Ephesus Full day tour

[whitewings1]

We will be on Crown Princess end of May and are looking at a full day tour which includes the Virgin Mary house and St John Basilica, as well as the Terrace Houses and other sites.

The tour through Bookephesus.com takes 7 and a half hours. We dock at 8am and the boat leaves at 5pm. Will we have enough time what with getting off the boat and getting back half hour before the ship leaves. Be really interested in what you think about this. Thanks.

[NnJ36]

I realize you can save alot of money by booking a private tour, however, with the timing cut so close, I would book with the ship. It is cheaper for the peace of mind. Rather than risking getting a flat tire, getting stuck in traffic, tour bus breaking down and then you get to watch your ship sail away without you. We watched this happen to another couple just last week. They had to pay for a pilot boat to take them to the ship, and climb up the rope ladder into the ship while everyone onboard watched. I'd pay for the peace of mind knowing that if those same things happened with the ship tour, the boat must wait for you. Good luck and have fun!!!

[sunsetbeachgal]

My opinion is that since you want to see alot, that you book a private tour and tell them how long you want to be on tour, and let them tailor the tour to your timetable. I have been to all places you are going except the Terrace Houses (and we visit there on our Sept cruise). I have done private tours many times, and have never had a problem getting back in plenty of time-the tour operators are keenly aware of sailing times and about what is said about them on Cruise Critic.

 

While I do ship's tours here and there, the problem is that they utilize big buses rather than the small minibuses or sedans that the private operators use, the tour guides ask folks to be back on board at a certain time, and there are always one or two annoying folks who get carried away shopping and do not get back until after the designated time. Basically they are forced to add more time in that is not actual touring time.

 

Kusadisi is a BIG shopping port and the ships dock right by the shopping area, so if you like to shop I suggest you arrange a shorter tour. Also, just my opinion, is that many of the tours (private and ships) include a stop at a "rug factory" which includes high pressure sales to buy expensive oriental rugs. If you have no desire to buy or look at rugs, then make sure your driver is aware of this. ON our last ships tour of Ephesus, we ducked out as the bus pulled up at the rug tour. Once was more than enough for us!!:o

[olsoncam]

I think you should have plenty of time, if your guide will let you customize your tour. We were there at the end of April, and went to The House of the Virgin Mary, Ephesus, The Terrace Houses, Basilica of St. John, and had a private lunch with a villager in Sirince. We also stopped to see how they made the carpets and a leather factory, since we had extra time. We started our tour at 7:45 am and were back to the ship around 5:30 pm. You could easily eat lunch at a local restaurant, and not go to the carpet and leather factories, and have plenty of time. We used a local guide named Ertunga Ecir, and he will take you wherever you would like to go. He has a web site ertungaecir.com, if you would like to know more information.

[cruisemom42]

My opinion is that since you want to see alot, that you book a private tour and tell them how long you want to be on tour, and let them tailor the tour to your timetable. I have been to all places you are going except the Terrace Houses (and we visit there on our Sept cruise). I have done private tours many times, and have never had a problem getting back in plenty of time-the tour operators are keenly aware of sailing times and about what is said about them on Cruise Critic.

 

While I do ship's tours here and there, the problem is that they utilize big buses rather than the small minibuses or sedans that the private operators use, the tour guides ask folks to be back on board at a certain time, and there are always one or two annoying folks who get carried away shopping and do not get back until after the designated time. Basically they are forced to add more time in that is not actual touring time.

 

Kusadisi is a BIG shopping port and the ships dock right by the shopping area, so if you like to shop I suggest you arrange a shorter tour. Also, just my opinion, is that many of the tours (private and ships) include a stop at a "rug factory" which includes high pressure sales to buy expensive oriental rugs. If you have no desire to buy or look at rugs, then make sure your driver is aware of this. ON our last ships tour of Ephesus, we ducked out as the bus pulled up at the rug tour. Once was more than enough for us!!:o

 

Ditto. :)

 

I think a lot of people don't realize that if you book a PRIVATE tour, you can customize it however you wish. And trust me, if you tell them when you have to be back to the ship, they WILL have you back.

 

Traffic around Kusadasi is not that bad. The guides are all interconnected and have cell phones. If something happened to your car/van, I am 100% sure they'd have another vehicle to you very quickly.

 

I really see no drawback to doing a private tour in this port.

[Turtles06]

Earlier this year, we toured Ephesus from Izmir (which is farther than Kusadasi, about an hour away) -- started at the Virgin Mary House, then Ephesus (including the Terrace Houses, which are IN Ephesus), then the Temple of Artemis, and then, only because we elected to stop, a little quickie at a pottery place. We were never rushed, had a full and fantastic day, and were back in Izmir in plenty of time for our ship. Our tour was with Ekol, and they advised us as to how much we could see in the time we had ashore.

