Classical Greece & Turkey with Island Hopping – Self-Launched

Land at Athens Airport (ATH) and take Metro Line 3 straight into the city centre (approx £8, ~40–50 mins to Syntagma/Monastiraki) or the X95 express bus (£5). Check into a hostel in Plaka or Monastiraki — this puts you walking distance from everything on the tour's Athens day. Spend the afternoon free-wandering: Plaka's lanes, the Anafiotika quarter on the Acropolis slope, and a first view of the Parthenon from Areopagus Hill at sunset. Eat at a taverna in Psyrri (moussaka or gyros plate, £10–13).

🚌Airport Metro Line 3 ~£8

🛏Hostel dorm in Plaka/Monastiraki (£16–24)

• →Areopagus Hill sunset viewpoint
• →Plaka & Anafiotika wander
• →Psyrri dinner

Do the guided half-day Athens sightseeing route independently on foot and by metro. Book a timed Acropolis entry slot online in advance (approx £12–17, cheaper off-peak) and walk up through the Propylaea to the Parthenon, Erechtheion and Temple of Athena Nike. Then the Acropolis Museum (£8–12) — go early or late to avoid the worst crowds. Continue on the free classical walk the tour covers: Panathenaic Stadium (Kallimarmaro), Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian's Arch (viewable from outside for free, or a combined ticket), the Parliament and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (catch the Evzones changing of the guard on the hour), then the Trilogy on Panepistimiou — Academy of Athens, University and National Library — finishing at Syntagma. Optional: a GetYourGuide small-group Acropolis walking tour from about £30 if you want the storytelling.

🚌Walking + metro day pass ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm in Plaka/Monastiraki (£16–24)

• →Acropolis & Parthenon (timed entry)
• →Acropolis Museum
• →Panathenaic Stadium
• →Temple of Olympian Zeus & Hadrian's Arch
• →Evzones changing of the guard at Syntagma
• →Academy, University & National Library

Swap the Lavrion cruise departure for a public fast ferry from Piraeus (Rafina also works in season) to Mykonos — book on Ferryscanner or Direct Ferries, approx £45–65 one way, 2.5–4.5 hrs depending on vessel. Drop bags at a hostel in Mykonos Town (Hora) or the cheaper Ano Mera/Paradise Beach side, then do the evening the tour does: wander Hora's whitewashed lanes, the windmills above town, and Little Venice for the sunset. Mykonos is pricey — eat souvlaki or a gyros pita (£5–7) rather than a harbour-front table.

🚌Piraeus–Mykonos fast ferry ~£55

🛏Guesthouse or hostel near Hora (£22–35)

• →Kato Mili windmills
• →Little Venice sunset
• →Hora old town walk

Recreate the cruise's Mykonos–Kusadasi leg on public ferries: in season there are direct Mykonos–Kusadasi ferry crossings (approx £45–60, 3–4 hrs, check schedules carefully and book ahead). If no direct sailing fits your dates, route Mykonos–Samos (Vathy) then Samos–Kusadasi on the daily ferry (approx £55–70 combined) — the classic backpacker crossing. On arrival in Kusadasi, ditch the ship's $110 shore excursion and get to Ephesus yourself: dolmuş (shared minibus) from Kusadasi otogar to Selçuk is about £2–3, and Selçuk–Ephesus another £1–2. Ephesus entry is roughly £20–25; a combined ticket with the Terrace Houses is worth it. Stay in Selçuk (cheaper and closer to the ruins) or Kusadasi. Visa note: check e-Visa requirements for Turkey before you fly (£35–50 for most nationalities).

🚌Ferry ~£50–65 + dolmuş ~£5

🛏Pension in Selçuk or Kusadasi (£18–28)

• →Ephesus ruins & Library of Celsus
• →Terrace Houses
• →Selçuk town & Isa Bey Mosque

This is the awkward day on any DIY version — the cruise does Patmos and Heraklion back-to-back, which is hard to replicate cheaply. The practical self-launched route: dolmuş/bus Selçuk–Izmir (£4), Izmir–Athens flight or ferry back via Samos and Athens (from around £60–90 booked early), then an Athens–Santorini ferry from Piraeus (£40–60 slow, £60–75 fast). Alternatively, save money and stress by skipping the backtrack and flying Izmir–Santorini via Athens. Once on Santorini, check into a guesthouse in Fira or the cheaper Karterados/Pyrgos, then take the public KTEL bus to Oia (£2) for the famous caldera sunset. Rethink the cable car — Fira's own caldera path is free and better.

