Istanbul & Greece, 2 weeks beginning Oct 25

Actually, it's about your timing. As explained, the ferry departures between Turkey and Greece are cut back once the tourist season is over, but you can see here- http://www.feribot.net/feribot/?lang=en -that there are 5 Turkish port cities from which you can get to the Greek islands, but only IF there is a ferry operating when you need it.

To get to Samos you need to depart Turkey from Kusadasi. From Samos you would take the Hellenic Seaways ferry to Mykonos and from Mykonos inquire as to what's available to Santorini. That late in the year getting from Mykonos to Santorini by ferry might be a problem. Your only possible option in November will be a Sea Jets morning ferry from Mykonos to Paros or Naxos in time to catch another ferry the rest of the way to Santorini. You can check here to determine if Sea Jets is running that route after the end of October, although I doubt it: http://www.gtp.gr

I think it's better if you plan to go to Santorini from Kos or Rhodes, as this is a year-long service on a Blue Star Ferry ship 3 days/week. http://www.bluestarferries.com

The catch will be finding a ferry from Marmaris, Bodrum or Fethiye that will take you across to Rhodes or Kos after the end of October.

If the connecting ferries from Turkey to the Greek islands aren't available you might have to change your itinerary altogether.

But if there is a ferry that will take you to Kos or Rhodes when you need it then the suggestion of buying an open jaw ticket so you can go home from Athens after visiting Santorini makes much better sense than trying to backtrack to Istanbul. You'll waste a lot of time doing that.

I hope this has helped.

In Oct the ferries go to a reduce schedule and become more irregular because of weather. The island themselves are shutting down because the tourist have gone home. We were in Santorini the second week of Oct two years ago and that was the last week our hotel was going to be open. Assuming the same thing would be happening on the other islands. Do you have your plane ticket? If not, consider an open jaw -- into Istanbul and home from Athens. Your transportation could become a major problem especially if trying to move between the smaller islands. You might consider just staying in Turkey and traveling by bus along the coastal area. Plenty of cute little towns.

I'd certainly do the islands first - we were on Samos the
mid two weeks last October and it was most definitely
winding down and closing up for the winter.

Samos is a very large populated island so if it closes
down the smaller islands must be locked up tight by the
end of October!

Not only do the ferry schedules change, the seas get a
lot rougher so more cancellations can occur.

Lots to do in Turkey and Istanbul could keep you occupied
for a lifetime so you won't have any trouble keeping
yourself happily touristing!

Thanks so much for the kind replies. I will certainly take your advice, and see if we can run straight to Samos and Santorini before everything shuts down.

Ohmigosh, this is officially ridiculous. I've been to literally dozens of websites and still know absolutely nothing about the ferry system. Somebody says it's fastest to take a ferry from Bodrum to Kos, then another to Santorini. Then somebody else says you have to FLY from Kos to Santorini. O . . . kay. Thank you.

Surely somebody has done this before. Go from Turkey -- anywhere in Turkey, really -- to Santorini or Samos. NO AIRCRAFT INVOLVED. Why is this information impossible to find? (I'll answer the question myself, from what I've learned: Greece and Turkey apparently hate each other, and refuse to acknowledge the others' existence; and there are several thousand ferry companies, each runs just a couple routes, and nobody offers any information whatsoever about connections.)

Thanks Lee! We already have our plane tickets, so can't change them. Blame frequent flyer miles. I think the Bodrum-Kos-Santorini route is possible, so I'm researching that. (Blue Star from Kos to Santorini and back; Bodrumferryboat.com says they have a ferry from Bodrum to Kos at 9:30 every morning, and a return at 4:30 every afternoon, but the reservations page doesn't think they exist.) Coupled with the 9-hour bus or train or whatever ride from Istanbul, I think that will be all I'll see of Greece.

Thanks again. At the very least, all this work is getting me in the right mindset for a taverna and a beer.

I know you said no airplanes, but I have found small planes to be an easy, fast, inexpensive, foolproof way to get to various Greek islands. In late October, not only will you be facing reduced ferry schedules, but possibly bad weather and ferry shutdowns for a day or more. You can't discount the possibility of bad weather leaving you stranded somewhere.

If you don't want to fly to Santorini, I'd suggest limiting your Greek islands to those that are easily accessible from Turkey (including Lesvos, Samos, Patmos, Rhodes, Kastellorizo). You could spend most of your week travelling down the coast of Turkey (definitely visit Ephesus) and just hop over to one or two Greek islands.

I would assume that Rhodes is big enough to still have hotels & restaurants open at that time. Kastellorizo, which is very short ferry ride from Turkey, looks especially beautiful and might be a good stand-in for Santorini. It's definitely a "cute little town." Check the hotel reviews for Kastellorizo on Trip Advisor, and contact the owners to see if the island is still "open" in late October/early November. We've never been there but found it while researching a trip for next year and it looks gorgeous.

