Greece and Turkey Tour 2027: Which Order, Which Crossing, How Long

A Greece and Turkey tour in 2027 needs at least nine days to cover Istanbul, one Turkish region and Athens with an island, and 13 to 15 days to add Ephesus, Pamukkale and two islands at a steady pace. The two countries are linked by a flight of about an hour and a half between Istanbul and Athens, or by a short ferry from Samos to Kuşadası, the port for Ephesus. Our 9-day tour of Istanbul, Ephesus, Athens, Mykonos and Santorini starts from $3,370 per person.

This page is about the joins: which country to start in, how to cross between them, how many days each side needs, and what changes at the border for passports, money and time. It ends with a comparison of the combined tours we run, from 9 to 20 days.

Start in Istanbul or in Athens?

Both directions work. The choice usually comes down to your flights home and what you want at the end of the trip.

Start in Istanbul, finish on a Greek island. This is the most common order in our tours. You do the busy sightseeing first, when you are fresh: Istanbul's old city, Cappadocia, Ephesus. Then you finish with Athens and a few slower days on Santorini or Mykonos. The catch: you need a flight home from Athens or from the island, usually via Athens.

Start in Athens, finish in Istanbul. Istanbul Airport has a large long-haul network, so finishing there can make the flight home simpler. This order also works well with the ferry crossing, because you reach the Turkish coast right next to Ephesus and travel east and north from there to Istanbul.

One practical rule. Book an open-jaw international ticket, arriving in one country and leaving from the other. Flying back to your arrival city costs a day and often more money than the open-jaw fare.

Three ways to cross between Greece and Turkey

By air between Istanbul and Athens. The quickest and most reliable link, all year. Turkish Airlines and Aegean Airlines both fly nonstop between Istanbul and Athens, and the flight takes about an hour and a half. Check whether your Istanbul flight uses Istanbul Airport (IST) on the European side or Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) on the Asian side. Some itineraries fly from Kayseri, for Cappadocia, or from Izmir, for Ephesus, to Athens with a connection in Istanbul.

By ferry from Samos to Kuşadası. The crossing between the Greek island of Samos and Kuşadası takes from about 30 minutes to an hour and a half, depending on the boat. Ferries leave from Vathy and Pythagorio on Samos and arrive at Kuşadası port, a short walk from the town centre. They run mainly from spring to autumn, with fewer or no sailings in winter, so check the schedule for your dates. Ephesus is a short drive from Kuşadası, which makes this the natural crossing if you want Ephesus without a flight.

By ferry from other islands. Other short crossings link Lesvos with Ayvalık, Chios with Çeşme near Izmir, Kos with Bodrum and Rhodes with Marmaris. They are useful for travellers moving along the coast on their own, but most of them are seasonal and do not connect to Istanbul or Cappadocia without a domestic flight.

There is no regular ferry between Athens or Piraeus and Istanbul. Cruise ships sail that route; our page on the Athens to Istanbul cruise covers the Istanbul end of a cruise.

How many days each side needs

A rough guide to the minimum time for a comfortable pace:

Add those up and the shape of the trip is clear. Nine days allows Istanbul, one Turkish region, Athens and one island. Twelve to fifteen days allows Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus and Pamukkale, Athens and two islands. Beyond that, you can add Crete, Delphi or Konya.

If you have to choose between Cappadocia and Ephesus on a short trip, choose Cappadocia for landscape and the balloons, and Ephesus for Roman history and the easy link to the Greek islands by ferry.

Our Greece and Turkey tours compared

All prices are starting prices per person from our current list, without international flights. Each tour includes the flights or ferries between stops listed in its itinerary.

The 14-day tour is the one that starts in Athens and uses the ferry: it sails from Mykonos to Samos and on to Kuşadası, then travels through Ephesus, Pamukkale, Konya and Cappadocia to finish in Istanbul. The 15-day Aegean Legends tour crosses from Turkey to Athens by plane or ferry. The others start in Istanbul and fly to Athens.

The Ephesus link between the two countries

Ephesus is the piece of the trip that joins the two countries in history as well as on the map. It was a Greek city long before it became one of the leading cities of the Roman province of Asia, and it sits only a few kilometres from the Aegean coast that faces Samos.

A day at Ephesus usually covers the Library of Celsus, the Great Theatre, Curetes Street and, for an extra ticket, the Terrace Houses with their wall paintings and mosaics. Many visitors add the House of the Virgin Mary and the remains of the Temple of Artemis near Selçuk. In summer, start early: the site has little shade, and the heat builds by late morning.

Our Ephesus and Kuşadası destination guide covers the region, and our page on a private Ephesus tour from Kuşadası or Selçuk explains the day in more detail. For where to stay, see Kuşadası hotels for Ephesus.

Passports, time zones and money at the border

Two entry systems. Greece is in the Schengen area and Turkey is not. Your days in Greece count towards the Schengen limit, which for visa-free visitors such as UK travellers is 90 days in any 180-day period. The EU's Entry/Exit System, which registers fingerprints and a photo at the external border, is being implemented across the Schengen area, so allow extra time at passport control on your first entry. Turkey checks your entry under its own rules, which depend on your nationality; see our Turkey visa requirements update. If you need a Schengen visa, check that it allows the number of entries your route needs.

Passport validity. For Turkey, your passport must be valid for at least 60 days beyond your stay. For Greece and the Schengen area, the UK government's advice is that it must be less than 10 years old on arrival and valid for at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen area. Six months of validity covers both.

Time. Turkey stays on UTC+3 all year. Greece uses UTC+2 in winter and UTC+3 in summer, so the two countries share the same time from late March to late October and Greece is one hour behind Turkey the rest of the year.

Money. Greece uses the euro and Turkey the Turkish lira. Cards work widely in both, but keep some lira in cash for small purchases in Turkey. Several Turkish museum tickets are priced in euros and charged in lira.

Phones. Turkey is outside the EU roaming zone. Check your mobile plan, or buy a local eSIM for the Turkish part of the trip.

When to go in 2027

The best months for the combination are May, June, September and early October. Both countries are warm, the Greek island ferries run often, and the Turkish inland sights are comfortable. Long-term averages from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM) give Istanbul an average daily high of about 22°C in May and 26°C in September, and Cappadocia about 21°C and 25°C.

July and August bring the most ferry sailings and the busiest islands, with average highs of about 30°C in Istanbul and higher on the Turkish Aegean. Book island hotels early for these months.

From November to March, island life is much quieter and many ferry routes reduce or stop, including most sailings between Samos and Kuşadası. A winter trip works better as Istanbul, Cappadocia and Athens, linked by air. For the Turkish side through the year, see our guide to the best time to visit Turkey.

Tours that cover this

• Turkey and Greece in 9 days: Istanbul, Pamukkale, Ephesus, Athens, Mykonos and Santorini, from $3,370 per person.
• Turkey and Greece combo in 9 days with Cappadocia and Santorini, from $3,165 per person.
• Popular Turkey and Greece in 14 days, starting in Athens with the Samos ferry, from $4,470 per person.
• Aegean Legends in 15 days: Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus, Pamukkale, Athens and Santorini, from $4,200 per person.

Spanish-speaking travellers can read our page Viaje a Turquía y Grecia. For a route of your own, ask for a tailor-made Turkey tour, or browse our multi-day trips.

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