Thoughts on travel to Greece?

[IndyColtsFan]

The wife and I are considering going to Greece in the fall. We're tentatively planning on 2 weeks and would see Athens, perhaps Delphi, Santorini, and maybe take a quick trip over to Istanbul for 3 days or so. We're starting our research, but I wanted to hear from those who have been there. In particular, a few questions:

1. How bad is the toilet situation over there? I've heard that many (most?) places won't allow you to flush TP, so you have to throw it in a bin next to the toilet.
2. We're planning on renting a villa on Santorini via airbnb.com based on some reviews on Rick Steves' site. Are there any other islands that are a "must"?
3. Any "can't miss" sites outside of Athens?
4. For a side trip to Turkey, we'd be mostly interested in seeing Hagia Sophia, some of the Roman ruins, and just experiencing the city and what it has to offer since we've both always wanted to go there. Is 3 or 4 days enough time to hit the highlights with a day leftover for just exploring?

 

[lozina]

Use lots if lube and take it slow

 

[The Boston Dangler]

it would seem the toilet situation is tragically true

other than the acropolis and museums, i'm not sure what athens has to offer a tourist any more. the place is completely built up, crowded and dirty (like any city i guess).

 

[OCGuy]

If you dab your pizza with a napkin prior to eating, you lose your man-card, nancy.

 

[K1052]

1) This is generally the case.

2) Crete is worth a visit, IMO.

3) Delphi. Corinth. Mycenae. Cape Sounion (temple of poseidon). There are a dozen or so other more minor sites also worth seeing if time allows.

4) Been looking at doing this in the not too distant future. I've figured that 4-5 days in Istanbul is probably good.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

it would seem the toilet situation is tragically true

other than the acropolis and museums, i'm not sure what athens has to offer a tourist any more. the place is completely built up, crowded and dirty (like any city i guess).

Well at least I got one serious answer. Thanks.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

don't get me wrong, i still intend on visiting athens 1 day, but i'm expecting a lot more 20th/21st century than 5th century bc.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

you can see a ton of stuff in istanbul in just a day or two.

there's hagia sophia, blue mosque, the cistern, spice market all within walking distance. there's two palaces that you can access by metro (Topkapi palace and dolmabahce palace).

You can walk across the bosphorous bridge (buy a fish sandwich from one of the boats under the bridge) over to the galata tower. You can also walk over to istiklal street from one of the metros. Definitely try the doner kebab and the soggy burger (islak).

You just need to make sure the places are open the day you're trying to visit. I think the markets are closed on weekends. Palaces are closed on mondays or something like that. Mosques are closed during prayer times.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Gypsies. Watch out for them.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Gypsies. Watch out for them.

No different than any other place in Europe really.

 

[rudeguy]

Depends.

Is this going to be a "real" vacation or no?

 

[Wonderful Pork]

My wife and I are taking that exact same trip...Istanbul -> Athens -> Santorini.

We booked through a travel agent, and have 3 nights in Istanbul & Athens (travel day + 2 full days) and 2 full days in Santorini since the Athens to Santorini flight is so early and short.

I grabbed the Rick Steve's books for each place, but haven't really started planning very much, and think we can easily do what we want in those timeframes.

 

[z1ggy]

As long as you yell, THIS IS SPARTAAAAAAAAA and go AHOOO AHOOO AAHOOO! it's perfectly fine to visit Greece.

OH and gl throwing your poop paper in a bin. Sounds lovely.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

don't get me wrong, i still intend on visiting athens 1 day, but i'm expecting a lot more 20th/21st century than 5th century bc.

I'm a nerd for museums, especially ancient historical museums. I'm thinking we would spend 4 or 5 days in Athens and that would probably include a day trip to Delphi. If I do a quick schedule, I'd envision something like this:

Day 1-4: Athens, with day trip to Delphi
Day 5-8: Santorini
Day 9-12: Istanbul
Day 13: Athens
Day 14: Fly home

The bathroom situation might be a little "challenging," however.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

My wife and I are taking that exact same trip...Istanbul -> Athens -> Santorini.

We booked through a travel agent, and have 3 nights in Istanbul & Athens (travel day + 2 full days) and 2 full days in Santorini since the Athens to Santorini flight is so early and short.

I grabbed the Rick Steve's books for each place, but haven't really started planning very much, and think we can easily do what we want in those timeframes.

If you don't mind me asking, when are you going?

I have all of Rick Steves' DVDs and I did buy the Greece book. I think I'm being a little conservative on the schedule I posted above and can probably cut a day from Athens and Istanbul. I don't think the wife would let me cut a day from Santorini.

As long as you yell, THIS IS SPARTAAAAAAAAA and go AHOOO AHOOO AAHOOO! it's perfectly fine to visit Greece.

OH and gl throwing your poop paper in a bin. Sounds lovely.

I've heard that you don't have to do that EVERYWHERE; however, it is still very common. I think the public toilets are probably like that but I've heard some of the newer, modern hotels are "flushable." I'll have to research a little more.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Depends.

Is this going to be a "real" vacation or no?

What do you mean? MINO, bro.

 

[Wonderful Pork]

If you don't mind me asking, when are you going?

I have all of Rick Steves' DVDs and I did buy the Greece book. I think I'm being a little conservative on the schedule I posted above and can probably cut a day from Athens and Istanbul. I don't think the wife would let me cut a day from Santorini.

We're leaving 8/31 on an overnight, reaching Istanbul 9/1 in the afternoon, and returning 9/9 (favorable time change means we land like 10 hours after we take off despite it taking 18 hours).