Your inability to change your plane tix is lesson for future -- consult online Forums BEFORE you book FF miles. If' you'd done an "open jaw" ticket, fly into Athens, out of Istanbul you wouldn't have this dilemma. Since nobody else is solving your tangle, I guess I must step in ...

Easy inexpensive FIX = Aegean Air to Athens @ €58.

Oct 25 Arrive then catch Aegean Air flight 4 pm, arrive 5:15.

Oct 25, (night) 26 & 27 Athens sights.
OCt 28-- Ferry to Mykonos early in day ... one of the few isles that will still be perking along. Plenty of ferries either from Rafina or Piraeus -- choose by time & length of trip (shortest trip about 4 hours, longest is 6).

OCT 28-29/30 until about 3pm (1600) Enjoy Mykonos...
OCT 30 -- 16:40 Ferry (3:40) to SAMOS ... arr Samos Town (VATHY) 21:15
OCT 31 - Nov 1; explore Samos
NOV 2 -- ferry to Kusadasi; see Ephesus; overnight in Bodrum?
NOV 3 -- use Turkey Travel planner website to choose your route to Istanbul (Bodrum has airport; there are also busses and trains) Here's the Lilnk: http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/trans/index.html
NOV 4 - 6 Istanbul

I have budget hotel/meals/activity/sights suggestions for all these stops; plus advice on navigating the ferry system; you know how to find me.

Thanks so much to all of you, especially Janet. I started off feeling totally screwed and now feel like I'm going to have a great vacation.

Janet, you were right telling me I HAD to take a plane. I got scared off by quotes from one airline where a flight from Turkey to Greece would be more than the flight from New York! Luckily I kept Googling and found Atlas Air has a flight from Istanbul to Bodrum for $75.

So, here's the plan so far. Arrive in Istanbul at midnight Saturday. Sunday, fly to Bodrum. Monday, ferry to Kos (runs MWF at 9:30 AM). At 8:05 PM take Blue Star ferry to Santorini.

On October 31, when all the hotels close, I take the Blue Star ferry back to Kos at twenty minutes after midnight, arriving at 4:30 AM, then take the 3:30 PM ferry to Bodrum.

So, five days in Santorini. If I get bored, I'll see if there's anywhere cool nearby. And if the weather cancels any of these ferries, well . . . what's the Greek equivalent of "C'est la vie!"

After that, I'll spend a week going up the coast -- adding Ephesus to the list! -- and hopefully 4 days in Istanbul.

Once again, thank you so much. I appreciate knowing there are other people around who'll take the time to help a stranger. Prosit to all of you (jeez, I really need to learn some Greek, you know?)

As Lee indicated, part of the issue you have is that while Turkey looks like a country with lots of easy access to the islands, due to political strains between Greece and Turkey, ferry connections are limited, and air connections are largely between Athens and Istanbul and Ankara. To get from one to the other is a time consuming process, one I am afraid, is probably too difficult for your schedule. I am concerned that you will spend a great deal of your time getting to the Greek Isles, only to find that much of what people travel to the isles to see..Beach, great weather, Arch. Sites, Small restaurants...will only be a shadow of what it is the rest of the year.

Seriously consider concentrating on Turkey, with maybe a side trip to Samos from Kusdasi when you visit Ephesus. At the most, maybe fly round trip to Athens from Samos and spend a day or two there.

Do not rule out flying within Greece as well. Aegean Air is a nice budget line within Greece and to other EU destinations, even Olympic Air within Greece can be low cost. The only bad thing is that just about all flight are to or from Athens, or with a connection in Athens, but a few hours flight from Samos to Santorini beats a looong rough ferry ride anyday.

Paul, I think I'm switching to your solution. Too many flights and ferries to get to Santorini, and too much waiting around! I think I'll stick to the Turkish coast but take a ferry to Samos for a day or two.

I think you are wise to concentrate on Turkey. If you go down the coast, south of Fethiye to Kas, you'll be just 2.5 kilometers from the Greek island of Kastellorizo. Look at the website for this hotel http://www.megistihotel.gr/index.html... I think it looks amazing, and much prettier than Samos! We haven't been here ourselves yet, but it's on our itinerary for our trip next year.

We tried to schedule Turkey and Greece for the same trip and came to a similar conclusion. Personally, for a more relaxing trip, I'd just stick with Turkey. We spent 7 nights in Istanbul and found plenty to do (check Hotel Sultan Hill for a convenient location and reasonable rate.) For other days you could fly to Izmir, stay in Selcuk and see Ephesus and surrounding area. Another option would be visiting Cappadocia (fly into Nevsehir or Kayseri.) Consider saving Greece for another time.