ephesus tour details

[gmadvm]

I'm looking into private tours of ephesus for next May. We just want to go to ephesus and the terrace houses. Don't want to go to Mary's house or St. John's or Artemis. I'm unsure if we want to do the lunch at the carpet factory that people seem to do. I'm curious about the carpet making technique, but don't want to feel pressured to buy. We went to a perfume shop in Egypt and ended up with $800 worth of essential oils, one of which exploded in my suitcase, so I don't want to deal with the hard sell again. But on the other hand, I kind of want at least a little wall hanging. How can you go to turkey and not get a turkish rug, right?? We don't usually do a sit down lunches on vacation and instead usually grab something at a cafe or a stand. Will there be gyro or kebab stands in Kusadasi?

 

On a related note, I've been looking at the websites for some of the most mentioned private tours like ephesus deluxe and ephesus shuttle and the pricelists on their websites seem much higher than what people are reporting they paid on their tours. Is this open for negotiation? Do you contact them with what you would like your itinerary to be and they counter with a price?

 

thanks gerri

 

P.S. what is up with search function? If I search for ephesus I only get like 3 threads. I know there are more than 3. How do you get it to give you more results?

[Zukini]

I'm looking into private tours of ephesus for next May. We just want to go to ephesus and the terrace houses. Don't want to go to Mary's house or St. John's or Artemis. I'm unsure if we want to do the lunch at the carpet factory that people seem to do. I'm curious about the carpet making technique, but don't want to feel pressured to buy. We went to a perfume shop in Egypt and ended up with $800 worth of essential oils, one of which exploded in my suitcase, so I don't want to deal with the hard sell again. But on the other hand, I kind of want at least a little wall hanging. How can you go to turkey and not get a turkish rug, right?? We don't usually do a sit down lunches on vacation and instead usually grab something at a cafe or a stand. Will there be gyro or kebab stands in Kusadasi?

 

On a related note, I've been looking at the websites for some of the most mentioned private tours like ephesus deluxe and ephesus shuttle and the pricelists on their websites seem much higher than what people are reporting they paid on their tours. Is this open for negotiation? Do you contact them with what you would like your itinerary to be and they counter with a price?

 

thanks gerri

 

P.S. what is up with search function? If I search for ephesus I only get like 3 threads. I know there are more than 3. How do you get it to give you more results?

 

We used Ephesus Deluxe for a half-day tour to Ephesus, the Terrace Houses, and a brief stop at the Temple of Artemis in May of 2011. As a private tour for just the two of us it was quoted at a total of $100 USD ($50 per person). We eventually wound up combining this with a tour of Istanbul as well, so our final price was higher. Looking at their website, the prices seem to have gone up by about $10 per person. I didn't get the impression that they would deal on the price, especially for just two people, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

 

That gave us a driver, an English-speaking tour guide, an air conditioned mini van, and admissions to the sites. Lunch was not included, as it was a half-day tour, but if we wanted to stop, I'm sure our guide would have found someplace for us. Our guide did offer to bring us to both a carpet factory and a leather shop, but we declined to visit either one, and she didn't put up a fuss.

 

I don't recall seeing any kebab shops near the ruins, but I wasn't really looking for them.

 

The moderators are still working on the search function ( see This Thread ), but in the meantime, you might find this thread on Ephesus Deluxe helpful.

[eh2zed]

Another operator to compare with is Ekol Travel www.ekoltravel.com Any private tour operator will customize your tour. You do need to visit the carpet place if you do not want. There are numerous carpet shops near the pier in downtown Kusadasi or in the Bazaar adjacent to the pier. You will have lots of choice for a wall hanging there.

[texancruzer]

I'm looking into private tours of ephesus for next May. We just want to go to ephesus and the terrace houses. Don't want to go to Mary's house or St. John's or Artemis. I'm unsure if we want to do the lunch at the carpet factory that people seem to do. I'm curious about the carpet making technique, but don't want to feel pressured to buy. We went to a perfume shop in Egypt and ended up with $800 worth of essential oils, one of which exploded in my suitcase, so I don't want to deal with the hard sell again. But on the other hand, I kind of want at least a little wall hanging. How can you go to turkey and not get a turkish rug, right?? We don't usually do a sit down lunches on vacation and instead usually grab something at a cafe or a stand. Will there be gyro or kebab stands in Kusadasi?

