Ephesus-Terraced houses

[staygulf]

I have heard a lot about how good the terraced houses are, but I've also heard that there are a lot of stairs/steps to negotiate. I'm trying to find out whether my wife would be able to manage them.

 

So, for anyone that's been, are they man made stairs with a handrail or natural steps carved out into the hillside with no support. Roughly how many stairs are there? Any pictures would be appreciated.

 

Thanks.

[Cruiserbillyboo]

Stairs are all man-made. Yes, there are quite a few. If mobility-limited, it may be an issue. Depends just how much the limitations is.

However, if possible, the Terrace Houses are definitely worth a visit as part of the Ephesus tour. Ephesus was the highlight of our med cruise, it is extraordinary.

Consider yourself lucky to be going, since so many lines have cancelled this stop. Have fun!

:)

[wheezedr]

Stairs are all man-made. Yes, there are quite a few. If mobility-limited, it may be an issue. Depends just how much the limitations is.

However, if possible, the Terrace Houses are definitely worth a visit as part of the Ephesus tour. Ephesus was the highlight of our med cruise, it is extraordinary.

Consider yourself lucky to be going, since so many lines have cancelled this stop. Have fun!

:)

 

Agree with all of above. I have a bad knee but these are many stairs with a railing. Just went a little slower. She should be ok if that works and I highly recommend the visit

[maryann ns]

They are really good steps with railings. There are quite a few but they are spread out so you are walking in between. You can go at your own pace.

[staygulf]

Thanks for the replies. It's more a case of breathlessness than mobility. I guess if she takes it slowly we can catch up with the group.

[MeHeartCruising]

Here is a link to my pictures from the day that I went to the Terrace Houses in Ephesus. The pictures for the Houses start near the bottom of page 1 where you see blue crates stacked around in the pictures. That is inside the Terrace House building (it is enclosed from the weather). Hope this helps. There's not a lot of pictures of the steps, but there are some.

 

https://flic.kr/s/aHskqbsdvh

Edited September 23, 2016 by MeHeartCruising

[staygulf]

Here is a link to my pictures from the day that I went to the Terrace Houses in Ephesus. The pictures for the Houses start near the bottom of page 1 where you see blue crates stacked around in the pictures. That is inside the Terrace House building (it is enclosed from the weather). Hope this helps. There's not a lot of pictures of the steps, but there are some.

 

https://flic.kr/s/aHskqbsdvh

 

Thanks for that, very useful. Great pictures.

 

So I take it that the steps/stairs that are all the warnings are about are all within the houses and are a means of getting round the exhibit. Are there any stairs/steps leading up to the terraced houses from the main Ephesus ruins?

[cruisemom42]

It's difficult to find a good photo, but from memory it seems the entrance to the covered area of the Terrace Houses is relatively level with the street. You can sort of see here:

 

http://wp.patheos.com/community/markdroberts/files/2011/09/ephesus-terrace-aerial-7.jpg

 

The first time I visited the Terrace Houses (in 2006 when they were still relatively newly opened), it was with my 76-year-old mom who had some knee problems. The stairs inside were fine, but when we reached the top, we had to exit outside and then walk down some fairly perilous steps to get back to street level.

 

The second time I went, about 4-5 years ago, I seem to remember that this had been improved upon but I don't remember the specifics (I wasn't as concerned as I was on my own).

 

Maybe someone else can comment?

[staygulf]

It's difficult to find a good photo, but from memory it seems the entrance to the covered area of the Terrace Houses is relatively level with the street. You can sort of see here:

 

http://wp.patheos.com/community/markdroberts/files/2011/09/ephesus-terrace-aerial-7.jpg

 

The first time I visited the Terrace Houses (in 2006 when they were still relatively newly opened), it was with my 76-year-old mom who had some knee problems. The stairs inside were fine, but when we reached the top, we had to exit outside and then walk down some fairly perilous steps to get back to street level.

 

The second time I went, about 4-5 years ago, I seem to remember that this had been improved upon but I don't remember the specifics (I wasn't as concerned as I was on my own).

 

Maybe someone else can comment?

Thanks for the info.

[mskaufman]

On the right hand side you can see what the stairs/handrails are made of. Looking at the center of the photo you can get a feel for how high you go.

 

[MeHeartCruising]

My memory (from 2011) is that the entry is near street level or maybe up a slight set of stairs to get in the door. Nothing major. Then you gradually work your way up the various set of stairs under cover as you work your way up the hill. Then you exit the building at the top of a hill and have to walk down the outside of the building. I don't recall, how difficult the steps were, but you're pretty much on your own at that point, so you can easily take as much time as you need to come back down.

[staygulf]

My memory (from 2011) is that the entry is near street level or maybe up a slight set of stairs to get in the door. Nothing major. Then you gradually work your way up the various set of stairs under cover as you work your way up the hill. Then you exit the building at the top of a hill and have to walk down the outside of the building. I don't recall, how difficult the steps were, but you're pretty much on your own at that point, so you can easily take as much time as you need to come back down.

 

Thanks for your help. My ife has pretty much decided that, looking at the photos, she could manage at her own pace so I'm pretty pleased about that.

 

We've been to Ephesus before but never visited the terraced houses or the peripheral places like house of the Virgin Mary or temple of Artemis. So we're joining a private 8 hour tour and are quite excited about it.

 

Thanks everyone for the assistance