 

Ditto to the advice above --a private tour is YOUR tour; email your tour operator and find out what will work in the time you have. Their livelihood depends on getting you back to your ship in time.

 

(If you take a ship's tour, btw, your group will be too large for the not-to-be-missed Terrace Houses.)

 

Edited to add: I did not realize this was a resurrected thread and that the OP has already sailed! Hope you had a great time!

[ronnie64]

We too will be in Kusadasi for a short time--7 hours. I would like anyones input as to what is a must see. With so little time I don't want to short change anything by seeing too much. We definitely want to see the ancient city and the terrace houses. What about the Virgin Mary's house? Is this a long side trip? The Temple of Artemis? Is there more than just the one pillar? Is it better to do a drive by or is there more information than a guide could provide at the site? Where is St John's Basilica in relation to all of this? Thanks for any help yo can offer

[MercedMike]

We too will be in Kusadasi for a short time--7 hours. I would like anyones input as to what is a must see. With so little time I don't want to short change anything by seeing too much. We definitely want to see the ancient city and the terrace houses. What about the Virgin Mary's house? Is this a long side trip? The Temple of Artemis? Is there more than just the one pillar? Is it better to do a drive by or is there more information than a guide could provide at the site? Where is St John's Basilica in relation to all of this? Thanks for any help yo can offer

 

Well, we have been to Kusadasi three times and frankly, have never gotten to Ephesus.;)

 

My philosophy is that we have seen marvelous ruins in many places in Europe, but the Kusadasi area offers things we have not seen elsewhere.

 

To answer your questions -- The Virgin Mary's house is a very short distance from Ephesus ruins, and can be seen in a short time, or you can choose to linger and contemplate. The Temple of Artemis is just across the street from Ephesus, and indeed consists of only one reconstructed column. It depends on how much interest you have in ancient history and religions. Remember that Artemis was the great goddess of the area when Mary moved there ... I went to both locations to search for the feeling of power in each of them. I hold in my heart what I found -- what will you find?

 

We absolutely love the little village of Srince and have visited it on all three of our trips. IMAO it is well worth the time to visit. It is about 45 minutes from Ephesus over winding hills through the olive groves.

 

There are also some nice places for a Turkish lunch. And shopping, particularly for carpets and ceramics, can be very interesting. And, finally, there is the possibility of a Hamam -- a Turkish bath! Our traveling companions are still talking about that one!

 

check out our trip reports and pictures of Kusadasi stops at

http://www.bully4.us/med.html

http://www.bully4.us/holyland.html

http://www.bully4.us/blacksea2.html

 

If you are booking a private tour with a private guide, rest assured your guide knows his reputation depends on meeting your time schedule. While there is a very small chance of some problem developing, private tours work so well for so many people in this port that I think you can do it with confidence.

 

Now if your tour is a fixed bus tour on a share basis, perhaps with pax from other ships, then you have to be much more careful to check with the tour company about the exact timing. Normally they know exactly which ships will be in port and what their times are, and arrange to meet them. But it is up to YOU to double check that!

[cavou]

Whitewings, we booked a full day tour with Hello Ephesus from Izmir. We departed Izmir around 7:45 a.m. and headed straight for the House of the Virgin Mary and then to Ephesus (including the Terrace Houses). After Ephesus we had lunch at the Carpet School and then proceeded to visit the Temple of Artemis, Basilica of St. John and then the Ephesus Museum. We left the museum around 2:30ish. Our guide asked us if we wanted to see anything else; however, we elected to go back to the ship. You should be fine time wise. As mentioned by cruisemom - this is your tour.

[zqvol]

We will be on Crown Princess end of May and are looking at a full day tour which includes the Virgin Mary house and St John Basilica, as well as the Terrace Houses and other sites.

The tour through Bookephesus.com takes 7 and a half hours. We dock at 8am and the boat leaves at 5pm. Will we have enough time what with getting off the boat and getting back half hour before the ship leaves. Be really interested in what you think about this. Thanks.

 

I can tell you that we were in Kusadasi about two weeks ago. We booked with Ekol, and were picked up around 9:00 a.m. We went to the House of the Virgin Mary, Ephesus (including the Terrace Houses), The Basilica of St. John, the Temple of Artemis had lunch, and went to a rug co-op. We were back to the pier by 3:00 p.m.

 

The real key to this is how mobile you are. If you are fit and can walk without any problems it is easy to do. The only hard part, if you can call it that is going up the steps in the terrace house.

