The Best of Greece & Turkey — Self-Launched

Land at Athens Airport and take metro Line M3 straight into the centre (about €9 one-way, ~45 mins) — far cheaper than a taxi. Check into a hostel in Monastiraki or Plaka, both walkable to the ancient sights. Spend the evening wandering the lanes below the Acropolis and eating souvlaki at a cheap taverna. Book your Acropolis ticket online tonight for an early slot tomorrow.

🚌Athens metro M3 from airport, ~£8

🛏Hostel dorm or private budget room in Plaka/Monastiraki (£18-25)

• →Metro transfer from airport
• →Evening walk in Plaka and Monastiraki

Arrive at the Acropolis gate for opening (€20 combined ticket, or €30 for the multi-site package covering the Ancient Agora and more). Walk the Acropolis and Parthenon, then descend to the Acropolis Museum (€15). In the afternoon, book a small-group Greek cooking class via GetYourGuide or a Monastiraki cooking school (~€45-60) and eat what you make — the direct equivalent of the operator's included cooking dinner.

🚌Walking / metro day pass ~£3.50

🛏Hostel dorm or private budget room in Plaka/Monastiraki (£18-25)

• →Acropolis & Parthenon self-guided visit
• →Acropolis Museum entry
• →Greek cooking class (GetYourGuide, book-ahead)

Take the direct morning KTEL bus from Athens (Liosion terminal) to Trikala/Kalambaka, around 5 hours, ~€30. Alternatively the train from Athens to Kalambaka takes about 4.5-5 hours and costs ~€25-35 one way — book on the Hellenic Train site. Settle into a family guesthouse in Kalambaka, then walk the foothills for your first view of the monasteries perched on the rock pillars.

🚌KTEL bus or Hellenic Train Athens–Kalambaka, ~£28

🛏Guesthouse in Kalambaka (£22-30)

• →Sunset viewpoint walk to Agios Nikolaos or Psaropetra

Either take the local bus up to the monasteries (a few euros) or pre-book the guided Meteora Monasteries hiking tour (~€40-50) to walk the old paths between them with a local guide. Entry to each monastery is €3. Dress modestly — shoulders and knees covered, and women need a skirt or wrap. Back in town by late afternoon; grab dinner in Kalambaka's main square.

🚌Local bus to monasteries ~£3

🛏Guesthouse in Kalambaka (£22-30)

• →Meteora monasteries visit (self-guided or guided hiking tour)
• →Monastery entries

Take the bus back toward Lamia and get off at Thermopylae to see the battlefield site and information centre (free/cheap), then continue to Delphi (KTEL buses via Amfissa or Livadeia, ~€12-15 total). Delphi itself is a small village with hostels and guesthouses. Do an orientation wander in the afternoon and pre-book a local licensed guide or use the excellent site audioguide for Ancient Delphi tomorrow.

🚌KTEL intercity buses ~£12

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Delphi (£22-30)

• →Thermopylae battlefield & information centre
• →Delphi village orientation walk

Visit Ancient Delphi at opening with the combined site-and-museum ticket (€12) — the Temple of Apollo, the treasury and the museum's Charioteer are the highlights. After lunch, head back to Athens by bus (~€16) and take a Peloponnese-bound KTEL bus to Nafplio (~€15, around 2.5 hours). Stop at the Corinth Canal on the way if your connection allows, or visit it as a short detour. Evening free to explore Nafplio's cobbled old town.

🚌Delphi–Athens–Nafplio buses ~£28

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Nafplio old town (£22-30)

• →Ancient Delphi archaeological site & museum
• →Corinth Canal photo stop
• →Nafplio old town evening walk

Climb (or take a taxi to) the Palamidi Fortress (€20) for the view, then use the local bus or a shared taxi to reach Mycenae (€20 entry) and, if time allows, Epidavros (€20 entry) — both are within an hour of Nafplio. Free option: walk up to the Acronafplia fortress and swim off Karathona beach. In the late afternoon take the KTEL bus back to Athens (~€15, 2.5 hours) for the night.

🚌Local buses/shared taxi plus Nafplio–Athens bus ~£20

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel in Athens (£18-25)

• →Palamidi Fortress
• →Mycenae archaeological site
• →Epidavros theatre
• →Acronafplia walk

Take the metro to Athens Airport and fly to Istanbul with a low-cost carrier such as Pegasus or Aegean — typically £35-70 one way if booked a few weeks ahead. From Istanbul's Sabiha Gökçen or IST airport, hop the Havabus shuttle (around ₺130) or metro into the city. Check into a hostel in Sultanahmet or Beyoğlu and spend the evening eating meze and watching the city light up.

