Ephesus Logistics

[cruise kitty]

Hi, we will be in Kusadasi Oct 2011 from 7 to 6 (it's a Sunday) we were considering renting a car & driving ourselves to Ephesus. Does anyone have any experience of hiring an Ekol guide to meet us there? Or is it true that there are official guides to hire there, (another site said to look for the official ID badges)

Our goals are:

 

Ephesus

Terrace Houses

Temple of Artemis

Drive ourselves to Srince, explore on our own, little shopping, maybe lunch

return car by 3:30, explore Kusadasi on foot, back on ship by 5:15

 

Do we even need a guide?? When we did the Roman Forum one would have been helpful, but our guide book & research sufficed, has anyone done the Ekol tour where they take you Srince? We really don't want to have the guide with us for the village or lunch.

 

Any opinions/Advice would be appreciated.

[Keith1010]

If you read ahead of time and purchase a really good book you would not need a guide.

 

The key is how much research you do ahead of time.

 

Keith

[cruise kitty]

Thanks Keith,

 

Definitly not afraid of research, & I've got plenty of time. I worried about Ephesus because our experience at Palantine Hill & the Forum was a little confusing...we had great guidebooks & felt pretty comfortable with the major ruins/buildings but there were quite a few times where we'd look at something & had no idea what we were seeing esp. on the hill, no signs:( the forum was easier to follow in the guidebooks, I'm looking forward to visting it again with a little more knowledge.

[labeachcomber]

If you do your research and have a good book and map, then you'll be fine. Ephesus ruins are not like the Forum and Palatine Hill, there's more of a defined "path" to see the ruins, and everybody pretty much seems them in the same order. Hard to mess up and try to figure out what you're looking at.

[cruise kitty]

If you do your research and have a good book and map, then you'll be fine. Ephesus ruins are not like the Forum and Palatine Hill, there's more of a defined "path" to see the ruins, and everybody pretty much seems them in the same order. Hard to mess up and try to figure out what you're looking at.

 

Thank so much, everything else on this trip seems like a no brainer for diy, but I didn't want to be at a loss at Ephesus...DH counts on me being his private tour guide!

[cruisemom42]

If you go it on your own, I also highly recommend purchasing one of the guidebooks they sell on site, which has a lot of detailed information lacking in many other generic guides.

 

When I went to Turkey on my own, I purchased these guides at most of the major ancient sites I visited and I found them quite helpful. Even the best Turkey guidebook I had didn't give as much information as I was looking for.....:)

[belleretraite]

There is another thread about Doing Ephesus on your own . I refered on that thread about a 1-hour audio-guide ( 2 to 3 hours with the stop and go for picture taking, admiring, touching,walking ....) which is excellent at a cost of less than 5 euros (10 TL).

Note that the entrance fee for Ephesus has to be paid in turkish liras but there is a change office near by . You have to leave some official documentation ( ex: driving permit) at the entrance as a garantee but you can retrieve it at the exit in return for the audio-guide

[cruise kitty]

thanks cruisemom & belle,

 

I'll look for guidebooks on site, I understand there is limited access to the terrace houses, from what I can tell they don't require a guide, hoping this won't be a problem.

 

thanks again

[pier]

We used a guide for Ephesus and we were glad that we did. The best thread I've seen on guides for Ephesus is on Cruise Critic. If you read through to the end, you'll find many choices. Have a great trip!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1221993

[Hlitner]

I am a bit outspoken on this issue, especially since we generally think "tour" is a 4 letter word and travel around the world on our own without guides, tours, organized excursions, etc. We have been to Ephesus on our own, with a cruise tour, and with a private guide arranged through EKOL (for just the two of us). We have been to Kusadasi 4 times and have explored the region beyond Ephesus. So, here is my take. The best way to see Ephesus is in a very small group (2 was great) with a skilled professional guide (such as those provided by EKOL) who is well versed in the history and the detail of the ruins. Although we have done our share of research on Ephesus, our private guide (he had 2 college degrees). who was aquainted with the curator of Ephesus, was able to tell us things not in any guide book and also refute some common theories. So, we support the OPs idea of getting a private guide. As to renting a car (we have no problem driving in Turkey) you might want to e-mail EKOL and calculate the cost difference of renting a car and hiring a professional guide vs. just hiring EKOL (or another reputable firm) to handle all your arrangements. When we used EKOL they provided us with a large air conditioned van (almost new), our skilled guide, plus a professional driver. The cost of all that (for only 2) was about the same as the cruise ship tour that did not even include a visit to the Terrace Houses (not to be missed). Our guide and driver would have taken us to whereever we pleased (the advantage of having them to ourselves) including Srince. If you do decide to rent a car we would suggest you still make advance arrangements for a professional guide. Do not depend on finding a good guide at the ruins since almost all the well-educated pros already work for the various tour companies. What you find at the entrance to the ruins may, or may not, be very professional.

 

Hank

[cruise kitty]

thank you Mr Hank, It's always been clear from your posts that you are a confirmed DIYer, so the Ekol guides must really be something. Going to have to really mull this over & look into it more... even if it costs a bit more, my #1 choice is to rent our own car, & meet the guide on site. #2 will be to have the guide drive us, thankfully, we have time to decide. Thanks again.