 

On a related note, I've been looking at the websites for some of the most mentioned private tours like ephesus deluxe and ephesus shuttle and the pricelists on their websites seem much higher than what people are reporting they paid on their tours. Is this open for negotiation? Do you contact them with what you would like your itinerary to be and they counter with a price?

 

thanks gerri

 

P.S. what is up with search function? If I search for ephesus I only get like 3 threads. I know there are more than 3. How do you get it to give you more results?

 

 

I had to chuckle at this post...... we too came home with $800 worth of oils/bottles from Egypt :D DH was the shopper there, but we love them and use them almost everyday. We also gave one bottle with a beautiful cut glass bottle as a gift.

 

As for tours, we used Ekol and had a wonderful day. You tell them what you want and they will deliver. We wanted to visit the carpet factory. I enjoyed the presentation of how they extract the silk, make thread, dye it and weave carpets. Again, DH was at work and we almost ended up with a carpet. But I dragged him out. He spent time in Iran (pre revolution) and loves Eastern carpets. Me, not so much. But as for hard sell, just decline the part where they "show" you carpets. You can walk out the door any time you want. It will, however, give you some knowledge into what you need to look for in order to get a quality carpet and not get a lesser rug (wall hanging) for your $$

 

Have fun whatever you do......Kusadasi was one of our fav ports !

[bobalink]

I have been to Ephesus twice - once on a land trip and once on a port stop in July. May is a great time to go, as it won't be as hot.

 

One more vote for Ekol. We used them on our recent trip to Ephesus. Our guide was excellent. There were 8 of us and one of our companions did want to see carpet weaving. It is fascinating, and when you see the "show" that is really something. We did not experience high pressure, but one in our group was more than willing to purchase one! Ekol arranged for us to have lunch there, and it was good and very inexpensive.

 

I think you are making a wise decision to skip the House of the Virgin Mary. In my opinion, it was a waste of time. It was very crowded and in hindsight, we should have just headed straight to Ephesus and the Terrace Houses.

 

Whatever you decide, enjoy your visit to Ephesus. It is truly a magnificent place with so much history.

 

Turkey - carpet weaving demonstration by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

 

Terrace House - mosaics and frescos by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

 

Turkey - carpet factory after the show by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

[texancruzer]

Don't you love how they take the carpets and twirl them in the air - like Ali Baba carpets !!!! Then they pile them up one after another...... I loved it. :D

[gmadvm]

I had to chuckle at this post...... we too came home with $800 worth of oils/bottles from Egypt :D DH was the shopper there, but we love them and use them almost everyday. We also gave one bottle with a beautiful cut glass bottle as a gift.

 

As for tours, we used Ekol and had a wonderful day. You tell them what you want and they will deliver. We wanted to visit the carpet factory. I enjoyed the presentation of how they extract the silk, make thread, dye it and weave carpets. Again, DH was at work and we almost ended up with a carpet. But I dragged him out. He spent time in Iran (pre revolution) and loves Eastern carpets. Me, not so much. But as for hard sell, just decline the part where they "show" you carpets. You can walk out the door any time you want. It will, however, give you some knowledge into what you need to look for in order to get a quality carpet and not get a lesser rug (wall hanging) for your $$

 

Have fun whatever you do......Kusadasi was one of our fav ports !

 

This is funny. DH was the driving force behind the egypt oils too.

[Softball20]

We used Hello Ephesus last year and had a great time. We got an early start to Ephesus, which really helped beat some of the crowds. We had a very knowledgeable guide throughout. We like to do the sit down lunch for local food, and we asked to go to a local place for lunch. She recommended a place, and it was awesome. We were a group of 12 traveling together, and some in our group wanted to stop at the carpet factory, so we did for just a little while. They did have some beautiful things, but we just didn't want to stay that long. It was interesting to watch, however. Our tour, which was about four - five hours, was really reasonable. It worked out to be less than $50/person + lunch and tip. I'd definitely recommend them.