We booked a deluxe suite in Santorini so those last couple of days are going to be relaxing, I expect to be able to complete Athens & Istanbul's historic areas in about 2 days each, with plenty of eating/drinking along the way. We booked hotels close to Hagia Sophia (Nena) and the Acropolis (Hotel Athens Gate). Both had good reviews from TripAdviser and were available through the travel agent.

 

[OlafSicky]

The bathroom situation might be a little "challenging," however.

Don't worry as long as you don't do a real stinker before you go to bed you should be fine. Just to clarify this your dirty TP will be in your hotel trash bin (a very small one) all night long.
I have no idea why Greeks still insist of installing 2" or even 1.5" pluming pipes.
You should go visit a real country where your TP and SHIT can flow freely down one pipe:biggrin:

 

[DougK62]

I was researching a Greece trip just recently and was hearing tidbits from everywhere about Turkey. So I started researching Turkey and it just seems way cooler. Yada, yada, yada, I'm going to Turkey this fall instead of Greece.

 

[z1ggy]

If you don't mind me asking, when are you going?

I have all of Rick Steves' DVDs and I did buy the Greece book. I think I'm being a little conservative on the schedule I posted above and can probably cut a day from Athens and Istanbul. I don't think the wife would let me cut a day from Santorini.



I've heard that you don't have to do that EVERYWHERE; however, it is still very common. I think the public toilets are probably like that but I've heard some of the newer, modern hotels are "flushable." I'll have to research a little more.

Ugh, those places probably smell so freaking bad. Kind of like a Carnival Cruise...

 

[JManInPhoenix]

My mom has been to Greece & Turkey several times and loves both of them. According to her, the people are nice, the prices are good, the scenery is good. You should have a great time.

 

[MrSquished]

i'm Greek Cypriot and haven't been to much of Greece like most of my family, but I have known both family and colleagues (who aren't Greek) that have gone recently to the islands (all within a year, some within the last 2 months) All gave very positive reviews.

I also went to Istanbul a couple years ago. You can see quite a lot in 3 days. Definitely worth the trip. Although the political situation there has gotten quite worse since then unfortunately.

I think the Rough Guides are the best out of all the travel books, from Lonely Planet to Rick Steves and the Fodor's and the like. More off the beaten path stuff that's good.

 

[GTaudiophile]

The wife and I are considering going to Greece in the fall. We're tentatively planning on 2 weeks and would see Athens, perhaps Delphi, Santorini, and maybe take a quick trip over to Istanbul for 3 days or so. We're starting our research, but I wanted to hear from those who have been there. In particular, a few questions:

1. How bad is the toilet situation over there? I've heard that many (most?) places won't allow you to flush TP, so you have to throw it in a bin next to the toilet.
2. We're planning on renting a villa on Santorini via airbnb.com based on some reviews on Rick Steves' site. Are there any other islands that are a "must"?
3. Any "can't miss" sites outside of Athens?
4. For a side trip to Turkey, we'd be mostly interested in seeing Hagia Sophia, some of the Roman ruins, and just experiencing the city and what it has to offer since we've both always wanted to go there. Is 3 or 4 days enough time to hit the highlights with a day leftover for just exploring?

I have been to the Greek isles the following years: 1990, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011...and am returning this year.

1. The bin is there. Deal with it. No flushing TP. It's never seemed gross to me. Not even in public facilities.

2. Have visited Santorini 4 times. I have stayed here 3 of those 4 times. The $1 million view of the caldron is worth every penny. Your SO will pay you back in other favors

Note: I am a HUGE AirBnB fan, so I would consider it. It just wasn't option really when I was last there in 2010.

3. Athens sucks. See the Acropolis and GET OUT! If you can fly to an island from ATH, even better. The ferry ride from Piraeus to Santorini is a good 7 hours. This definitely cuts into the beach time. Then again, I've taken the same Blue Star (and Hellas Flying Dolphin) ferries so many times that it is no longer romantic. The first few times it can be even if you are just traveling in the sun on a cheap deck seat.

Other (bigger) islands of note include Naxos (my personal favorite), Mykonos, Paros, and even the little Delos.

4. Can't comment on Turkey.

If you're traveling during the summer, it's bloody hot. Dry heat but hot! You'll want to be near a beach or cool body of water. Stay hydrated!

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Ugh, those places probably smell so freaking bad. Kind of like a Carnival Cruise...

That's more what I'm afraid of -- the stench.

 

[ElFenix]

The wife and I are considering going to Greece in the fall. We're tentatively planning on 2 weeks and would see Athens, perhaps Delphi, Santorini, and maybe take a quick trip over to Istanbul for 3 days or so. We're starting our research, but I wanted to hear from those who have been there. In particular, a few questions:

1. How bad is the toilet situation over there? I've heard that many (most?) places won't allow you to flush TP, so you have to throw it in a bin next to the toilet.
2. We're planning on renting a villa on Santorini via airbnb.com based on some reviews on Rick Steves' site. Are there any other islands that are a "must"?
3. Any "can't miss" sites outside of Athens?
4. For a side trip to Turkey, we'd be mostly interested in seeing Hagia Sophia, some of the Roman ruins, and just experiencing the city and what it has to offer since we've both always wanted to go there. Is 3 or 4 days enough time to hit the highlights with a day leftover for just exploring?

there's more to do in istanbul than athens. athens can be seen in 2 days. or even 1 - parthenon, agora, and temple of olympian zeus in the morning, antiquities museum in the afternoon. 4 days is probably good for istanbul, visiting troy would eat up another day or 2.

santorini is a must see, but i've heard good things about milos and karpathos for off the beaten path relaxing. milos is on the way to santorini so that'd be less time on a boat.