🚌Athens airport metro ~£8, flight ~£50, Havabus shuttle ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm in Sultanahmet or Beyoğlu (£15-22)

• →Evening wander in Sultanahmet or Galata/Beyoğlu

Book a Gallipoli day tour from Istanbul in advance via GetYourGuide or Klook (usually £45-70 including transport, lunch and a licensed guide) — this is the realistic self-launched way to cover ANZAC Cove, Lone Pine and the war cemeteries in one day. Tours typically drop you in Eceabat or Çanakkale; if not, take the ferry across the Dardanelles (about ₺30) and stay in Çanakkale's hostel strip.

🚌Included in day tour; ferry across Dardanelles ~£2

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Çanakkale (£15-22)

• →Gallipoli battlefields guided day tour (GetYourGuide)
• →ANZAC Cove, Lone Pine, war cemeteries

In the morning take the local dolmuş to Troy (Truva) near Tevfikiye, about 30 minutes from Çanakkale; entry is around ₺700 and you can self-tour or join a short guided walk on site, complete with the replica Trojan horse photo. Afterwards take an intercity bus south to Ayvalık (~3-4 hours, ~£10-12). Ayvalık is a lovely Aegean town — wander the old Greek quarter, browse the women's handicraft co-operatives (the Çöp(m)adam social enterprise equivalent), and eat at a cheap fish restaurant by the water.

🚌Dolmuş to Troy ~£2, bus to Ayvalık ~£11

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Ayvalık (£18-25)

• →Troy archaeological site
• →Ayvalık old quarter and handicraft shops
• →Optional half-day boat trip around the islands (Cunda)

Take the morning bus to Selçuk (~4 hours, change at İzmir or take a through bus, ~£12). Drop bags at a guesthouse, then walk or take a taxi 3 km to Ancient Ephesus — entry is around €40 / ₺800. Go late afternoon when the tour groups thin out and the light on the Library of Celsus is best. Use the site's audioguide or pre-book a small-group Ephesus tour if you want context.

🚌Intercity bus Ayvalık–Selçuk ~£12

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Selçuk (£18-25)

• →Ancient Ephesus self-guided visit (Library of Celsus, Great Theatre, Harbour Street)

Explore Selçuk's own sights first: St John's Basilica (€6) and the Isa Bey Mosque (free), plus the Ephesus Museum if you want the artefacts. Then take the local dolmuş up to Şirince (about 20 minutes, a few lira) — a hillside village of stone houses, fruit wine tastings, olive oil stalls and handicraft sellers. Return for the evening and book your Pamukkale bus for tomorrow.

🚌Dolmuş to Şirince ~£1.50

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Selçuk (£18-25)

• →St John's Basilica
• →Isa Bey Mosque
• →Şirince village and fruit wine tasting

Take the early bus to Denizli/Pamukkale (~3.5-4 hours, ~£10). Entry to the Hierapolis–Pamukkale site is around ₺800 and includes the ancient city, the theatre, the necropolis and the travertine terraces. Walk barefoot down the white pools (some sections are roped off — follow the marked path), then swim in the Antique Pool if you fancy it. Stay in Pamukkale village at the foot of the terraces for an easy morning.

🚌Bus Selçuk–Denizli/Pamukkale ~£10

🛏Guesthouse in Pamukkale village (£18-25)

• →Hierapolis ancient city and theatre
• →Pamukkale travertine terraces walk
• →Optional Cleopatra Antique Pool

Take the shuttle to Denizli Çardak Airport and fly to Istanbul (often £25-45 with Pegasus or Turkish Airlines if booked early) — the self-launched equivalent of the operator's included internal flight. Check into your hostel and do your own orientation walk: Hippodrome, Blue Mosque (free), Hagia Sophia exterior, Topkapı Palace exterior, then down to the Spice Bazaar and across the Galata Bridge at sunset. Pre-book tickets online for Hagia Sophia and Topkapı if you want to go inside tomorrow.

🚌Airport shuttle ~£4, flight ~£35

🛏Hostel dorm in Sultanahmet or Beyoğlu (£15-22)

• →Old city orientation walk
• →Blue Mosque
• →Spice Bazaar
• →Galata Bridge sunset

Use the morning for whichever big sight you saved — Hagia Sophia (€25), Topkapı Palace (around ₺1,500) or the Basilica Cistern (₺900) — or take a cheap public ferry up the Bosphorus (about ₺50, far less than a tourist cruise) for a final view of the skyline. Then take the Havabus shuttle or metro to the airport for your flight home. If you have a late flight, leave bags at the hostel.

🚌Havabus shuttle to airport ~£4

🛏None (departure day)

• →Hagia Sophia or Topkapı Palace
• →Public Bosphorus ferry
• →Departure transfer