Trip Report Aegean Voyage, Istanbul to Athens, April 2025
Part 1
When Tauck announced that it was resuming this tour, I jumped on it. I really wanted to visit Istanbul, and i looked forward to cruising Greece for the second time. It was a wonderful trip,
A couple of weeks prior to the start of the tour, we received an email from the two tour directors, including very helpful information about Istanbul sightseeing, restaurants, how to use the metro, as well as a schedule for the Istanbul days. We were also advised that the TDs had set up a WhatsApp group and provideded a link to join. This gave me an opportunity to research WhatsApp, which i had not previously used, download the app and be ready to use it on tour.
Getting there: We flew United to Frankfurt, Lufthansa to Istanbul. Very smooth. We, and two other couples from the tour, were met upon exiting the jetway and driven in a cart to the immigration area, then walked with the rep to the baggage claim area, and then escorted to the parking lot and driven by by van to the hotel.
The Istanbul Intercontinental was excellent. We arrived one day early, so stayed there for four nights. We had a very nice room overlooking the Bosphorus. Very good breakfast buffet. The Istanbul weather was cool (layers were needed), as predicted in the forecasts. With the exception of a rainy arrival day, it was beautiful and sunny.
Day 1: The tour was to start this evening. In the morning, we took the funicular down to the waterfront and then the Metro to the Old City area and visited the excellent Archeological Museum. Then, we visited the nearby park, where tulips were in bloom. April is tulip festival season in Istanbul. In the afternoon, we explored the New District area near the Intercontinental, including Taksim Square and the pedestrian street, Istiklal.
The tour commenced with the Welcome Reception in the rooftop bar/restaurant, with stunning Bosphorus views, and then a good dinner in a ballroom. There were 74 people in the tour group (maximum is 80). My concern about the size of the group was alleviated when we were told that the group would be divided in two between the two TDs. Then, for all of the Turkey portions of the tour, each group would be divided again, as we would have 4 local Turkish guides. It worked out very well. Our TD was outstanding, experienced and organized and our Turkish guide was excellent.
Day 2: A super day of sightseeing. The Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Bascilica Cistern (loved it), Ottoman style lunch, Grand Bazaar. Rather than spending too much time at the Bazaar, my husband and I walked over to the nearby Meydeni Square, saw the column of Constantine, and then visited the Mosque next to our meeting point to return to the hotel. On our own, we then took the funicular down to the waterfront and walked over to the cruise port area. Lots of shops and restaurants and a beautiful walk along the Bosphorus. Light dinner on our own at Faros, near the Hotel, the same place we ate the first night.
Day 3: Excellent visit to Topkapi Palace. Our guide took us through the Harem and the Treasury. We then had free time to visit other areas. We saw the Relico (including staff of Moses, relics of John the Baptist, the prophet Muhammad such as his whiskers), Garments, Audience Chamber, Library and the Pavilion (beautiful chandeliers). After lunch, short break at hotel, Then, to avoid lines, late afternoon visit to Hagia Sofia. Then, to historic Orient Express station for Whirling Dervish show and dinner. Another great day.
Day 4: Our last day in Istanbul, in the morning the groups drove to the Asia side to board a boat for a lovely cruise on the Bosphorus. Our local guides provided information about what we were seeing and mingled on deck and inside to answer any questions. We disembarked in the Old City area and walked to the Rustem Pasha Mosque, known for its beautiful tiles. Then, we walked over to the Spice Market and had free time there. I liked the Spice Market better than the Grand Bazaar - smaller, less aggressive vendors. Then, lunch at Hamdi, known for their kebabs. Then, we headed for the cruise terminal.
My husband and I are cruise veterans, including two previous cruises with Windstar, both of those on the Wind Surf. This cruise was on the Star Legend, maximum capacity around 300. There were 273 passengers on our cruise. Boarding was a little bit slow, but smooth (our two groups arrived a the same time). In addition to checking in and getting our cruise card, we were able to make one reservation at each of the two alternative dining restaurants. The main dining room is open seating - no reservation. The two smaller restaurants, Candles and Cuadro 44, require reservations. As the cruise progressed, I was able to make an additional reservation at each of the those restaurants, which we really enjoyed. I think I was lucky with cancellations, and a willingness to eat later.
We had a Star Balcony Suite midship on deck 5, which was exactly what I requested. The cabin was spacious and well layed out, including a walkin closet. The "balcony" is more of a French Balcony, but you can step outside. No room for furniture. We were very pleased with the cabin and the ship. I liked the Yacht Club, which is a forward lounge with nice views and a coffee bar with a barista and light snacks. The layout of the ship is good and the crew is excellent and hard working. I thought the food in the two alternative restaurants was excellent. We had dinner in the main dining room twice, the first time a so-so experience, the second time much better. We had cabin service breakfast every morning - excellent. We ate lunch at the outside Veranda twice, very nice. The outside barbeque dinner was very good, and fun. And the Ephesus dinner was unique and memorable.
