Aegean Voyage, Athens to Istanbul, October, 2025

Just back from this splendid trip. For details refer to a very fine comprehensive review by LotusGirl, May 2025. She traveled in the opposite direction but her experiences, for the most part mirrored ours.

As per her experiences a WhatsApp group was set up by the TD’s (there were two) a few weeks before the trip. Tauck solicited our choice of itineraries where there were choices but our TD’s allowed us to change them in real time.

Athens: The Hotel Grand Bretagne was over the top. Our room was large by European standards, perhaps because we requested a bathtub through our TA. Breakfast overlooking the Acropolis was terrific. The only snafu was our visit to the Archeological Museum. This involved an hour wait in line. I don’t think Tauck could have done much about this and a few folks opted out. We visited, again, the Bernaki museum in our free time. A great museum if you love antiquities.

Windstar, Star Legend: we booked a deluxe suite and we were glad to have the extra room. We loved this ship, our first small ship and Windstar experience. The staff knew our name by day two. We enjoyed the main dining and Cuadro 44 where we dined twice (that is being replaced by an Asian themed restaurant). We dined once at Candles and they served a knockout veal chop. But our other choices were just so-so. Unlike LotusGirl we were able to transit the Corinth Canal. Even though that was our singular rainy day it was a great adventure!

Istanbul: the Hotel Intercontinental is fine. Our room was very large, had a great view of the Bosphorous, but was severely lacking in electrical receptacles and water pressure. The breakfast buffet is legendary. We dined one night in their rooftop restaurant and had a fresh fish which was off menu. One of the best meals of the trip.

Overall this was a trip we will long remember. It is very heavy in visits to archeological sites, so if that is not your thing, skip this one. You need shoes with good traction (we wore Hokas) and a walking stick helps. Marble and stone are slippery even when dry and there are many, many steps some of which are steep without adequate handrails. I would strongly discourage anyone who is mobility challenged to book this tour. We had several folks tumble, one serious fall requiring sutures.

This is a decidedly non-detailed review. Feel free to message me with any specific questions.

Edited to add: we flew Turkish Airlines, SFO to Istanbul connecting to Athens. I was concerned about a 90 minute connection. Even though the gate was quite a distance, we made it without a problem. The business class seats were very nice and the food was excellent. The business lounge at Istanbul is worth some extra time and bring an appetite.