🚌Bus to Izmir ~£4, flight back to Greece ~£75, ferry to Santorini ~£55

🛏Guesthouse in Fira/Karterados (£28–40)

• →Oia caldera sunset
• →Fira cliff path
• →Pyrgos village

Give yourself a proper morning on Santorini — Red Beach, Akrotiri excavations (£10) or a swim — before the return trip. Fly Santorini–Athens (from about £40–60 booked ahead) or take the fast ferry back (£55–70). From Athens, fly to Ankara with Pegasus/Turkish Airlines (often £35–60 if booked in advance, 1h20). Check into a budget hotel in Kızılay or Çankaya; you'll be near the Anatolian Civilizations Museum and the metro. If flights are pricey on your dates, a sleeper-ish combination via Istanbul (Athens–Istanbul flight, then YHT high-speed train Istanbul–Ankara ~£10) works too.

🚌Santorini–Athens ~£50 + Athens–Ankara flight ~£50

🛏Budget hotel in Kızılay, Ankara (£22–32)

• →Akrotiri or Red Beach morning
• →Kızılay evening stroll

Spend the morning on the tour's Ankara stops, both walkable/cheap via metro: the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations (approx £8–10, one of Turkey's best museums and the Hittite collection alone justifies it) and Anıtkabir, Atatürk's mausoleum (free, allow 1.5 hrs). In the afternoon take the direct bus from Ankara otogar (AŞTİ) to Göreme/Nevşehir — Metro or Süha Turizm, roughly £10–13, 4.5–5 hrs. Check into a cave-style or stone guesthouse in Göreme (£18–30; real cave rooms cost more, but plenty of budget pensions have rock-cut rooms). Dinner in Göreme village, £6–10.

🚌Ankara–Göreme bus ~£12

🛏Stone/cave pension in Göreme (£18–30)

• →Museum of Anatolian Civilizations
• →Anıtkabir (Atatürk Mausoleum)

Book the hot-air balloon yourself (Royal or Butterfly, roughly £140–180 — the single biggest optional extra, and prices are lower booked direct a few weeks out) for a sunrise flight if the budget stretches; otherwise watch the balloons rise from Göreme's sunset point for free. Then do the Red/Green route by public dolmuş and your own legs: Derinkuyu or Kaymaklı underground city (dolmuş from Nevşehir, £2–3, entry £5–7), Göreme Open Air Museum with its rock churches (£10–12), Uçhisar castle and Pigeon Valley walk (free), and Devrent/Paşabağ fairy chimneys by dolmuş. Skip the carpet and onyx workshop stops — those are commission stops — and buy directly if you actually want something.

🚌Dolmuş hops ~£6

🛏Stone/cave pension in Göreme (£18–30)

• →Hot-air balloon flight (optional)
• →Derinkuyu or Kaymaklı underground city
• →Göreme Open Air Museum
• →Uçhisar & Pigeon Valley hike
• →Devrent Valley fairy chimneys

Instead of flying from Kayseri, take the option most backpackers love: the overnight bus from Göreme to Istanbul (about £18–25, 10–11 hrs, comfortable reclining coaches with Metro/Süha). Alternatively fly Kayseri or Nevşehir–Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen from £25–45 if you catch a sale. Arrive Istanbul in the morning, check into a hostel in Sultanahmet or Karaköy, and spend the rest of the day gently: the Hippodrome, a walk along the Galata Bridge with its fish sandwiches (£3–4), and the Karaköy–Galata backstreets.

🚌Overnight bus Göreme–Istanbul ~£20

🛏Hostel dorm in Sultanahmet/Karaköy (£14–22)

• →Galata Bridge walk
• →Hippodrome
• →Karaköy & Galata lanes

Do the tour's Istanbul day at your own pace, all on foot and by tram. Start at the Spice Bazaar (free) before the crowds, take the public Bosphorus ferry from Eminönü (£1–2, 1.5 hrs round trip) — it's the same water and a fraction of a private cruise — then Sultanahmet Mosque (free, dress modestly), Hagia Sophia (approx £22–25 for foreign visitors, buy at the kiosk or online), and optionally the Basilica Cistern (£15). Topkapı Palace tickets are sold on the day at the gate (approx £35–40) — go early if you want it. Lunch at a Sultanahmet esnaf lokantası (£5–8). Finish with tea and baklava in Eminönü. Total day cost depends heavily on how many ticketed sites you add.

🚌Tram + public ferry ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm in Sultanahmet/Karaköy (£14–22)

• →Spice Bazaar
• →Public Bosphorus ferry
• →Sultanahmet (Blue) Mosque
• →Hagia Sophia
• →Basilica Cistern (optional)
• →Topkapı Palace (optional)

Last morning for a simit-and-çay breakfast (£2) and a wander through the Grand Bazaar or the Balat/Fener neighbourhoods if your flight is later. Get to the airport the local way: M11 metro or Havaist bus to Istanbul Airport (IST) for about £4–6, or the M4+Havaist combo to Sabiha Gökçen (SAW). Allow 2.5 hrs before an international flight.

🚌Airport metro/bus ~£5

🛏—

• →Grand Bazaar or Balat morning walk