Day 5: Lemnos, Greece. We had a leisurely morning, arriving at Lemnos around 11:30 a.m. After a quick lunch, we met the group to tender in to the port. There were choices of excursions. We took the town walkiing and tasting tour, which was pleasant. We then had time to hike up toward the Castle (steep, uneven steps, stones and inclines). We enjoyed some fantastic views, but did not go all the way to the top because it was quite windy.
Day 6: Mykonos, Greece. When we last visited Mykonos, years ago, our Delos excursion was cancelled because of choppy waters. So, we rented a scooter and explored the Island. Tauck offers the Delos tour and an Island tour, and we chose Delos. The ship docked at the new port area (which was fortunate, as choppy waters may have precluded tendering). Our Delos group took a bus to the Old Port area, walked to the ferry dock and boarded there. It was choppy, but not bad. The Delos group was split in two, with separate local guides. Our's was excellent. Delos was green with lovely Spring wildflowers. We had some free time to visit the Museum before boarding the ferry to return to town. We then walked around the town for awhile, to Little Venice and the Windmills. We walked back to the ship shuttle area, but the shuttle had left because it was full. So, we took a water taxi, which was fun.
Day 7: Kusadasi, Turkey. The same local Turkey guides met us here. My husband and I had visited Ephasus years ago. This tour was much more comprehensive. We also visited the Terrace Houses, which had not yet been excavated when we previously visited. Excellent tour. My husband and I then quickly split off from the group to visit the Ephasus Archeological Museum in Selcuk. Our TD helped us arrange, at our own expense, a driver to take us there and then to the restaurant where the rest of the group was dining (same town, but not walking distance). We were able to catch up on lunch and watch the silk worm and carpet weaving demonstration, which was interesting. Back to the ship. At 6:45 p.m. Windstar started transporting the passengers back to Ephasus for the Special Event dinner. A memorable and enjoyable evening.
To be continued...
Comments
I am so glad you are writing this. I saw this tour about a month ago and also jumped on it for next year. I think we got the last available spot on our departure. My dear Dad used to say that Istanbul was the most amazing city he had ever been to.
Part 2
Day 8: Bodrum, Turkey. Gullet boat transport from cruise terminal to port area. Then, a walking tour up to Castle and its museum dedicated to Underwater Archeology discoveries. Afterwards, an opportunity to walk up to the site and ruins of the Tomb of Halicarnassus. Very interesting. Gullet boat transport back to cruise terminal. At 3:00 pm, gullet boat cruise of the harbor area, and the boat anchored off a cove, where a handful of us went swimming. Very refreshing. A great day and a good way to say goodbye to Turkey and our wonderful local guides.
Day 9: Santorini, Greece. We were so happy to visit Santorini, especially after the February earthquakes has shut down the Island. Cruise ships are still limited, so we were one of only two ships visiting, meaning that we did not have to deal with crowds. Beautiful sail in as the sun came up. This is a tender port, using local tenders. For now, all guests are tendered to the ferry port, as the other tender port is still closed. It was a beautiful day, and the wildflowers were blooming. First we had a guided tour of the ancient archeological site of Akrotiri. Then, we went to Fira, where we had time to explore. We had lunch on our own at a restaurant overlooking the caldera. Then we drove to Oia, the town known for the blue domes. We had time to explore the town, take pictures of the domes, walk to the castle area, and stop for a liquid refreshment. A wonderful day. This was the night of the wonderful outdoor barbeque dinner on the ship.
Day 10: A sea day. It was nice to relax.
Day 11: Itea, Greece. When we booked this trip, i knew that we would be in Greece on Greek Orthodox Easter weekend and that would impact the tour. Itea is the port that provides access to Delphi. This was Good Friday, and Delphi was closed in the morning. So, we had an opportunity to take a long walk along the lovely waterfront and pop into a Church during Good Friday services. After lunch, we headed to Delphi, where we had an excellent guided tour of the site and the Museum. It was a warm, sunny day and the site was very green, with wildflowers.
Ordinarily the ship transits the Corinth Canal in the afternoon, after morning visits to Delphi. We were scheduled to transit at night, which would have been a unique experience. During dinner, the Captain announced that due to high winds, the water levels in the Canal were too low to transit. Thus, the ship was going to dock and passengers disembark, at Katakolon. While disappointing, we took this in stride, as these sorts of things happen when cruising.