[zqvol]

I'm looking into private tours of ephesus for next May. We just want to go to ephesus and the terrace houses. Don't want to go to Mary's house or St. John's or Artemis. I'm unsure if we want to do the lunch at the carpet factory that people seem to do. I'm curious about the carpet making technique, but don't want to feel pressured to buy. We went to a perfume shop in Egypt and ended up with $800 worth of essential oils, one of which exploded in my suitcase, so I don't want to deal with the hard sell again. But on the other hand, I kind of want at least a little wall hanging. How can you go to turkey and not get a turkish rug, right?? We don't usually do a sit down lunches on vacation and instead usually grab something at a cafe or a stand. Will there be gyro or kebab stands in Kusadasi?

 

On a related note, I've been looking at the websites for some of the most mentioned private tours like ephesus deluxe and ephesus shuttle and the pricelists on their websites seem much higher than what people are reporting they paid on their tours. Is this open for negotiation? Do you contact them with what you would like your itinerary to be and they counter with a price?

 

thanks gerri

 

P.S. what is up with search function? If I search for ephesus I only get like 3 threads. I know there are more than 3. How do you get it to give you more results?

 

Last summer we used EKOL. They have a couple of preplaned tours, but will happily customize one for you. I would suggest having them take you to Ephesus, then go to lunch either in town or up in Sirince. You will still have time for a quick stop at a rug factory, if you want, or they can direct you to one in town that you can walk to from the ship. It will be a full day but not that full.

[maryann ns]

We went with Hello Ephesus in 2009 and had a great full day. Bill Bulent was our guide and he is special.

 

The carpet demonstration was very interesting and there was no pressure at all. It gave us a good idea what to look for if we ever want one. The lunch outside the carpet school was very good.

[wantocruisemore]

I'm looking into private tours of ephesus for next May. We just want to go to ephesus and the terrace houses. Don't want to go to Mary's house or St. John's or Artemis. I'm unsure if we want to do the lunch at the carpet factory that people seem to do. I'm curious about the carpet making technique, but don't want to feel pressured to buy. We went to a perfume shop in Egypt and ended up with $800 worth of essential oils, one of which exploded in my suitcase, so I don't want to deal with the hard sell again. But on the other hand, I kind of want at least a little wall hanging. How can you go to turkey and not get a turkish rug, right?? We don't usually do a sit down lunches on vacation and instead usually grab something at a cafe or a stand. Will there be gyro or kebab stands in Kusadasi?

 

On a related note, I've been looking at the websites for some of the most mentioned private tours like ephesus deluxe and ephesus shuttle and the pricelists on their websites seem much higher than what people are reporting they paid on their tours. Is this open for negotiation? Do you contact them with what you would like your itinerary to be and they counter with a price?

 

We booked through Kosagen Tours and had the wonderful Yelda. We also wanted to concentrate on Ephesus, the Terrace Houses and the museum. Yelda did just that. She gave us a fabulous tour, recommended a really great & cheap place we could have lunch and then toured us through the museum. On the way back we had a few minutes so pulled in so the others could see the one columm of the Temple of Artemis. The others wanted to see what was left after seeing the model at the museum.

 

We did not do Mary's House and did not do a carpet factory (been there, done that on another visit). She dropped us off at the bazaar in time for some shopping with some recommendations on prices and where to get what. We also saw a rug demonstration on the outside of a shop there while passing by.

 

I can highly recommend Yelda!!!

[Turtles06]

It's unfortunate that the search function still hasn't been fixed, as there is plenty of info on this board re private tours of Ephesus. Let me add another recommendation for Ekol; four of us used them in Jan. 2010 (based on recommendations here on CC), and it was the most fantastic single day of our Med cruise. We were coming from Izmir, so it was a little longer than from Kusadasi; it cost us $94 pp (and we saw the Mary House as well as the Temple of Artemis, as well as Ephesus including the Terrace Houses). It was money WELL spent.

 

By good fortune, our guide was also the wonderful Yelda Celik raved about in the comment above; she totally made the ruins come alive for us. (Many of the guides are freelancers and work for different companies; not sure she is still working for Ekol now, but they get raves on this board generally.)

 

If you are coming from Kusadasi, you will have more time, and you might want to include a visit to the St. John Basilica.

 

Whatever you decide, have a wonderful trip!

