Greece & Turkey - Sept or Oct?

Another vote here for the earlier dates. The days are longer, the crowds will be winding down, the transportation links are more reliable, and the weather is better. This year Ramadan will be happening in Turkey around those dates, but I have traveled twice during this time and had no problems whatsoever. In fact, once I was in the Grand Bazaar talking to a shop owner when the call to prayer came through. He invited me in and rolled out his prayer mat--he prayed, and I had a silent moment of gratitude for experiencing such a magical moment. He then spread out the food, called down the aisle for tea, and we sat and talked--sharing our common humanity. This is what travel is all about... Istanbul has great festive evenings that are a lot of fun after the call to prayer ends fasting at sunset . The Sultanahmet district is alive with celebration--especially around the Hippodrome where there is music, food, shopping, booths, etc. Here's a good link, with information and photos about being in Turkey during Ramadan: http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/Religion/ramazan.html

"No matter where I go in the world, traveling renews my faith in humankind, as well as in myself. It's a journey of remembrance back to my original self, the one who is wholly connected to all beings and nature." --Barbara Sansone, "Under the Mango Tree"

We generally travel in September too but I'd recommend the August 28 option. We've been in Greece in early October and it feels like fall weather, cooling down at night. Many hotels/restaurants start shutting down, and ferries aren't as frequent.

Since you want to see Turkey, I'd recommend flying directly from Athens to one of the islands in the Dodecanese or Northeastern Aegean. Airfare is cheap, and these islands won't be as crowded as the Cyclades, even in late August. Most hotels are air conditioned.

Get a Lonely Planet guidebook and see which of these islands appeal to you. Each has its own personality. You can visit a couple of them or spend some extended time on just one island (both Rhodes and Lesvos are big enough for at least a week). Remember than in September/October, ferries do sometimes get grounded due to weather so if you plan to island hop, you need a fairly flexible itinerary.

Turkey is a short ferry ride from several of these islands ... you can do day trips to Ephesus from Samos, or Pergamon from Lesvos, without even needing a visa, if you decide to skip Istanbul. Then you could fly back to Athens for a couple of days before returning home.

As vigorously as I avoid Greece and Turkey in August I will agree that it's a much better time to go weather-wise than mid-late October.

Thanks for the advice. Still not sure if we'll make the trip this year, but if you do, it sounds like the general consensus is to start the trip in the last couple days of August, rather than the middle of October.

I generally assume that the worst crowds at popular "summer vacation" destinations typically drop noticeable on or around Sept. 1. Does this hold true for the Greek isles?

Also, here in the US, our 3-day weekend for "labor day" is the weekend of Sept. 4-5-6 this year. I know the rest of the world correctly celebrates "labor day: on May 1 (which might be interesting in Greece this year, given recent economic news...), but Is there a long weekend around the end of August there (probably - I assume most countries arrange a long weekend to mark the end of summer vacation season)? Anyone know the dates for that this year?

Thanks again.