Selena29

Hi everyone. I'm planning a trip for the summer and having a bit of a tough time. Here is what we originally thought of doing. Rome (3 nights) Crete (2 nights), Santorini (3 nights), Rhodes (2 nights) and Istanbul (2 nights). I originally wanted to add Ephesus but then I thought it would be too hectic. But now..I heard from a Turkish friend who said Ephesus is better than the ruins in Greece. So now the debate...Should I scratch Rhodes and add Ephesus? Any input would be much appreciated! Thanks

Gretchen

No Mykonos?

TDudette

Could you make Rhodes a day-trip from Santorini and then give those 2 days to Ephesus? It has been many years since DH and I visited Ephesus and I hear it is even more restored when we were there.

We were on a 2-week tour with 1/2 Athens and 1/2 cruise. Our times spent on Crete, Santorini, Rhodes and Ephesus were very short. Rhodes at 8 hours was the longest compared to the others. None of it meant to savor. We actually skipped the Crete and stayed on the ship, part but my notes don't say why.

I hope more people will weigh-in about this. What things did you particularly want to see in Rhodes and Crete? Or could you give up time in Santorini?

clausar

TDudette
Santorini and Rhodes are very far apart, so no day trip is possible........
On the other hand i don't understand how one can say Ephesus is nicer than the ruins in Greece.......
Ruins are not just ruins, they carry a history, and for that reason i would never dare to compare....
How can one say Delphi is nicer than Ephesus?
If this is so important to the OP, then she should skip Rhodes and do Ephesus instead...
I would also like to know if this turkish friend has ever been to Greece.....

rgnovvv

If I had to choose between Ephesus and Rhodes, then hands down Ephesus wins. Both offer great things but Ephesus is amazing. On the other hand only 2 days in Istanbul you may regret. It is a wonderful mix of cultures and people and you will not even begin to get to experience it with 2 days. Not sure you will be able to do Rome justice in 3 days. Seems you may be spreading yourself a little thin. Good luck so many wonderful choices.

Pepper_von_snoot

I think two nights in Rodos is perfect.

You should stay in the Old Town. Exlore the Palace and the Street of Knights, walk around the old city, take a walk over to the harbour and see the windmills.

The Rodos Park Hotel is very swanky and has a beautiful pool. It is located right outside the Amboise Gate of the walled city. Keith and I stayed here for 5 nights in July, 2007.

Rodos has a great beach out near the Aquarium.

I AGREE that you need more than two nights in FABULOUS Istanbul. One of my favourite cities in the world.

And only 3 nights in Rome is a tragedy. I neek two weeks in Rome--at least!!!!

Tschuss,
Pepper

Sassafrass

I am with rgnovvv on this one. I've been to both - recently. I like the old city of Rhodes, but would easily choose Ephesus instead of Rhodes because it is so amazing. Frankly, I would also cut something else and give another day to Istanbul. It is such a beautiful city with incredible sights and wonderful food.

Selena29

Thanks everyone for your input thus far. I agree that 3 days in Rome is not worth it, but the people I'm going with want to get a taste of it. My husband and I plan to go back to see Italy again next year and we will go back to Rome for sure. As for Istanbul, I think I will see if the group is good with adding another day there.

As for Ephesus vs. Rhodes. From what most of you are saying..Ephesus is a must see. I will see if I can move things around and add it in.

Does anyone know if it's possible to take a ferry to Izmir or Kusadasi from Santorini? Or do you know of a good website that shows the ferry routes. I have had no luck.

Heimdall

Wow! Selena, you have made a list of destinations without working out how to get between them. You are contemplating 5/6 destinations in 3 different countries all in 12 nights. Each change of destination will use up a day in travel. As another poster wrote, you are spreading yourself too thin.

To get from Santorini to Kusadasi by sea would require two days of travel and three ferries: one from Santorini to Syros or Mykonos, a second from there to Samos, and a third to Kusadasi. Alternately, ferries from Santorini to Rhodes are overnight and leave only about 3 times per week. Then you will have to get from Rhodes to Kusadasi, either by the Greek ferry system, or overland through Turkey. A good reference for the Greek ferry system is Thomas Cook's guidebook <i>Greek Island Hopping</i>.

Were it me, I would eliminate one of the three countries completely, and concentrate on the other two. A good plan for 12 nights would be Athens, one Greek Island, and Istanbul.

china_cat

Can I make a crazy suggestion? Have you considered a cruise? You could cruise from Rome to Venice with stops in all of those places. I realize with a cruise you don't get as much time in each location as you might want, but your travel schedule is awfully hectic, and lots of time getting from place to place.

