Mykonos and Santorini

You don't need a tour company for Mykonos, best to get off the ship and explore the lively town on your own.. how long do you have onshore?

Thank you Pat for your reply. We arrive in Mykonos at 7:00 AM and depart at 5:00 PM. Any suggestions for places to make sure we see? My daughter(she is an adult)is so excited about Mykonos and the more we read about it the more excited we get.
Noticed you are in Canada...we are seriously thinking of using Air Canada for our flight to Rome (that is our port). Have you flown with them and what did you think?

Hey Judy, I was just in both Mykonos and Santorini this June, and both are stunning. Like the previous poster said you don't really need a tour for Mykonos. The town is pretty small, little Venice and the windmills are within 10 minutes of the main part of town. The town is not that big, but its really fun to walk around and there are a ton of cute shops.

Santorini I would reccomend doing on your own as well. You most likly will be able to take the cable car up to main main part of Fira, from there its about a 10 mintue stroll to the bus station. You can take the bus all around the island for really cheap. When I was staying on Santorini I had booked a tour but half an hour after the tour was suppose to leave someone came and told me it was cancelled because not enough people signed up. It is so much easier to see the island youself. From Fira take the bus 20 mins. to Oia it is super easy just go to the main bus depot in Fira its right on the main street, the bus times are all posted and you pay on the bus its only 1.6 euro. Oia is amazing it is the part of Greece that all the photos you see are taken. You can also take a taxi from Fira to Oia it would be 10 - 15 euro, but the buses are nice, like big coaches!

Also I flew Air Canada into Rome and out of London this past June, they are pretty good. I have also flown with United which is dreadful and British Airways which for coach was really good. Most of Air Canada is the newer planes, you can check this when you book, try to get the newer plane as it has your own personal tv. The international flights still have pretty good meals, and I have always found Air Canada flight attendents good, and the planes nice.

Hi Pamela,
Thank you for your reply. It is great to know that Istanbul is not difficult to navigate on your own. I checked into some tours and they are very expensive. Our ship will only be in port for 24 hours so unfortunately we will not be able to do the extent of sightseeing you were able to do. I do hope to go back some day, especially because my Grandfather was from Istanbul. Thank you again for the information.

Judy, since many of the main attractions in Istanbul are all close together you'll be surprised just how much ground you can cover in one day. Focus on the Sultanahmet District. That's where the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern and Agia Sophia are located, all very close together; and just a short walk from there is the Grand Bazaar, an absolute MUST SEE! As long as your feet hold out you should be able to visit them all. Have a great time. Istanbul is amazing.

Hi Cora,
Thanks for the good information and directions for visiting the cities. I have heard that Oia is not to be missed. We (husband, daughter and son-in-law) are very excited about this trip and have been planning it since July of this year. For a bonus we discovered that the cruise is on the new ship--The Solstice (cruising with Celebrity).

Glad to hear about the airlines. The other airline we are looking at is Lufthansa. I have flown with them several times (we lived in Germany when my husband was still in the Air Force) and we really liked them...seats in coach were further apart and the service was very good. All in all I am trying to not make but one plane change since I figure the more stops we make the more likely our luggage won't make it on the same flights as us.

Have you been to Istanbul? I am looking into tour operators there. The company that helped Rick Steves write his book looks like it would be good but is very expensive so we are also looking at others.
Thanks again for your help.

Judy, we just returned from our first cruise, Istanbul to Athens on Oceania' Nautica last weekend, including stops in Dubrovnik and Kusadasi (for Ephesus). We spent four days in Istanbul before the cruise and found it a very easy city to navigate and tour without any guide using Rick's Istanbul book, just updated this past spring. Everyone in the tourist industry speaks great English, the public trams stop near all the major sites, and if needed (such as to reach the Chora Church for its fantastic mosaics about 20 minutes west of the main tourist area), the taxis are very reasonable. In constrast, I highly recommend a guide for visiting Ephesus if your cruise stops there.

Istanbul was my favorite place of all on this fantastic vacation. Be sure to add extra time there; you will need it!

Hi Lee,
Thanks for the information. The more I prepare for this cruise the more excited I get. My daughter and son-in-law will be joining my husband and I and we all can hardly wait for May '09. My daughter has already decided she wants to spend at least a half a day at the Grand Bazaar...she is quite the shopper and having grown up close to Mexico she is actually quite good at "working a deal". Thanks again for the info.

Hey Judy, I actually just bought Rick's Steves Istanbul book, I am planning a trip there for this May 09. The book is very good, while its not written by Rick its very similar to his other books. I have read a good portion and I think it is very helpful. I also purchased the Lonely Planet book on Istanbul because I plan to visit for 5 nights, and wanted some more recomendations on cheap places to eat. I do perfer Rick's book, but Lonely Planet has better maps. I think if it's just one stop you may not need the whole book. I would try getting it from your library coping down a couple things to see, and do it on your own. I am glad to hear from the other poster that Istanbul is easy to navigate. The cruise sounds like it has many good ports! I know you will also love Greece I was there in mid-May this year and it was perfect, not to busy with very nice weather, warm but not too hot.

Hi Cora,
Seems like we might be in Istanbul at the same time.I actually have Rick Steve's Istanbul book already and am reading as time allows. Our cruise should be great...we are leaving from Rome and it is an 11 day cruise with 3 days at sea which will be great since I have done one in Italy before that only had one day at sea and I was absolutely exhausted at the end of the cruise. Anyway, I appreciate your help and will let you know if I hear anything great, other than on this website.