Hi,
I am going to be making a trip in May from:
NYC --> Athens (arrive at 12:30AM May 9th)
Athens --> Istanbul (arrive at 4PM May 13th)
Istanbul --> NYC (depart from IST May 18th)
Those are the 'set in stone' dates.
Reading forums, it seems Athens is a city that people advise to spend one day in and you can 'see' most of it. I am more interested in Santorini and so want to make a trip there. My plan was:
- Arrive in Athens at 12:30AM - kill a few hrs in the airport and at 5AM go port for a Ferry to Santorini. Arrive in Santorini at 5PM (May 9th) - stay until May 11th and leave early that morning and get to Athens by 5PM (May 11th). Spend all day exploring Athens May 12th and fly to IST May 13th.
- Spend the rest of the day exploring IST (May 13th) and on May 14th, fly to Cappadocia; Spend May 14th, all day 15th, and fly back to IST on the 16th. Check into the hotel and spend the rest of the day (May 16th) exploring, May 17th all day, and fly back May 18th in the AM.
Our main goals on this trip are to see (and take pictures of/in) Santorini and Cappadocia as well as experience Athens and Istanbul.
What do you guys think? In terms of logistics, I think flying to/from Athens-Santorini would be better than a ferry for time but I am not sure how much tickets would cost - any idea?
Also: For each of those stops - any 'must do' activities? Any dining recommendations (we eat fish and veggies, no meat)? Any hotel recommendations that are 'cheap' and nice (oxymoron haha).
I have traveled before and know how exhausting a plan like this could be but it will be the last time I travel for the next 3+ years
Thank you ALL!