Here's the 12 day Princess cruise itinerary
12 day Greek Isles From Rome to Venice
12 Days - Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy, stops include, Naples/Capri, Italy, Santorini, Greece, Rhodes, Greece, Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey, Mykonos, Greece, Athens (Piraeus), Greece, Katakolon (Olympia), Greece, Corfu, Greece, Dubrovnik, Croatia, Venice, Italy

In answer to your original question...yes, the ruins in Ephesus are some of the most impressive anywhere. But Lindos in Rhodes is not too shabby either. And I like the old town in Rhodes too. You would enjoy both, I think, so pick whichever fits your itinerary and travel time better.

suec1

I too am wondering if you have really looked at the logisitics of going to all your destinations - even tho on the map they seem in the same region, transportation could be time consuming and $$$$ - I think your time in each place will be pretty limited. I think the suggestion of a cruise is spot-on (as the Brits say) and some of the Med. itineraries are BARGAINS this summer (wonder why!). Many different lines cruise this region, some have overnight stays in Istanbul - there is also a Rick Steves book all about the Med. ports to help you maximize your time. Cruise Critic has a ton of info as well. Different lines have different styles - if you think that might be an option I'd be glad to suggest what cruise line might suit you. I like Celebrity or Azamara.

Mimar

You might as well cut Crete. 2 nights is just not enough.

I'm wondering where you got this itinerary. It does sound like a cruise ship itinerary but without the ship. Working out the details of transportation (flights, ferries) between all these sites is a big job.

otherchelebi

Cruise will not provide even the slightest hint of the culture or life of the region or the countries and remove Rome from the list.

If you wish to concentrate on history and ruins, just leaving Santorini out may leave you with a doable itinerary, as long as you can fly to Crete from rome and to Rhodes from Crete with no trouble.

Then you can take a short ferry from Rhodes to Fethiye or Marmaris and drive to Ephesus, visiting a few other interesting antique locations on the route if you wish.

There are very frequent flights from Selcuk (near Ephesus) to Istanbul.

3 nights Rome
2 nights Crete
1 night Rhodes
1 night Selcuk/Ephesus
4 nights Istanbul

And there you are: a tasting menu at a Michelin star restaurant

Pepper_von_snoot

Well, you don't have to take a ferry between Santorini and Rodos; you can fly Aegean Airways. I don't know if there is a direct flight or if you have to fly back to Athens.

It only takes about an hour to fly from Athens to Rodos.

However, since you are already taking a beach vacation in Santorini and also viewing ruins on Crete I don't think you have to visit Rodos too.

I agree with Heimdall above. You are not allowing time for airport transfers, checking into hotels, unpacking, etc.

Been there, done that,
Pepper--posting in Fodorville for 11 years

clausar

I think 2 nights in Crete and 1 night in Rhodes are simply not enough.. Especially Crete is an island where you need at least 1 week to even scratch the surface.

1 night in Rhodes won't give you time to see the island either,
it would be better in my opinion to skip totally both Crete and Rhodes, and visit Rome - Athens and Istanbul...

I wonder why you haven't included Athens in your original plan, the Acropolis ,the New Acropolis Museum and the Archeological Museum are more than a reason to visit.

yiassas

I think like the others, way too much & trying to do it you would probably end up seeing less than you would on a cruise & get more of a headache doing it too! At least on a cruise you don't have to keep packing & unpacking.
Either go with Heimdall's suggestion of cutting a country & doing Athens, an island & Istanbul or if Rome has to stay in then do that, Istanbul & Athens. 3 places in 12 days is ample & depending on which places get the highest 'must see' do the travel logistics before deciding, as stated it is not that easy between the places you first listed.
Otherwise, go ahead & try for more, but see far less, if anything at all, in some destinations.

Selena29

Thanks everyone. I was actually working with a travel agency to work out a majority of the travel between locations. We wil be flying from place to place. I only wanted to know about the ferries to see what possibilities there were.

@ china_cat and suec1 - This all had originally started as a cruise but as we searched the time periods we wanted to go, there was not a cruise that went to everywhere we wanted to go. the only one was a 14 day cruise and then add a day for travel back and forth...I can't take that much time off work.

I agree with all of you. You can't see any place well for a day or 2 but unfortunatly I wanted to make the most out of my 2 week vacation. I guess I will just pick my favorites and elliminate something from the list.

So many places to see in the world and so little vacation time from work! I really hope I win the lotto soon