[jeanrtco]

WE were there on june 1st and had a fabulous tour with Ephesus Deluxe. There were 7 of us, they picked us up at the port with a nice clean minibus, could have held 20 people but was just for us as I had booked private tour. We went to house virgin mary, st johns basilica, toured Ephesus ruins, including terrace houses(do not miss it), stopped by the temple of artemis site and ephesus museum. It included lunch at a farm which was fabulous!!! they had a driver and a guide, her name was AHU and she spoke english very well and she was so informed, she told us all the history of all the places we visited, all entrance fees were paid and she asked if we wanted to see rug factory demo, or leather warehouse, we said no and there was no pressure, Tour was scheduled for 71/2 hrs, but we managed to finish everything in 6 hrs. starting at 9 finished and returned to ship by 3. It was our best tour we ever took, everyone enjoyed it, we had five young adults ages 22-26 and my husband and I. They even had a cooler stocked with bottled water and soda!

I highly recommend them, and would not worry about getting to the ship. These tour buses are highly regulated at the port and on the hwy, their papers were checked at the port and also on one of the local hwys. It makes me feel secure that the government is making sure that their drivers are licensed and that their papers to do business as a tour guide are in order.

 

jean

[cruiselover1250]

Can someone tell me if Ephesus, Turkey is a port where we must have a tour/excursion to be able to see the highlights? Is it a port where we can walk and explore ourselves or are the sights so far apart that we must have a tour/excursion to be able to see the highlights? We'll be there on a cruise for 11 hours. Any tips on how to see the highlights will be greatly appreciated. I don't know anything about Ephesus, so I don't know the distance of everything from the port once we dock. Thanks!

[zqvol]

Can someone tell me if Ephesus, Turkey is a port where we must have a tour/excursion to be able to see the highlights? Is it a port where we can walk and explore ourselves or are the sights so far apart that we must have a tour/excursion to be able to see the highlights? We'll be there on a cruise for 11 hours. Any tips on how to see the highlights will be greatly appreciated. I don't know anything about Ephesus, so I don't know the distance of everything from the port once we dock. Thanks!

 

You will either dock in Kusadasi or Izmir, neither is close to Ephesus, though Kusadasi is much closer (about 15 km). To see the historical areas you can go on your own using taxis, but you are probably better off with a tour, if for no other reason than the transportation.

[cruisemom42]

Can someone tell me if Ephesus, Turkey is a port where we must have a tour/excursion to be able to see the highlights? Is it a port where we can walk and explore ourselves or are the sights so far apart that we must have a tour/excursion to be able to see the highlights? We'll be there on a cruise for 11 hours. Any tips on how to see the highlights will be greatly appreciated. I don't know anything about Ephesus, so I don't know the distance of everything from the port once we dock. Thanks!

 

 

Here is some good basic info about Kusadasi (the name of the port city) and Ephesus (the name of the ruins):

 

http://www.europeportreviews.com/Kusadasi.htm

 

Don't make the mistake of underestimating this port stop. The ruins of Ephesus are some of the best (if not THE best) available to visit. (And I've seen a lot of ruins, believe me.) They are the "must see" of this port. There are several private shore excursion operators here and generally Turkey is less expensive so it is usually cheaper than a ship's tour, especially if you are traveling as a family or small group.

[jeanrtco]

To cruiselover1250

Loved our tour, I still would recommend private tour as the guide will be able to inform you of the history of each of the sites that you visit. Also dont miss the "terrace houses" newest excavation in ephesus, the larger tour bus groups are not allowed in, so it is less crowded and out of the sun, a great relief on a hot day. Did see people touring ephesus by themselves, but you would need a guide book to know what you are looking at as there was really no signs describing each of the ruins you are looking at, or the sculptures and who they represented. To us this made all the difference in the world to know what we were seeing and envision it back then. Each of the sites seemed to be a short drive between, however, we had a driver and a guide, so during the rides, the guide would talk about what we were seeing next or point out scenery from the windows. Also was great time for questions. We had the minibus from group of 7 but they also have sedans, I would suggest you try to get more people together, the larger the group the less the press per person. See my post above about tour, Ephesusdeluxe, it was great.

 

jean

[cruiselover1250]

Can anyone recommend a reputable good private tour company for Ephesus w/good rates? (aside from the ones previously mentioned: ephesus deluxe, Hellow Ephesus, EKOL etc). What are some of the MUSTN SEE sights? There will be 4 of us. Thanks!

[cruisemom42]

Can anyone recommend a reputable good private tour company for Ephesus w/good rates? (aside from the ones previously mentioned: ephesus deluxe, Hellow Ephesus, EKOL etc). What are some of the MUSTN SEE sights? There will be 4 of us. Thanks!

 

Did you not read the link I already provided above? All of the "must see" sights are clearly named and described. :cool:

[MercedMike]

Can anyone recommend a reputable good private tour company for Ephesus w/good rates? (aside from the ones previously mentioned: ephesus deluxe, Hellow Ephesus, EKOL etc).

 

UMMMM -- we have already recommended all those reputable private tour companies. Like Oliver Twist, you want "MORE"???

