Kusadasi/Ephesus shore excursions

[psygist]

Anyone on the Brilliance of the Seas, or another ship, call on the port of Kusadasi this summer? Was curious as to what exactly the cruise line offers in the way of shore excursions here, the length of tours, and the cost. Did cruise ships actually call on this port this summer, or was this port cancelled due to the current world situation? Thanks!

[TedC]

We were in Kusadasi on the new Westerdam in May. Most people go to the wonderful ruins at Ephesus.

 

Since we'd been to Ephesus, we hired a guide and driver from Meander Travel and visited the three ancient cities of Miletus, Priene and Didyma. Very educational and enjoyable.

 

It cost us $120 US dollars plus tip for about 6 hours of touring. Guide, Hakam, was excellent and the new Audi comfortable. We were offered a free lunch but opted to eat back on the ship.

 

HAL also offered excursions but it would've cost us more and we would 've been in a large group on a bus.

 

If you haven't been to Ephesus, that should be your priority. It's possible to do Ephesus and the three cities if your ship is in port all day. It would be a long day - but worth it!

[Cruise Miriam]

It has been a few years since I've been to Kusadasi, but I highly recommend you go to Ephesus. We did this toward the end of a cruise to the Greek Islands, Cypress, Israel and Turkey and we were glad Ephesus was almost our last stop. It was incredible -- and we thought we were ruined out!

[jdrblue]

We too were in Kusadasi on the Westerdam in May. We shared a private tour with another couple. The company was tur-tour and the guide was Yusuf Savat. Yusuf went to college in the US and was a great guide. Only licensed guides are allowed inside the ruins at Ephesus. We were in a small van with a driver and Yusuf. It would have held eight passengers. We went to the Virgin Mary's house, the ruins at Ephesus and the ruins of a Christian cathedral. St. Johns? We wanted to buy a Turkish carpet. Yusuf took us to Yuksel Carpets in Selcuk where they served us lunch and then the show began. They are very dramatic in the way they show the carpets. It is a long process. They unroll lots of carpets one after the other. Then you narrow down your choices. Everythng is by barter. They say it took three women a year to make that carpet and it goes on and on. Then they serve some Turkish tea and you visit. Then the negotiations begin again. It is quite a process but fun. We finally agreed on a price and then it is like you are part of the family. More tea is served and they tell you about their family history. Our carpet arrived home safely and ahead of schedule. We love it. Yusuf let us out in a shopping area in Kusadasi within walking distance of the ship. The cost was $50 per person which included lunch and all entry fees.

[MaseratiCruiser]

Would you still have Yusuf Savat's website or email address? Also, if you don't mind my asking, just how much could one expect to pay for an original Turkish carpet? Sounds like a neat souvenir!

[jdrblue]

Yusuf's email is ysavat@tur-tour.com and the website is http://www.tur-tour.com. The carpet website is http://www.yukselcarpets.com. There are pictures of their showrooms on the website. Carpets come in all sizes and shapes. The one we bought is made of wool and is 115" by 87". It costs a little over 4 billion Turkish Lira. It is the only thing I have ever bought that cost a billion anything and the credit card receipt is quite a sight. Come to think of it, I don't believe I ever bought anything that cost a million anything. Actually Turkey has had quite an inflation problem and the 4 billion lira is about $2,700 US. We looked at a much smaller silk carpet that had a $10,000 starting price and could have been bought for maybe $7,000. We had tablemates from Ontario that bought a smaller wool carpet. They emailed us pictures and it looks very nice in front of a sofa. There are long narrow carpets for halls, small ones for entry ways, and you get the idea. The smaller ones they fold up and sack up and you carry them home. Ours was shipped. It appeared it was shipped to an agent in New York and forwarded to us. They had us sign the back of the carpet so we would know it was the one we bought. I imagine you could buy a small, wool carpet for a few hundred dollars and the sky is the limit for the silk ones or the antiques. The price inlcudes all shipping, taxes, handling, Visa, MasterCard but not American Express.

[MaseratiCruiser]

Thanks for the information, I have emailed the tour company. The carpets on their website do look beautiful. Maybe if I'm not broke by the time we reach Turkey (from the costs of all these private tours) I can pick up a miniature one. Looking forward to seeing this interesting country!

[Paulmj]

We were in Kusadasi last summer on a Golden Princess cruise. It was our second visit there, our previous one many years earlier at which time we toured Ephesus.

 

In the intervening years, Kusadasi has "grown up" into a major seaside resort, with extensive shopping, fine hotels & dining, etc. I took some panoramic pictures of the setting when we were there.

 

See: http://www.pbase.com/image/31885965

 

http://www.pbase.com/image/31885956

 

http://www.pbase.com/image/31885952

 

By all means, see Ephesus as the primary purpose of the visit, but I recommend you allow some time in the Kusadasi resort area, if you have it available.