advice for transportation from Rome to Athens to Istanbul

In the past, Olympic has had a bad rep; but I think they were taken over recently. We flew them a couple of weeks ago from Istanbul to Athens with no problems. Actually very good service. They had the best schedule for us and a very good price. Pm me if you would like some hotel recommendations for Athens, Napflio and Istanbul.

I don't think it matters whether you end your trip in Athens or Istanbul. There are numerous flight choices back to the U.S. from either city. I think I might choose to end in Greece because the overall pace there should be slower, which is kind of nice at the end of a trip. Flights between Istanbul & Athens are very frequent and you'll be able to choose between Turkish Airlines, Olympic Airlines, and Aegean Airlines. I've flown them all and never had any problems. You can use skyscanner.com to look at all your options.

We like Aegean Air. Has a similar fare structure to Southwest. Service is high but schedules are a little limited.

Thanks everyone. This is exactly what I needed to know. We actually skipped going from Rome to Istanbul this summer because the fares on Turkish Air were too high. I'll take a look at Turkish Air again and definitely check out the two other suggested airlines. And ending the trip in Greece instead of Istanbul sounds like a good way to go. Grazie a tutti.

As for deciding whether to go to Istanbul or Athens first, you might compare costs between your various options.