Ephesus Tour

[angeleyes27]

We will be going to Ephesus around Memorial Day. We would like to see Terrace Houses, St John Basilica,House of Virgin Mary, Library of Celcius, and perhaps Sirince. We also want a little bit of time to shop in Kudasai. Any recommendations for a tour company that would fit the bill? We don't really need the carpet demonstration. Thank you.

[fabnfortysomething]

We will be going to Ephesus around Memorial Day. We would like to see Terrace Houses, St John Basilica,House of Virgin Mary, Library of Celcius, and perhaps Sirince. We also want a little bit of time to shop in Kudasai. Any recommendations for a tour company that would fit the bill? We don't really need the carpet demonstration. Thank you.

 

frequently recommended companies on this forum are Ephesus shuttle,ephesus deluxe,KSG and EKOL

Contact several with your wish list and stress you don't want a carpet demonstration-some try to push you towards this

[cruisemom42]

I just returned from a Med cruise with several ports in Turkey. Since I've stopped in Kusadasi numerous times, I didn't want to visit Ephesus again but did want to see Priene, Miletus and Didyma (nearby ruins). We arranged a full-day private tour with Ephesus Shuttle and found them to be very responsive and easy to work with. (They offer various tours and are happy to work with you to include the specific sites you want to visit.)

 

I had to change the date of our tour right before the cruise started due to a last-minute change in our cruise itinerary. Ephesus Shuttle responded very promptly to my change and said it would be no problem, setting my mind at ease.

 

We very specifically said that we did not want any shopping stops or demonstrations, and our wishes were respected.

 

I feel they provided a great tour for a very reasonable cost and would be happy to use them again.

 

I do want to reiterate that with private tours in Turkey and elsewhere in Europe, it is really up to you to be clear about what you want out of your day. If a good, knowledgeable guide is important to you, be sure to say so in your planning conversations. (Many of the guides in the Kusadasi area work freelance and not just for one specific agency.) If you don't want any shopping, be very specific about it.

[dogs4fun]

I just returned from a Med cruise with several ports in Turkey. Since I've stopped in Kusadasi numerous times, I didn't want to visit Ephesus again but did want to see Priene, Miletus and Didyma (nearby ruins). We arranged a full-day private tour with Ephesus Shuttle and found them to be very responsive and easy to work with. (They offer various tours and are happy to work with you to include the specific sites you want to visit.)

 

I had to change the date of our tour right before the cruise started due to a last-minute change in our cruise itinerary. Ephesus Shuttle responded very promptly to my change and said it would be no problem, setting my mind at ease.

 

We very specifically said that we did not want any shopping stops or demonstrations, and our wishes were respected.

 

I feel they provided a great tour for a very reasonable cost and would be happy to use them again.

 

I do want to reiterate that with private tours in Turkey and elsewhere in Europe, it is really up to you to be clear about what you want out of your day. If a good, knowledgeable guide is important to you, be sure to say so in your planning conversations. (Many of the guides in the Kusadasi area work freelance and not just for one specific agency.) If you don't want any shopping, be very specific about it.

Like Cruisemom42, we also used Eshesus Shuttle and specifically stated that we wanted no shopping stops. Our wishes were respected as well.

[petlady7]

Just got back from a cruise and used Ephesus shuttle , excellent company , they guaranteed departure , even though we were the only ones on our tour (we did not book a private tour but one for up to 20 pax) the company honoured the price so we had our own driver and personal guide named Bill for the price of 41 euros each , we also tipped at the end of the tour , the guide himself said that the company is one of the best that he has worked for and he has been in the tour industry for over 15 years , I do not hesitate to recommend them

[momthecruisedirector]

I was just going to leave a review of the tour we took with About Ephesus and saw your posting. We booked this tour a few months in advance - it was very easy, they take a paypal deposit that is refundable if your ship doesn't make it to port. You can also pay by credit card. This is their website: http://aboutephesus.com/ This is the review I am posting:

 

We had a wonderful time with Gonca and our driver Alp with aboutephesus.com

 

We were met at the ship, as promised, by a smiling Gonca. She walked us to a very clean and comfortable van. We left quickly for Ephesus. Along the way she explained the history of the area and asked us what our preferences were. We chose to not see the home of Virgin Mary.

 

Walking up the pine tree path while listening to the history was capped off by the site of the stadium. Through out the area Gonca took pictures of us together and answered any questions we had. She then gave us time to visit on our own. We went to a lovely carpet making demonstration. Watched them spin silk from the silk worms and then knot the carpets before going inside to look at all the beautiful carpets. There was no pressure to purchase.

 

We then had a fantastic lunch outside, surrounded by olive trees and the smell of bbq. I am hoping to get the recipe for the lamb burgers (!). The food was fresh and we felt we truly were invited to a friends home for lunch.

 

On the ride back to our ship we visited and felt so fortunate to have had such an educational and beautiful day.

 

 

****shopping - there is a market area right near the ship. We asked to be dropped off there instead of at the pier. It is a very short walk to the pier when you are done shopping. You do not need an escort of any sort or it to be a paid excursion, everything is right there.

Edited November 3, 2014 by momthecruisedirector
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[LEtue]

Just returned from a fantastic cruise on the Serenade of the Seas which included a stop in Kusadasi. I organized 2 tours for our CC group and one was Ephesus with Ephesus Shuttle. They were fantastic to work with and we really enjoyed our day with our guide Emory. I had asked that we not include the carpet factory and the subject never came up on tour day. I would highly recommend them and our tour included Ephesus - with Terrace Houses, St John's Basilica and the House of the Virgin Mary. It was a great tour!