Olympia or Ephesus?

[genie17]

My wife and I are going on a 7 day cruise that will take in both olympia and Ephesus. We were hoping to find out which site people prefered to visit. We may skip one as we would love to have a beach day on the trip as well. Any advise would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance

[paul929207]

Ephesus is the clear choice in my book

[genie17]

Thanks Paul, we have done a fair bit of research and we were leaning that way however it's great to hear from people that have first hand experience

[Scrapnana]

I have been to both and Ephesus would be my choice, as well.

[skf]

Ephesus with a side trip to Sirince was a great tour. Ephesus is a vast ruins, you will be there several hours.

The carpet factory visit at the end was a big bore...feel free to skip it unless you want one.

[celebrity]

Ephesus with a side trip to Sirince was a great tour. Ephesus is a vast ruins, you will be there several hours.

The carpet factory visit at the end was a big bore...feel free to skip it unless you want one.

 

We also went to Sirince, the tomb of St John and Mary's House. Our private tour skipped the carpet factory at our request.

[paul929207]

Our tour also skipped all the shopping opportunities. We also visited the Terrace Houses at Ephesus. We were glad they were included

[flamomo]

I found the ruins at Ephesus absolutely fascinating, and consider them a must-see!! The Terrace houses mentioned above were also very interesting.

Edited June 1, 2015 by flamomo

[Hlitner]

When it comes to comparing Olympia to Ephesus it is like comparing a tiny bug (Olympia) to a giant Elephant. Olympia is not much more then an open field with an excellent small museum. But Ephesus would make our personal list of Top Ten Places to visit on Earth.

 

Hank

[ger_77]

I'm sorry we haven't been to Olympia, but I can certainly recommend Ephesus. Amazing ruins, fantastic history, something you just can't miss.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[Putterdude]

I certainly don't share the view that Olympia is just and open field, it is a large area with lots to see and incidentally is fairly accessible...being the pusher of the wheelchair I can attest to that. That said, Ephesus is certainly the jewel, the ruins are better preserved and of course you are in a completely different culture. It's not accessible but we would go back in a heartbeat.

[cruisemom42]

Just as an aside, I don't think the beaches are anything special at either place, although if you go a little further from the port they are probably somewhat better in Kusadasi than in/near Katakolon.

 

If it was my first trip, I'd do both Olympia and Ephesus. But then, I'm not much of a beachgoer, especially in Europe...

[SantaFeFan]

Another vote for Ephesus. I was amazed at how extensive the area was, and how well preserved some of the buildings are. Also visit the Terrace Houses, even if they are extra cost. Well worth it. And time permitting, Sirince, the tomb of St John and Mary's House.

 

We agreed to stop at a carpet factory. Our guide promised it would be minimal delay, and a delicious lunch of local cuisine would be provided as guests of the proprietors. He was absolutely correct about lunch - it was a wonderful meal in a very picturesque countryside locale.

Edited June 2, 2015 by SantaFeFan

[celebrity]

When it comes to comparing Olympia to Ephesus it is like comparing a tiny bug (Olympia) to a giant Elephant. Olympia is not much more then an open field with an excellent small museum. But Ephesus would make our personal list of Top Ten Places to visit on Earth.

 

Hank

 

No question that Ephesus is a must see when one is in the region.

Hank, as someone as well traveled as you, would love to know the other 9 places that top your list. 😃

[roaming_kiwi58]

No competition in our book - definitely Ephesus.

However, if it was my first visit to both, I would do both - but then we are not beach people. And you can't really compare Ephesus and Olympia, in my opinion.

We have done Ephesus twice, would not do Olympia a second time, but happy to have knocked it off our bucket list.

[TucsonRick]

Skip the beach and visit both sites.

[Donray]

See both. If you want beach days go to the Caribbean.

 

They are different, one is an ancient Greek site and the other a later Roman one.

 

Don't you want to say you have seen where the touch is lit and where the first Olympics were held?

 

I HAVE SEEN BOTH AND WOULD NOT GIVE ONE UP FOR A "BEACH DAY".

[Winnigirl]

Another vote for Ephesus.

[ontheweb]

Skip the beach and visit both sites.

 

I totally agree!

 

One thing I would add is if possible do a private tour rather then a ship's tour of Epheseus. The ship's tour description did not include the pushy carpet sales, but we were taken there for all too much time. (we would have joined our roll call tour, but DW definitely wanted to see the Virgin Mary's House, and everyone from the roll call definitely wanted to skip that.

[genie17]

Thanks everyone. We have decided to go to Ephesus and sit out olympia. We took in Athens a couple of years ago so hopefully won't be missing out on too much.

[wassup4565]

I don't understand. Maybe the weather won't be suitable for a beach day at one or the other - you can't pre-order the weather. Also you'd have locate the beach, and I didn't see much beachiness at Katakolon (Olympia). Or maybe you were just planning to stay onboard by the pool?

 

In any case, don't by-pass Ephesus, and by all means pay the extra to see the Terrace houses, a lesson in excavating as well as a peek into how people actually lived.

 

Olympia is a huge site of mostly fallen-down stuff. However, I did learn that it was not only the site of athletic events, it was also a kind of World's Fair of its time. So, many of the constructions were not about athletics at all, they were about advertising and commerce. The small museum is excellent. For the rest of the site, well it's a lot of columns lying on the ground. One area has been reconstructed to look good on TV, and the next time I see the torch-lighting ceremony before the Olympics, I'll know where they're staging that footage. I'll also know that everything around it is rubble.

[radiomom]

We were able to go to Olympia and to a beach using a private driver. We loved the museum at Olympia and wouldn't have missed seeing the ruins. We also really enjoyed our afternoon on the beach.

[SantaFeFan]

We were able to go to Olympia and to a beach using a private driver. We loved the museum at Olympia and wouldn't have missed seeing the ruins. We also really enjoyed our afternoon on the beach.

 

Have you been to Ephesus yet? If not, you have missed a rare jewel of a site by substituting a common beach visit instead.

[marco]

Go to Ephesus, skip the carpet sales-a-thon!