Day 12: Athens, Greece. Instead of arriving in Athens in the morning, we had a four and a half hours bus ride. It was a pretty drive, and we stopped at the Corinth Canal to take photos from above. This also meant that the morning visit to the Acropolis was cancelled - and it was closed Easter Sunday. Fortunately, we had visited the Acropolis on our previous trip. The group had a quick buffet lunch at the Grand Bretagne and then toured the National Archeological Museum. The Hotel, the Grand Bretagne, is nicely located on Syntagma Square near the Paraliament Building and within walking distance to many sights. The food was good and the rooftop bar and restaurant, where breakfast was served, have a fantastic view of the Acropolis. Our room was on a quiet courtyard, which I liked, as the Hotel is on a busy street. It was, however, quite small, with little space for a second suitcase and to spread out a few things. The desk was covered with the coffee/tea service and cups, glasses for the minibar and piles of books and magazines. But, the bed was comfortable and the bathroom nice, and the closet was fine. We did go up to the rooftop pool for a quick swim, and enjoyed it.
In the evening, our TDs offered an orientation walk. They pointed our some restaurants and some sights. Afterwards, we kept walking to the area next to the Agora, below the Acropolis, and dinner at an outdoor cafe overlooking the ruins. Afterwards, we further explored the area.
Day 13: Easter Sunday in Athens. This day was unique to our tour because of the holiday. We started out with a guided bus tour along the amazingly empty streets, stopping at the Olympic stadium for photos. Then, we went to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, where we had a tour, including the rooftop gardens, with great views of the Port and the City, then toured the new opera house, and the Library. Then, we went to a beautiful seaside restaurant, Ark, where we had a multicourse Easter lunch, which was excellent. Lots of lamb. After returning to the Hotel, my husband and I walked through a nearby park to Hadrian's Arch and the Temple of Zeus and watched the changing of the guards at Parliament. Cocktail party and dinner that night at the Hotel. Excellent dinner, but I could only sample it, after our big lunch.
Day 14: We had a reasonable morning transport time to the airport. Smooth checkin, and flights, Lufthansa to Munich, and then Munich to Chicago.
We really enjoyed the tour. Highlights for me were Turkey, Mykonos and Santorini. Later, I will post some thoughts on attire, etc.
Wan - I loved Istanbul and would not balk at visiting again. The one place that we did not have time to get to that I would have liked to visit, was Dolmabahce Palace, which is relatively close to the hotel, down by the water. I thought about going there the day we went down and walked to the cruise port, but it closes relatively early, and I did not want to rush through in 1 hour. I was very happy we visited the Archeological Museum, as the guides frequently referenced it.
Attire: Good walking shoes are a must. This is a very active tour. Much of the sightseeing involves walking up and down hills,, uneven steps, cobblestones, no railings.
We went in April. Istanbul was cool and windy. We brought layers - fleece and a good rain jacket with a hood. I a!so brought and used light gloves and a buff. The weather became warmer as we went South, and I was wearing shorts at times. I also had and used a sun hat with chin strap.
At the mosques, modest attire required, including a scarf for women. And, you have to remove your shoes.
Sport coats not required. Some men had them. I brought a casual dress, my trusty black pants and white jeans and a few nice shirts for my "dressy" clothes.
Electricity. Used European adapter at both hotels. The ship has US outlets.
The Athens hotel did not provide a washcloth. I had one with me.
Thank you so much for this great report! They have so few departures for this itinerary. Maybe it's a "test" run. Sorry about the Corinth Canal.
Thank you for your report! We’ve been looking forward to hearing about this tour. We are excited to be booked for a September departure, going in the other direction, Athens to Istanbul.
Lotusgirl thank you for the great report. You mentioned that you were met at the jetway and driven to baggage claim. Did you arrange that on your own or did Tauck ?
Choc - I edited my previous post to add more detail and accuracy. Our Istanbul airport greeting was through Tauck. The pre-trip materials suggested we would have the standard greeting after exiting baggage claim. Our TDs, however, in their pre- tour email, stated that transport companies and Tauck reps are not allowed inside the airport for security reasons. Thus, we would be met by an airport rep, generally near the jetway, and we were advised that she would not have a Tauck sign, but would have our names. There were six of us on the flight, and the airport rep drove us to the immigration area, which was not busy. We then walked to the baggage claim area with the airport rep. She, and porter who wheeled the luggage, walked us outside and they and a Tauck rep walked us to the parking lot and the van.
I do not know whether everyone had the golf cart ride to Immigration. Perhaps because there were 6 of us?
Lotusgirl, thanks for the detailed tour review, we are going in September.