Best Greek Island for a 2 day visit

dennis, That time of year is "challenging" as many islands start to shut down for the winter about then. You might find it helpful to have a look at This Website as it may provide the information you're looking for. I don't have any information on the flight options from Kusadasi, but my first suggestion for a Greek Island would have been Santorini. It has an airport and regular flights to Athens. One other option would be to call the Tour Dept. at ETBD and see if they can offer any suggestions. Good luck!

That's the same time our tour ended, too. From Kusadasi we went to Samos by ferry and the same day to Mykonos and next day to Santorini. Then by ferry to Athens. Flights were sold out and anyway very expensive. Weather was still good and accommodation bargain.

Thank you for your suggestions. Is it necessary to reserve the ferry in advance

Read on web site that ferry reservations are not really needed unless you are there in July and August.
Personally I tend to get reservations for things like ferries, trains, etc if it is important that I get on a specific vehicle in order to catch some other transportation.

At the end of October we didn't reserve anything not even accommodation and had no problem.

Aegean Airlines is having a sale right now. You must book by June 8. You can fly from Samos to Santorini (via Athens) for 113 euros (including tax) on October 29, in a little over 2 hours. Santorini to Athens on October 31 is 99 euros. Since your time is so short, I think flying would be preferable to 2 days on a ferry. And there is always the possibility of a ferry being delayed by bad weather, or schedules changing so there is no ferry from Samos to Mykonos on the day you need it.

I agree with Charlene. You'll have to take a ferry from Kusadasi to Samos (2 hours). Then you can fly to Santorini, and from there - when you're ready - on to Athens. If you can only visit one island, make it Santorini. It is the most heavily visited, but the natural setting and spectacular views are unlike anyplace else. Be sure to coordinate your ferry and plane schedules, because there are only a couple of ferries a day between Kusadasi and Samos.

Check again. There are no direct Samos-Santorini flights. You have to change planes in Athens. This means buying 2 tickets, not one.

Lee, you're right, I didn't make that clear. The flight does connect in Athens. If you go to Aegean and put Samos>Santorini in the search, you'll come up with a flight with two legs -- one to Athens, then one to Santorini, for a total of 2 hours 30 minutes and at a cost of $113.64 euros, including taxes & fees . The potential problem for Dennis is that there's just one flight daily on Aegean (although Olympic may have others). This flight leaves at 8:50 am so you may need to spend the night in Samos, depending on the ferry schedule.

If you don't have flexibility, I agree with your idea of flying rather than relying on the ferry. We were stranded on Naxos by high winds for 3 days in early September & flights were booked. We enjoyed our extra stay on Naxos. For the return trip to Athens, reservations were a must because many people were stranded and space was really limited. If you opt for Santorini, try and stay in the town of Oia rather than Fira if you would like fewer crowds. Really enjoyed the less visited island of Naxos, but Santorini is beautiful. The island of Hydra you do on the tour is terrific as well. Enjoy!

Oops missed the fact your trip is to Turkey. You may want to look at Hydra. It's a short ferry ride to Athens. No cars are allowed.

We recently made a second trip to Rhodes, and loved every minute of it. There is so much to see and to learn, and it is easy to roam the island by public transportation. Absolutely beautiful place!