[debra1234]

In July, myself, husband and 12 year old son did a full day tour of Ephesus Tour + Terrace Houses with Esra Ozdamar http://www.ephesusshuttle.com. I would highly recommend this tour and guide and would go with them again if we return. Our guide met us at Kusadasi port with*a sign. We got an early start and got to Ephesus before most of the other tours. We got to *Walk through marble streets and saw the Baths of Scholastica, the Library of Celsus; the Temple of Hadrian and*The Grand Theater. Then we went though Terrace House which was really interesting. Our guide was very knowledgable about all of the ruins and could answer all the questions my 12 year old could think to throw at him. One of the nice parts of our tour was being able to take our time and go at our own pace. Especially when you have a younger child. A few times when our son had too much sun our guide sat with him in the Shade while my husband and I explored a few more ruins. Afterwards we drove back to Kusadasi and stopped at a carpet factory in the country. We had lunch here and got to see how the Turkish Carpets are hand tied and how the silk is spun from the silk cocoon. We had a great time and always felt safe and well taken care of.

[samavarcruiser]

We booked through Kosagen Tours and had the wonderful Yelda. We also wanted to concentrate on Ephesus, the Terrace Houses and the museum. Yelda did just that. She gave us a fabulous tour, recommended a really great & cheap place we could have lunch and then toured us through the museum. On the way back we had a few minutes so pulled in so the others could see the one columm of the Temple of Artemis. The others wanted to see what was left after seeing the model at the museum.

 

We did not do Mary's House and did not do a carpet factory (been there, done that on another visit). She dropped us off at the bazaar in time for some shopping with some recommendations on prices and where to get what. We also saw a rug demonstration on the outside of a shop there while passing by.

 

I can highly recommend Yelda!!!

 

It seems you had a great time with all the tour companies you have used in your last cruise, I have read many of them, you should open your own personal travel blog :)

[wantocruisemore]

It seems you had a great time with all the tour companies you have used in your last cruise, I have read many of them, you should open your own personal travel blog :)

 

 

Thanks! But I owe all our good luck with tour operators to this site and Trip Advisor. Everyone we booked had great recommendations before us. Then I just narrowed down the choices for inquiries and make them about 9 months in advance to get the guides we wanted.

 

I wanted to be sure to post some reviews to pass along information. Everyone here was so helpful for us it was important to me to return the favor.

 

And yes, we did not have a bad tour or a bad experience. I was planning for our large extended family of 9 including my disabled daughter and a picky MIL on her first trip to Europe and first cruise.

 

I had thought about a travel blog but I am still uploading photos to Shutterfly and trying to work on a trip book for the family. But I would be happy to answer an questions and provide contact info.:)

[Softball20]

Thanks! But I owe all our good luck with tour operators to this site and Trip Advisor. Everyone we booked had great recommendations before us. Then I just narrowed down the choices for inquiries and make them about 9 months in advance to get the guides we wanted.

 

I wanted to be sure to post some reviews to pass along information. Everyone here was so helpful for us it was important to me to return the favor.

 

And yes, we did not have a bad tour or a bad experience. I was planning for our large extended family of 9 including my disabled daughter and a picky MIL on her first trip to Europe and first cruise.

 

I had thought about a travel blog but I am still uploading photos to Shutterfly and trying to work on a trip book for the family. But I would be happy to answer an questions and provide contact info.:)

 

Us, too. I've gotten so much great information from this site and from Trip Advisor. I save lots of notes and posts with great bits of advice. I do all the travel planning for our group, and these sites are great tools. These sites, and the internet in general, really make the planning efficient and fun. They've also really served to keep the vendors doing a good job. These sites are such a fundamental part of their businesses now, and they count on positive feed back to stay in business. They know that a bad review here would spread rapidly.

[texancruzer]

we too have used this (and other sites) to get invaluable info. Not everyone has months and months to plan tho...... We have never booked a trip that far out (dh schedule doesn't really allow us too) so I come here and read until my eyes are blurry :rolleyes:

 

But it works and I am grateful to those who have provided me with such valuable tips to enhance my trip. It is only right I reciprocate....:D

[cruisemom42]

I agree that it's nice to share the info we glean with others. Lots of people have suggested I should start some kind of travel blog or site, but I really wouldn't feel right about doing that since a lot of the basic info I've gathered over the years has been the result of the generous sharing of others on this site and others (e.g., Tripadvisor).