[bee-ess]

Had a superb full day with EKOL - Jeep trip to Ephesus, Terrace Houses and Srince for lunch. This was the highlight tour of our Med Cruise.

[Megaera]

Hello all

 

My husband and I are going on the Ruby Princess Venice to Barcelone (our first cruise, first time to Europe!)- we will be stopping in Kusadasi on 9/18. Unfortunately, we only have 6 hrs (ship docks at 7:00 am, departs 1:00 pm) in Ephesus. I'm thinking we'll only have 5 hours there (30 min before disembarking, getting back to the ship 30 min before it leaves). It seems that from the posts I read above, other cruise ships have docked at Kusadasi for longer periods of time. I have read through several threads regarding private tours vs ship tours, and I'm leaning towards a private tour. My question is, with such a short amount of time, is it possible to see House of Virgin Mary, Terrace Houses, St John's Basilica, and Temple of Artemis? . For me, all of these sights are a must see and I can't seem to choose. From what I've read, Terrace House is an absolute must. Any suggestions? I've emailed Ekol tours, and they feel that there is not enought time to see all 4 sites while getting us back to the ship on time. I've also contacted Hello Ephesus about customizing a tour, but have not heard back. I do not need to go shopping, see a rug demonstration, or eat lunch (since we have to be back on the ship by 12:30). So, to sum up my post- from your experience- is it possible to see those sights in 5 hours or should I resign myself to missing one of my must-sees? Thanks for the help!

[cruiseidaho]

Hello all

 

My husband and I are going on the Ruby Princess Venice to Barcelone (our first cruise, first time to Europe!)- we will be stopping in Kusadasi on 9/18. Unfortunately, we only have 6 hrs (ship docks at 7:00 am, departs 1:00 pm) in Ephesus. I'm thinking we'll only have 5 hours there (30 min before disembarking, getting back to the ship 30 min before it leaves). It seems that from the posts I read above, other cruise ships have docked at Kusadasi for longer periods of time. I have read through several threads regarding private tours vs ship tours, and I'm leaning towards a private tour. My question is, with such a short amount of time, is it possible to see House of Virgin Mary, Terrace Houses, St John's Basilica, and Temple of Artemis? . For me, all of these sights are a must see and I can't seem to choose. From what I've read, Terrace House is an absolute must. Any suggestions? I've emailed Ekol tours, and they feel that there is not enought time to see all 4 sites while getting us back to the ship on time. I've also contacted Hello Ephesus about customizing a tour, but have not heard back. I do not need to go shopping, see a rug demonstration, or eat lunch (since we have to be back on the ship by 12:30). So, to sum up my post- from your experience- is it possible to see those sights in 5 hours or should I resign myself to missing one of my must-sees? Thanks for the help!

 

Our group of six was on the Ruby in May and we were in port here from 12:00 to 7:00. We arranged for a private tour with Hello Ephesus and emphasized that we wanted to be back at the ship no later than 5:30. We were picked up in front of the ship at 12:30, following an early lunch on the ship. Our first stop was at the House of the Virgin Mary where we had ample time to visit the site and relax in the beautiful surroundings. Next, we stopped at a leather factory at the insistence of one of our party who wanted to buy a leather coat. We were treated like welcome guests as our shopper chose his coat. Then we drove to the ruins of Ephesus for a guided tour. We were here about two hours, which was plenty of time to see everything including a thorough tour of the Terrace

Houses (like everyone says, "not to be missed"). A short time later we were back at the port of Kusadasi, about 5:00 and then visited the bazaar that is right by the ship. Back on board by 5:30 - 5 hours after leaving. To sum up, I think it very possible to see at least 3 of the sites on your list and, without a stop at any factories, you could possibly see all four. We were all very pleased with the services of Hello Ephesus. As an alternative, the only way one can visit the Terrace Houses on a Princess tour is to book the Elite Collection tour (at three times the cost of a private tour). But the other three sites on your list are not visited and you can be certain that you will visit a carpet factory whether you want to or not. You will love this cruise!

[UlvaZell]

We will be on Crown Princess end of May and are looking at a full day tour which includes the Virgin Mary house and St John Basilica, as well as the Terrace Houses and other sites.

The tour through Bookephesus.com takes 7 and a half hours. We dock at 8am and the boat leaves at 5pm. Will we have enough time what with getting off the boat and getting back half hour before the ship leaves. Be really interested in what you think about this. Thanks.

 

Ephesus is really beautiful and a great place to see, but 7 hours seems like a really long time. The tour we went on, through Princess, was about 2 hours at the site and about a 20-30 minute commute between the site and the port. I'm not sure how you could spend much longer at the site. Our tour was also combined with a visit to a rug maker near the port in Kusadasi. Our whole excursion was probably about 4 - 5 hours. We had plenty of time afterwards to wander through the market near the port. Make sure you go to the "Genuine Fake Watches" place. What a hoot...