Greece & Turkey: Athens to Istanbul Adventure (Self-Launched)
7 days · Greece & Turkey
G Adventures charges £1,005
No-markup version: ~£402 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A 7-day self-launched version of G Adventures' Athens–Istanbul route: Thermopylae, Volos and the Pelion villages, Mount Olympus, Vergina's royal tombs, Thessaloniki, Kavala and finally Istanbul. You'll do it on Greek intercity buses and trains plus a Turkish cross-border bus, staying in hostels/guesthouses and picking up locally-run half-day tours and food walks where they add value. Same sights, no private vehicle or group leader — expect to spend roughly a third of the tour price.
Day-by-day
Athens → Thermopylae → Volos
Volos, Greece
Start early: take the 07:00 KTEL intercity bus from Athens' Liosion station to Lamia/ Thermopylae (~2h15, ~£14), where you can stop for 1-2 hours at the Thermopylae battlefield site, the Leonidas monument and the small information centre (free/€3). Continue by bus to Volos (~1h30, ~£8). Check into a guesthouse near the waterfront, do your own orientation stroll along the paralia, then book a spot on an evening meze-and-myths food walk with a local guide (look for small-group Volos food tours or just self-guide two tsipouro tavernas on Ermou — tsipouro comes with free meze plates, ~£15-20 all in).
🚌KTEL intercity bus Athens–Thermopylae–Volos, ~£22 total
🛏Guesthouse/private room in Volos old town (~£25)
- →Thermopylae battlefield & information centre
- →Volos waterfront orientation walk
- →Meze and tsipouro taverna evening
Pelion village-hopping: Milies, Vizitsa, Pinakates, Kato Gatzea
Volos / Pelion, Greece
Catch the local KTEL Pelion bus from Volos to Milies (~45min, ~£3). From Milies, walk the signed Kalíakouda/centaur cave trail (a short 1-1.5h round trip through chestnut forest). Take a taxi or the next village bus to Vizitsa (~£5-8 shared taxi) to visit the women's cooperative for preserves and woven goods, then walk or taxi down to Pinakates. Finish with beach time at Kato Gatzea on the Pagasetic Gulf before the bus back to Volos (~£3). Ask at your guesthouse the night before about exact bus times — Pelion services are sparse outside summer.
🚌Local Pelion buses and shared taxi, ~£15
🛏Guesthouse/private room in Volos (~£25)
- →Milies centaur cave hike
- →Vizitsa women's cooperative
- →Pinakates village
- →Kato Gatzea beach
Mount Olympus foothills & Vergina tombs → Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki, Greece
Morning bus from Volos to Litochoro at the foot of Mount Olympus (~1h30, ~£7) for a short gorge or Prionia trail walk in the national park (free; the Enipeas gorge trail is easily self-guided). Then bus or taxi to Vergina (~£8) for the Polycentric Museum of Aigai and the Royal Tombs of Philip II (€12 entry — book a timed slot online in summer). Late afternoon bus from Vergina/Katerini area on to Thessaloniki (~2h, ~£10). Evening orientation walk around Aristotle Square and the waterfront.
🚌Three regional buses, ~£25
🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel near Ladadika (~£22)
- →Mount Olympus National Park walk
- →Museum of the Royal Tombs of Aigai, Vergina
- →Thessaloniki waterfront orientation walk
Thessaloniki free day
Thessaloniki, Greece
Full free day. Morning at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki (~£7) and the Roman Forum ruins (free), then the Byzantine walls and Ano Poli viewpoints. Optional self-bookable 3-hour Thessaloniki food walk (~£40-50 via GetYourGuide) covering bougatsa, koulouri and meze — or DIY it through the Modiano and Kapani markets for a fraction. Late afternoon bus or 30-min local train to the beaches of Perea/Agia Triada if you want a swim. Dinner at a Ladadika taverna.
🚌Walking plus local bus, ~£3
🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel near Ladadika (~£22)
- →Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki
- →Ano Poli and Byzantine walls
- →Kapani & Modiano markets
- →Optional food tour
Thessaloniki → Kavala
Kavala, Greece
Take the KTEL Makedonia intercity bus from Thessaloniki to Kavala (~2h45, ~£14) — sit on the right for the Strymonic Gulf views. Check into a pension in the Panagia old town, then self-guide the old town lanes: the Imaret, the Mohamed Ali house, the aqueduct (Kamares) and a climb up to the Kavala fortress for the best sea views (€4). Free evening eating grilled fish on the harbour.
🚌KTEL intercity bus, ~£14
🛏Pension in Kavala old town (~£24)
- →Panagia old town walk
- →Kamares aqueduct
- →Kavala fortress viewpoint
Kavala → Alexandroupoli → Istanbul
Istanbul, Turkey
Early bus west to Alexandroupoli (~1h15, ~£6) for a quick stroll along the lighthouse promenade and lunch. Then continue with the cross-border bus to Istanbul via the İpsala/Kipi border (~4-5h incl. border formalities, ~£20-25 — book the Greek-Turkish through coach in advance, or take the bus to Kipi and connect to an Istanbul-bound coach; figure on €25-35 either way). Arrive Istanbul early evening, check into a hostel in Sultanahmet or Karaköy, then take a first wander over Galata Bridge for balık ekmek and a sunset look at the skyline.
🚌Greek intercity bus + cross-border coach, ~£30; Istanbul metro/tram ~£1.50
🛏Hostel dorm in Sultanahmet/Karaköy (~£18)
- →Alexandroupoli lighthouse promenade
- →Galata Bridge walk
- →Balık ekmek dinner
Istanbul — depart (or stay on)
Istanbul, Turkey
Check out whenever suits — Istanbul's airports (IST/SAW) are both reachable by metro/Havaist bus for around £2-3. If your flight is later in the day, squeeze in a self-bookable small-group Old City highlights walk or simply do Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Basilica Cistern on your own timed tickets (~£25 combined) plus a bazaar wander. Most travellers on this route tack on 2-3 extra Istanbul days — the hostel will happily extend you.
🚌Metro/Havaist bus to airport, ~£3
🛏—
- →Optional Hagia Sophia / Blue Mosque / Basilica Cistern
- →Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£402 | £1,005 |
| Duration | 7 days | 7 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £603 per person (60%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£402
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Greece & Turkey: Athens to Istanbul Adventure (Self-Launched) cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £402 per person for 7 days in Greece & Turkey. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £1,005 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £402 — a saving of roughly £603 (60%) per person.
How long is the Greece & Turkey trip?+
This itinerary runs 7 days, covering 7 day-by-day stops through Greece & Turkey.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, budget, backpacker trip through Greece & Turkey, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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