Greece and Turkey in winter?

Question

My friend and I are planning a trip to backpack through southern Europe for about 2-3 weeks. We want to visit Greece, Turkey, Italy and maybe Morocco too. I know that winter is not the best time to go to Greece (well I actually wanted to travel to Scandinavian countries, but my friend, she doesn't want to freeze to death).

So, these are my questions :

1. How is the weather in Greece in December?

2. Are the attractions in Athens closed in winter? Like Acropolis, museums, etc.

3. I'm planning to visit the islands (Santorini, Crete, and Mykonos). Anyone knows how to get there? I heard there's some kind of islands hopping, is it expensive? How much it costs? For your info, we're really on a tight budget.

4. Money things : how much money do you think is necessary to save up/bring on a trip like this?

5. If I can't afford to go to the islands, aside from Athens, which city should I visit?

6. What's the easiest and cheapest way to go to Turkey from Greece?

7. What are some must-see places in Turkey?

Thank you :)

Answer 1

About Turkey, it all depends on where you want to go. In Istanbul, the weather may or maynot allow you to roam the place. We don't have too much snow, but when it does, it makes it virtually impossible to go around. But I bet you can follow the weather from Greece and decide if you would like to visit or not.

Just decide what you want to do and ask again. We will be glad to help.

As far as I know there are bus services between Greece and Turkey, but I don't know the details. Should be cheaper than the plane.

Answer 2

1. The winter is a great time to visit Greece. Of course you won't be able to swim and the islands may be rather empty, so it won't be a "enjoy-the-sea" vacation, but once you get that straight in your mind, there are plenty of things to do and see. The weather in December is wintery, of course, it may rain or even snow, but there will be nice sunny days too.

2. All the monuments and archaeological sites will be open, and in fact it is better to visit them in winter, without the summer heat and sun. They close early though.

3. Visiting the islands in December is not such a great idea. Especially island hopping. Maybe you could go to one big island ( in terms of local population) that won't be so deserted. Like Syros (you can combine this to Myconos, they are close). Or Rhodes (which you can combine to Turkey, they are close too. Chios is also close to Turkey).

4. I would advise to have about 150 euro each per day to cover all of your expenses.

5. You can take daily trips or weekend trips from Athens. The best choices are:

a. Delphi archaeological site - and Hosios Lukas Monastery (don't miss that!). In the winter you can also ski there. 2 hour drive from Athens.

b. Nafplio neoclassical town and Epidauros and Mycenae archaeological sites. also 2 hour drive from Athens

c. Mount Pelion, lovely picturesque villages for winter. 4-5 hour drive from Athens, you need to stay 2-3 days.

d. Zagorochoria, near Ioannina. Also nice picturesque villages, amazing landscapes and the city of Ioannina itself is very nice and historic. Go to the little island on the lake. 5-6 hour drive from Athens, you also need to stay 2-3 days.

e. Meteora. Amazing experience! Google it to see the huge rocks with the monasteries climbed on top of them. 5 hours drive also.

f. Aegina. lovely island very near Athens, 1 hour ferry trip from Pireaus. Do visit the ancient temple of Afaia.

6. Easiest way to go to Turkey: fly to Istanbul, which is a must see place. Cheapest way: probably to take the ferry from Rhodes or Chios, if you are there. You can also take trains and buses but it will be much trouble for you, not worth it, better to fly.

7. Across from Chios there is an area with very interesting ancient Greek cities - archaeological sites, like Milet, Priene, Efesos, etc. The area across from Rhodes is more summer-type vacation I think. Personnally, I advise you to just fly to Istanbul, the old Constantinople, the capital of 2 Empires for over 1500 years.

Answer 3

I wouldn't go to any of those countries in the winter except Morocco.  Venice, Florence, Rome, Istanbul, Athens, and the Greek islands are too cold in winter to really enjoy sightseeing, let alone to go to the Greek island beaches.  The Greek islands practically shut down in the winter, and you will have a hard time finding accomodation, and ferry schedules are cut to the minimum so it's hard to get around.

The attractions in Athens will be open, although the hours may be reduced on some of the minor sights and museums.

You normally get from Athens to the Greek islands by ferry or plane.  You get between the islands by ferry.  I think going from Athens to visit three islands and going back to Athens, all by ferry, would be about US $150 total, but the prices may be higher now because of fuel costs and the weakness of the dollar versus the euro.

Not counting flights to and from Europe, your trip would probably cost a minimum of $50 per day, staying in basic hotels and eating most meals outside of restaurants.

The cheapest ways to go from Greece to Turkey are bus or train, but they are both very slow.  A flight from Athens to Istanbul is about US $250 round trip.

The must-see places in Turkey are Istanbul and Cappadocia (beautiful rock formations).  You also might be interested in Ephesus (a Roman ruin), Gallipoli (an important World War I battlefield), or Ankara (many historic sights and museums).