Edited September 11, 2011 by cruisemom42

[bobalink]

As long as everyone is giving kudos...

 

I am a relatively new traveler. Years of raising kids, sandwich generation, taking care of elderly/ill parents, and college tuition - now we are empty nesters and can afford the luxury of travel.

 

CruiseCritic, Trip Advisor, Google, etc. have made it possible to research and learn from other's experiences.

 

So many people have helped me here on the Europe board. Too many to thank, but I would like to do a shout out to the experts: cruisemom42, euro cruiser and Hlitner for consistently providing outstanding resources, suggestions, and advice to this newbie.

 

I am planning a family cruise to Alaska, and I have not yet found the "experts" on the Alaska board, so I just have to keep searching.:)

 

Thanks to all for your generous spirit of sharing travel info!

[Welshcruiser20]

Visiting Ephesus is one of my best experiences ever....loved it! Found it very emotional to see it.

 

I used http://turkeyprivateexcursions.com/index.html and they will tailor a tour to your needs.

 

They will give you a 10% discount if you mention Cruise Critic!

Edited September 12, 2011 by Welshcruiser20

[gmadvm]

Thanks all for the suggestions. I sent inquiries to Ekol and Ephesus shuttle and requested Yelda but both told me that it was not possible to confirm a specific guide. Ekol said it was because they want to avoid the impression that the tour price is for a certain guide. Oh well, I'm sure whatever guide we get will be good.

 

I also want to thank everyone on cruise critic for their great advice. Our first cruise was a western caribbean in 2005 and I didn't know any better and booked ship excursions for every port. What a waste of money being herded around like sheep! Now we only book ship excursions if we absolutely have to, like America's cup in St. Maarten, and the rest is DIY. Cruise critic is my primary research site even if we aren't going on a cruise. We did a land trip to Rome and Venice in May and CC and trip advisor were my main sources.

[wantocruisemore]

Thanks all for the suggestions. I sent inquiries to Ekol and Ephesus shuttle and requested Yelda but both told me that it was not possible to confirm a specific guide. Ekol said it was because they want to avoid the impression that the tour price is for a certain guide. Oh well, I'm sure whatever guide we get will be good.

 

I also want to thank everyone on cruise critic for their great advice. Our first cruise was a western caribbean in 2005 and I didn't know any better and booked ship excursions for every port. What a waste of money being herded around like sheep! Now we only book ship excursions if we absolutely have to, like America's cup in St. Maarten, and the rest is DIY. Cruise critic is my primary research site even if we aren't going on a cruise. We did a land trip to Rome and Venice in May and CC and trip advisor were my main sources.

 

 

When we used Yelda this past July it was through Kosagen Tours and we WERE able to confirm her as our guide. I had asked ahead of time and was Guaranteed it would be her. It was. I wonder if the other companies can't confirm her since she may be obligated primarily to Kosagen now?

[Turtles06]

When we used Yelda this past July it was through Kosagen Tours and we WERE able to confirm her as our guide. I had asked ahead of time and was Guaranteed it would be her. It was. I wonder if the other companies can't confirm her since she may be obligated primarily to Kosagen now?

 

I think it's actually unusual for companies to confirm specific guides, because many if not most of them are freelancers, and who knows what might be the case by the time of your tour.... It is interesting that Kosagen will confirm Yelda; perhaps they have a different arrangement with her than other companies have with their guides.

[wantocruisemore]

I think it's actually unusual for companies to confirm specific guides, because many if not most of them are freelancers, and who knows what might be the case by the time of your tour.... It is interesting that Kosagen will confirm Yelda; perhaps they have a different arrangement with her than other companies have with their guides.

 

To me it makes perfect sense to confirm a particular guide. If you as a company reserve and hire someone as a guide for a particular date then it is also logical you can confirm the identity of that person to the customer.

[Turtles06]

To me it makes perfect sense to confirm a particular guide. If you as a company reserve and hire someone as a guide for a particular date then it is also logical you can confirm the identity of that person to the customer.

 

I didn't say it didn't make sense. I said it wasn't that common (based on my own experience).