[pier]

We also used Ekol and were very pleased.

[Hlitner]

There is another reason to use a car/driver for Ephesus. The normal walking route for the ruins involves entering at the top end (this is the main entrance) and than working your way through the ruins (this is on a slight downhill slope) until you reach the lower exit. When you hire a car/driver they will drop you at the upper entrance and than wait for you at the lower exit. If you have your own car it means you must double-back which does add quite a lot of extra walking.

 

Hank

[cruise kitty]

There is another reason to use a car/driver for Ephesus. The normal walking route for the ruins involves entering at the top end (this is the main entrance) and than working your way through the ruins (this is on a slight downhill slope) until you reach the lower exit. When you hire a car/driver they will drop you at the upper entrance and than wait for you at the lower exit. If you have your own car it means you must double-back which does add quite a lot of extra walking.

 

Hank

 

Thank you Mr Hank, this is the one port that is throwing me for a loop... & also, besides Istanbul, the one I'm looking most forward too! The more I hear, it sounds like we may need to contact Ekol for this one.

[onespots]

hi, we will be in kusadasi oct 2011 from 7 to 6 (it's a sunday) we were considering renting a car & driving ourselves to ephesus. Does anyone have any experience of hiring an ekol guide to meet us there? Or is it true that there are official guides to hire there, (another site said to look for the official id badges)

our goals are:

 

Ephesus

terrace houses

temple of artemis

drive ourselves to srince, explore on our own, little shopping, maybe lunch

return car by 3:30, explore kusadasi on foot, back on ship by 5:15

 

do we even need a guide?? When we did the roman forum one would have been helpful, but our guide book & research sufficed, has anyone done the ekol tour where they take you srince? We really don't want to have the guide with us for the village or lunch.

 

Any opinions/advice would be appreciated.

 

hi, totally agree with hank (hlitner). We used ekol travel for just the two of us and were completely satisfied. 2 days in istanbul & 1 day in emphesus. This particular guide for the ruins & terrace house, may have been the best we have encountered. Works at your pace & interests, very knowledgeable, & excellent english skills. Our trip included srince, after a 5 hour tour of the ruins. Perhaps the best lunch we have had anywhere was in srince, we were the only tourists in this restaurant, as all others were local. All the cooking was done in a fireplace & on a wood stove. Thus the kitchen tour was very short, but what a meal. Then time to shop & explore this small village. Bottomline use a private tour it will enhance your visit far be on the costs. Also we did all these tours for a little less than the ship's excursions & learned much more. Never once was there any concern about missing the ship. Great van, professional driver, excellent guide, & a perfect day in emphesus. John

[worldly wanderer]

Thank you Mr Hank, this is the one port that is throwing me for a loop... & also, besides Istanbul, the one I'm looking most forward too! The more I hear, it sounds like we may need to contact Ekol for this one.

 

I have just returned off Navigator of the Sea and used a company called Hello Ephesus and I was very pleased with their service. They were at the port promptly and the driver was our guide and spoke very good English. The cost of the tour including the Terrace Houses (which is a must) was $180 or 135euros for 4. There were no hidden charges. The general manager is Ms.Nilay Parlak and I do recommend them. Hope this is of some help.

[cruise kitty]

I have just returned off Navigator of the Sea and used a company called Hello Ephesus and I was very pleased with their service. They were at the port promptly and the driver was our guide and spoke very good English. The cost of the tour including the Terrace Houses (which is a must) was $180 or 135euros for 4. There were no hidden charges. The general manager is Ms.Nilay Parlak and I do recommend them. Hope this is of some help.

 

Thanks for the tip, it sounds like you had a great time!

[cruise kitty]

hi, totally agree with hank (hlitner). We used ekol travel for just the two of us and were completely satisfied. 2 days in istanbul & 1 day in emphesus. This particular guide for the ruins & terrace house, may have been the best we have encountered. Works at your pace & interests, very knowledgeable, & excellent english skills. Our trip included srince, after a 5 hour tour of the ruins. Perhaps the best lunch we have had anywhere was in srince, we were the only tourists in this restaurant, as all others were local. All the cooking was done in a fireplace & on a wood stove. Thus the kitchen tour was very short, but what a meal. Then time to shop & explore this small village. Bottomline use a private tour it will enhance your visit far be on the costs. Also we did all these tours for a little less than the ship's excursions & learned much more. Never once was there any concern about missing the ship. Great van, professional driver, excellent guide, & a perfect day in emphesus. John

 

Any chance that you remember your guide's name? Thanks

[Turtles06]

I also agree that hiring a professional guide for Ephesus is a good idea. We used Ekol, there were four of us, and our guide (Yelda), was absolutely fantastic. She made the ruins "come alive" for us in a way that I doubt any amount of research in a book would have (and I'm very much into reading about where I'm going ahead of time). If you look at Ekol's prcies, they are really not very expensive (particularly if you were going to rent a car otherwise).

 

On our 12-day Med tour this winter, our day in Ephesus with our Ekol guide was the single most enjoyable day of our entire trip (a trip that included an overnight in Egypt).

 

There's a really good reason that folks on this board rave about Ekol.

 

Have a great trip!