stop. On the other hand, I have recently been to London, Athens and Istanbul, all fabulous cities, full of history, art and architecture, diverse museums, delicious food, and so much more. I can’t imagine visiting any of these for just 2 nights, meaning really just one full day in between the nights. Athens and Istanbul are also very affordable, in terms of lodging and food in particular, London not so much. Without knowledge about your interests, during a 5 week trip, I would certainly recommend at least 4 nights in each of these three outstanding cities.

Thank you David, Agnes and Larry,
this is just the kind of advice I need to hear. I think I will Drop a few days from Bodrum and add those days to the three major cities.
If I were to drop one of my stops which would you recommend? Also other than the big cities where should I add the days if I drop one stop?
I had saved 7 days for Bodrum on the recommendation of friends who spend a lot of time there but it sounds like that is not a great idea.
I really appreciate (and need ) your advice.

I haven't been to Crete but you could add one of your dropped Bodrum nights there as a lot of people say you could do a week there easy. I would also move maybe 2 of those Bodrum nights to Istanbul. My MIL loved Rhodes, and I would second the idea that you add 1 or 2 nights to London (my favorite city in the world). I've never heard of Bodrum. What is there?

I was in Istanbul last spring for the first time and it was outstanding, my trip also included a repeat visit to London- there is no such thing as too much time there. I would suggest at least 4 nights in each of London, Istanbul and Athens, adjusting your time in the greek islands and Bodrum accordingly/by ferry and airline schedule. Maybe look to see if there is anything from Istanbul you want to see too. We had 5 full days in Istanbul which really allowed us to see/experience the city but we didn't have time for any other day trips and Istanbul exceeded our expectations.

The two highlights of Bodrum are the Castle of St. Peter (built by the Knights) and the Museum of Underwater Archeology. Unfortunately, it looks like both are closed for restoration activities until sometime in 2019. Hopefully they will reopen by the time of your trip. Another fun thing to do in Bodrum is to go out on one of the boats and go swimming - the water is a beautiful blue color and very warm.

Skyscanner doesn't show me any direct flights scheduled from Rhodes to Turkey - only via Athens. If the ferry to Bodrum also doesn't work out, you can of course take a shorter ferry to Marmaris and bus north from there.

I've only spent one night in Bodrum but would more highly recommend the history around Afrodisias and Pammukale (inland) or north toward Ephesus and a smaller beach town. Those do bring in more local transport logistics but after Ephesus you can fly from Izmir to Istanbul.

I agree with most of the others, and would rearrange something like this:

Spend 4 nights in London and 3 nights in Athens, plus the 2-3 day excursion to Delphi and Meteora.

Ferry from Athens to Naxos (5 nights), then Santorini (3 nights).

Skip Crete. The Santorini>Crete>Rhodes transport will be difficult. I don't think you can ferry from Crete to Rhodes in mid-May; if there is a ferry, it is very infrequent (perhaps once a week). And Crete is a very large island -- 4 days barely scrapes the surface. So save it for another trip.

Ferries from Santorini to Rhodes are also infrequent, so you'll need to plan your schedule carefully. Spend 3 nights in Rhodes.

From Rhodes, there are daily (sometimes twice daily) ferries to Marmaris. The Bodrum ferry is less reliable. If it's available when you're in Rhodes, great. If not, take the Marmaris ferry and take the bus to Bodrum.

I would limit Bodrum to 3-4 days. Then travel to Izmir for 2 nights, so you can see Ephesus (truly amazing). And travel to Cappadocia (Goreme is a good place for first-timers to stay) and take the spectacular hot air balloon ride. Spend 3 nights .

Then fly to Istanbul and end your trip there (5 days).

Wow what a great reply!
Your suggestions are really helpful.
I am thinking of looking for flight to Athens and leave London for another trip. It seems like I would not have the time to do London justice and also it may be overload to fit in so many places. Giving up London gives me a little more time for either Greece or Turkey, do you have any suggestions on how to spend the extra days.
I really like your suggestions for getting to Turkey and the itinerary sounds good.

Cappadocia. Turkey has good flight options within the country, as well as buses. Izmir-Kayseri doesn't fly daily, but check it out.

Hi Joanne --
If you skip London, you could add those days to your existing stops (maybe an extra day each in Athens, Rhodes, Goreme). That's probably the best idea.

