Hi- My family (kids 10 & 12) will be traveling in Istanbul in Early july. We are trying to decide if we should head to Athens before heading to Dubrovnik for a kayaking trip. Any recommendation on flight vs. boat to Athens. I'm reading that Athens should be saved for the end of the Greece visit. So instead perhaps Istanbul to an island with Athens saved for last? Recommedndations for an island as well as how to see sights in Athens! Thanks
Posted by
OP
San Francisco, CA, usa
26 posts
Thank you- very helpful. It may be too much for this trip to fit in Greece etc.
Posted by
Centennial, CO, US
2126 posts
Hi Barbara
That's a lot of travel! How much time do you have? If your main objective is to see Istanbul and Athens, I would suggest flying between the two. There are some small islands (Hydra, Aegina) near Athens that you could visit on day trips. If you have enough time to make it worthwhile and want to spend time on a Greek island, you could make your way from Istanbul to the coast of Turkey. There are ferries from several Turkish towns to Greek islands (Ayvalik>Lesvos, Kusadasi>Samos, Bodrum>Kos, Marmaris>Rhodes); from all of these islands, you could ferry or fly back to Athens. Kusadasi is near Ephesus, Turkey, which you might be interested in seeing. Do you plan to fly from Athens to Dubrovnik? I would check the cost and availability ASAP. Keep in mind there are many islands along the Croatian coast, which you will likely be seeing on your kayaking trip and may be able to substitute for a Greek island experience. You might want to check flight times>cost>availability between Istanbul>Athens>Dubrovnik and see if it's within your budget. You might want to scale back and just fly directly from Istanbul>Dubrovnik, saving Greece for another trip. Think about what you really want to see. And then come back here with specific questions so we can be more helpful.