Should I add Istanbul to a week-long Greece trip in April?

Since you are posting on a website for people who long to go to Greece, and Greece enthusiasts who cannot get enough of that remarkable country, perhaps it is not the best place to solicit arguments for cutting short an already very brief encounter with Greece. If someone came on a website for US travel and said, I have 9 days to visit the US, but as long as we are in the Western Hemisphere, I've always wanted to see Mexico city; what do you think of my cutting back my US time to 5 days in order to see Mexico City. Just alerting you to possible reactions, LOL.

I would either add Istanbul or add another Greek destination. I don't think you need more time in Athens and Santorini.

A big plus going for adding Istanbul is that you appear to be from NYC. That means you have Turkish Air available from JFK, which flies direct between JFK and Istanbul, from where you can be connected on the outward trip directly on Turkish Air to Athens, and then make your way back to Istanbul for an open jaw direct flight home. And get days in Istanbul.

You also need to be aware that April 16 Is Greek Orthodox Easter --- this is waaay bigger than in US, actually a bigger deal than Christmas is in US, and you know how hard it is to get around, find restaurants, do regular activities From Dec 23 - 27 in most places in USA. The Greek custom is, if possible, to go to one's "home town" and celebrate with family, so all ferries, planes, roads will be PACKED in the few days before Easter Sunday and a few days after. NOTHING happens on Easter Day -- much transport is actually closed down, and you have to be sure you have a place to have lunch & Dinner. If you have connections, you might be asked to accompany someone to dinner, but it sounds as if you are new to Greece. 4/17 is Easter Monday, also many many things closed down ... and the Week before will not be "as usual." If you are in the right place, you can witness the Good Friday or Holy Saturday goings-on (sometimes parades thru town carrying flower-bedecked coffin), and the Easter evening ceremonies in Churches are dramatic: all dark until Midnight, then Bright Light! Candles Lit! People who have fasted go to eat at 2 Am, etc.

BTW, islands typically stay quite "closed down" until after Easter ... Santorini less than others, but still you would be very limited in choices of dining etc. These are just aspects to factor into your plans.

Thank you, everyone! What great advice. @Larry, that is precisely why I considered adding Istanbul -- it fit so perfectly into our flight back to NYC. @janet, Easter sounds amazing. I don't plan on visiting any other island besides Santorini, so we should be fine. Would it be better to stay in Athens or Santorini during that Easter weekend?

Which place would depend I would think what arrangements you could make for joining a celebration on Easter Day ... I would inquire thru the Athens hotel you are looking at ... if a large-ish hotel it is more likely to have something planned for guests ... there is nothing more forlorn than people eating in a mostly-deserted restaurant ... I would also inquire of a Santorini place you are looking at whether there are any opportunities to join locals in an Easter feast.

That being said, maybe best to schedule it for Athens, because if you were on Santorini on Easter Sunday, you might not be able to get back to Mainland the next day. In your query you are not specifc about departure day. Is it April 17 or the day after ( Note for the future: its good to state the date AND time of day for arrival and also for departure... so advisors don't have to guess).

What larry said seems to say u have to fly from Turkey to athens then back to Istanbul ... many people I know have done "open=jaw" landing from US directly on one capital, then departing directly back to US from the other. Check the possibility.

We spent 4 nights in Istanbul four years ago and I believe we had plenty of time to sight see. We also spent 4 night in Athens as well and had time to see the main attractions. Istanbul is well worth the stop if you are OK with the current climate.