I will be in Anaklia Georgia from May 25- July 8 and Wanted to look into traveling to Greece at the end and then Italy from Greece (If possible it would be nice to squeeze egypt in there also). I am from the U.S. and really have no idea where to start even looking into transportation in Europe. We obviously are looking for the cheapest options available. Can anyone help me or direct me to a website that might have some information on the topic?
Thanks in advance for any help!! :)
Get a Lonely Planet. Or a few digital chapters from their online store. Probably the best place to start. Wikitravel is a good resource, but lacking on more obscure destinations.
Unless you have boatloads of time and assuming you're traveling overland, skip Egypt. There's no easy way to get there from the northern Mediterranean, unless you fly.
Buses in Turkey are very affordable and good. So are trains, but their network is limited. You can assume that it will be easy to find buses from larger cities to larger cities in Turkey once you get there.
Trains in Greece ain't half bad and affordable. The ferry from Greece to Italy can be pricey, so compare your options. For ferries, try ferrylines.com. Slower trains in Italy are well priced.
Budget airlines serve several cities in Turkey from central and south eastern Europe. Check hipmunk.com and AirNinja.com to look for cheap flights and budget airlines respectively.
Use hotelscombined.com, bookhostels.com and airbnb.com to find affordable accommodation.
For international train travel, start at seat61.com.
I'm assuming you'll update the question, but one site that definitely helps find ways to get around is Wikitravel. I found it invaluable the last few years for all types of countries, and transport.
For example, you could look at a particular country, or even look at something like Rail Travel in Europe.
Close to Anaklia (154km according to Google Maps) you can find the Batumi International Airport. With a quick search I found a flight to Istanbul with 92 euros per person (tax included) close to the dates you gave.
It depends which parts of Greece you want to visit. Regarding trains the wikipedia article of the Hellenic Railways Organisation is extensive. There are bus services to Thessaloniki and Athens from Istanbul as well (i.e. http://www.crazy-holidays.gr/08519BE0.en.aspx)
I suggest ferries.gr to search for tickets. Alternatively Ryanair is connecting these two countries (for example from Volos, which is located centrally in Greece to Milan).
Have a nice time!