But if you're tempted to see something else, I have two options you might consider choosing between:

From Naxos, there are daily ferries to and from the small nearby island of Amorgos, one of our favorites. Amorgos has 2 ports; we chose Katapola and stayed at Porto Katopola, a pension with huge balconies overlooking the harbor. It was around 45 euros/night and had one of the friendliest owners (Giannis) we have met on our travels. It's a quiet island, its biggest attraction being the Hozoviotissa Monastery, built into a cliff. An amazing sight. You can easily spend 3 nights here, perhaps renting a car for one day. Great little restaurants. Then ferry back to Naxos and on to Santorini. When we looked into doing this (Amorgos>Santorini), there were only certain days of the week with an early morning ferry to Naxos that would enable us to catch a later ferry to Santorini. And you will also have to time your arrival in Santorini to work with the limited departures to Rhodes. It can be done but would require some research.

Or, in Turkey, when you land in Marmaris you could take a bus (or even a taxi, if you want to splurge a bit) about 1 hour south, to the town of Dalyan. This is a pretty little town, heavily touristed by Brits, so you'll see signs advertising full English breakfasts (we didn't expect that in Turkey!). A river runs through the town, with Lycian Tombs carved into the cliffs along the river. You can take a riverboat ride to see them and even end at a mud bath if you'd like. Also in Dalyan is Iztuzu Beach, a nesting site for loggerhead turtles. There you can visit a Sea Turtle hospital. Really interesting. You could easily spend three days in Dalyan and then take a bus to Bodrum. We stayed at the Kilim Hotel, which had a private dock where we could watch the riverboats and see the tombs across the river. Dalaman Airport is located just outside Dalyan. You could check for flights into that airport from Rhodes (doubtful, but worth a try).

And I also wanted to give you some other hotels we really liked:
Naxos -- Studios Kalergis, right on the beach;
Rhodes - Hotel Attiki, in the Knights Quarter in old town;
Goreme - Kelebek Special Cave Hotel .

Thank you Charlene,
You are also very helpful. I just booked my flights so I can really work on my itinerary.
We flying from Canada-Athens then have 5 weeks before flying home via Istanbul-Canada.
I have not heard of Dalyan Turkey but it sounds great I will check it out. I will also checkout your hotel recommendations.
Do you have any suggestions for excursions from Athens? I don't know if we should book the 2-3 day one that Fantasy travel offers or go with a couple of day long excursions.
Planning is fun but there are so many great options in Greece and Turkey

A day excursion from ATHENS (such as Delphi) often spends too much time en route, not enough time at the place. Also you are regimented: all 30 of you must do same thing same time & no free time.

THe ONE tour out of athens that I do recommend is because it has 50% of the time as FREE time, to explore on your own the wonderful city of Nafplio -- considered THE most beautiful Old Town in Greece (also so romantic that one nickname I heard was "the Proposal Capital of GReece"). Here's the 2-day trip offered by the longest-established Athens-based tour agency, to See Mycenae, Epidaurus and stay the night in NAFPLIO: http://www.chatours.gr/tours.php?exc=8&exccat=1

It takes you from Central Athens, stops at the Corinth Canal for a look-see, then takes you to Mycenae, led by a licensed guide. When you arrive at Nafplio, yu have the whole afternoon & evenining "at leisure," to explore the town & enjoy the AMAXING sunset from the seafront (IMHO, better than any in Santorini). THe next AM you're alos at leisure, then the tour takes you to Epidaurus en route back to Athens. It goes only on Tuesday & wednesdays, & fills up, so you should consult your calendar. The nice thing is, it also allows time for a swim at the town beach if desired. PS: important -- they offer a "tourist hotel" and a "1st class hotel." Take the FIRST one ... it's perfectly nice, and about 1 block off the town square.... the marble-paved plaza whre you'll want to sit at night & watch the children playing by moonlight. The "first class" hotel is outside of town & you'd have to taxi in & back.

PS: do not hesitate because this will take you from your Athens hotel for 1 night -- these hotels are totally used to guests leavng for a night (or 2) for tours; they will accommodate you, store you big bag in their luggage room. When u come back, you'll either get the same room, or an equivalent one. The key is, to tell the hotel about this plan as soon as you make your reservation.

PPS: Just to assure you that this is a KEY destination for you in Greece --- some of the most striking landmarks & high points -- here is a Fab NONcommercial website for Nafplo... http://www.visitnafplio.com/ ... And a photo album showing off some of its beauty ... http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157632094108982/ ...

Hi Janet,
I tried to book the tour you suggested but it is unavailable for my dates, I arrive in Athens April 29th so the Wednesday I'm there falls on their May 1st holiday and they are not running the tour. It is disappointing as it did sound like a good tour, we are not into those rush you around in a herd type tours. I like the hotels you suggested and I'm wondering if you have a suggestion for Athens.