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COMBINED WITH GREECE

Combined tours of Turkey and Greece: a trip to the most mythical of civilization and nature

Visiting Turkey and Greece in the same trip is an incomparable proposal, in every sense: for their undeniable differences, but also for their surprising similarities, the result of both the past and the present.
Contrasts and points in common that have to do with the
history, gastronomy, religion and, above alland, above all, with the sea that unites and separates them: the Aegean.
De todo ello y mucho más se componen nuestros circuitos combinados por Turquía y Grecia, que admiten muchas combinaciones en cuanto a transportes, servicios y hoja de ruta.

Greece and Turkey: from love-hate to cooperation

There is no denying that the relationship between the two territories has gone through has gone through ups and downs throughout historyThe two countries have had moments of true communion, but also some very painful episodes.
But the common interest in the progress and welfare of its population has prevailed… for the benefit of foreign tourists, who can now conceive the combined tours of Turkey and Greece as a unitary and fascinating trip.

A first moment of joint and fruitful work took place in Ancient Greece. Ancient Greece.
Si bien este nombre hace referencia a la Península del Peloponeso como centro neurálgico de aquella civilización, en realidad una buena parte de Anatolia también quedaba bajo dominio y/o influencia griega, especialmente en la costa turca del Mar Egeo.
Un destino común que se mantuvo con la civilización posterior, la romana, e incluso con sus herederos, los bizantinos.

Thus, the traveler will find powerful similarities between the Acropolis of Athens and the Acropolis of Pergamon. Acropolis of Athens and the Acropolis of Pergamonbetween the the theaters of Dionysus and Hierapolisor between the sculptures of the Parthenon and those of the archaeological museum of Ephesus..
Otros destinos muy helenizados fueron Bodrum (Halicarnaso) y Esmirna, donde la huella del pasado sigue estando presente en sus yacimientos arqueológicos.
Pero sin duda, el yacimiento por antonomasia es
Troynear the Turkish city of Çanakkale, where the historical and the mythical blend, as narrated by Homer in the Iliad.

The Byzantine iByzantine EmpireThe Roman civilization, centuries later, also represents a shared episode in the history of both countries: this civilization was heir to the Roman one, but with an Orthodox Christian religion, a Greek language and a capital in Constantinople, i.e., Istanbul.
For this reason, the traveler will find similarities between the magnificent
domes of Hagia Sophia and the Small Sophia of Istanbul (formerly Christian basilicas) with, for example, those of the Orthodox churches in Santoriniin both cases symbolizing the sky.

With the irruption of the Ottoman Empire and the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the tables were turned: it was this Muslim empire that went on to conquer and dominate the Greek world, including the Aegean islands, albeit with moments of resistance, such as the conquering attempts of the crusadersThe Crusaders, who left examples of their military strength in castles such as Rhodes.

However, Greek nationalist sentiment and its desire for independence crystallized in the so-called Greek War of Independence in 1820-21. Greek War of Independence in 1820-21, the outcome of which shaped the Greek nationalism and its desire for independence.whose outcome shaped roughly the territorial limits of today’s Greece.
And a century later, after the First World War and the fall of the Ottoman Empire, it was Turkey that revived its own nationalist movement with Atatürk at its head: the
Turkish War of Independencein response to Greek expansionist pretensions in Anatolia, shaped the geography of present-day Turkey.

This century of conflicts and hostilities led to a transcendental episode: the exchange of populations exchange of populations.
Ese pacto, acordado en 1923, supuso que los griegos asentados en territorio turco y los turcos de territorio griego (que eran numerosos en ambos casos) regresaran a sus países de origen.
Con ello, la influencia mutua de ambas poblaciones quedó fuertemente limitada.

However, much of that influence and cultural exchange, forged over centuries, still remains.
The most observant traveler will perceive it in such varied aspects as the
gastronomy or musicbut also in others such as maritime maritime vessels or even the facial features of the of the population.

During the 20th centurypolitical relations were not exactly relaxed, with factors of disagreement such as migratory control.
In the 21st century, however, a strong element of union has emerged: the economy and, more specifically, the
tourism as an engine for generating wealth.
El acercamiento diplomático sellado entre ambos gobiernos a partir de 2023 es un buen ejemplo de ello.
Pero más significativa es aún la colaboración público-privada para hacer posible cruceros y circuitos combinados por Turquía y Grecia, como los que puedes encontrar en esta misma página.

Highly contrasting natural landscapes

On the natural level, both countries also have elements in common, although the contrasts between them are predominant.
And that is precisely what is most attractive in the eyes of the traveler.
Greece, a seafaring town par excellence, offers
maritime-terrestrial landscapes of unparalleled beauty, especially in the Greek Islands of the Aegean Sea.
Here, small islands and islets emerge green from the crystal clear waters, forming bays, coves and isthmuses of powerful charm.

This landscape has its correspondence in the Turkish coast of the Aegean and the Turquoise Coast, through which to where sailing aboard a gulet a gulet is an unparalleled pleasure.
However, the large size of Turkey is conducive to the existence of many other natural landscapes, available to the traveler through these package tours.
Of course, the
Cappadocia’s whimsical rock formationsThe fairy chimneys and cave galleries.
But also the
travertine terraces of Pamukkale or the snow-capped mountains near Bursa (Uludag).

Therefore, nature lovers will have many incentives to join a combined circuit through Turkey and Greece, with the camera always ready to immortalize wild sunrises and sunsets in Mediterranean forests, or to spot swallows, warblers and other migratory birds in the Greek Islands.

Two countries, multiple routes

The combined tours of Turkey and Greece allow for a wide variety of routes, depending on the duration and the points of departure and arrival.
The proposals range from express circuits of barely
one week to visit the two main cities of both countries (Istanbul and Athens) up to more than two weeks. more than two weeks to include a cruise or destinations far from each other.
In addition, there are two options for the route:

  • CircularIf you choose Istanbul, starting and ending in Istanbul or Athens, a simple round-trip airline ticket will suffice.
    In the case of choosing Istanbul, travelers requiring a visa will have to apply for a multiple-entry visa, as Turkey is left mid-route and then re-entered later.
  • Linearstarting in Turkey and ending in Greece, or vice versa: this is an option that allows a better optimization of the itinerary, but the airline tickets may be more expensive and must be booked separately from each other.

As far as the Turkish part of the circuit is concerned, the main destinations are the ones we explain in depth in this website. Istanbul stands as an essential stop, which can also be the beginning and/or end of the route, with iconic monuments such as Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque or the Topkapi Palace. Cappadocia and the fairy chimneys of the Göreme National Park offer a host of unforgettable sights.
As well as the white travertine terraces of the
Pamukkale and the Greco-Roman ruins of Hierapolis. Ephesus is another of the great archaeological sites of Turkey and the world, which adds the attraction of the nearby House of the Virgin.
And in the interior of Anatolia, places such as
Ankara and Konya can also make a place for themselves, and deservedly so.

As for the Greek part of the circuit, the destinations to visit are also varied.
A star option, present in many routes, is the cr cruise along the
Greek Islands.
Con salida desde el puerto turco de
Kusadasi.
te llevará por lugares tan idílicos como
Santorini, Mykonos or Patmos.
En ellas, encontrarás la combinación perfecta de vestigios arqueológicos, construcciones militares medievales, iglesias ortodoxas con encanto, playas paradisíacas y ambiente nocturno.
Y por supuesto, la capital,
AthensThe Acropolis, with its Parthenon in front, will be one of the highlights of the trip.
This city can be reached by boat but also by plane, and can serve as a starting or ending airport, as in the case of Istanbul airport.

These are our combined tours

To understand the variety of routes and options of these combined tours in Turkey and Greece, nothing better than taking a look at our catalog of tours.
Here you can consult the packages that we have already configured at present, although we can customize them according to the tastes, preferences and needs of each client, adding services and destinations.