"House of the Virgin Mary" and Terrace Houses in Kusadasi. Why should I not miss them

[mikeerdas]

Planning my port stop to Kusadasi, and obviously Ephesus is a must (will be my first time in Turkey).

 

"House of the Virgin Mary" seems to be a popular place, but let me ask this: if its historical credentials were completely and utterly fraudulent (e.g. if it was not, in fact, the house of its namesake), how worth seeing would it be in and of itself? e.g. is it visually spectacular in some way? If it's not the latter, I think it's probably safe for me to give it a miss. I'm not on a pilgrimage.

 

I've heard the Terrace Houses were a not miss (although most ship excursions do not visit them), and have seen some photos of them. Looks like they are sheltered in hangar-like building. What is their significance and how impressive are they, really? And why did you find them impressive, or why did you not find them impressive? I tend to like ruins in visually spectacular, rural surroundings, e.g. Delphi is my favorite ancient site so far.

 

And if you are one of those recommending the Terrace Houses, did you visit them on your first visit to the Kusadasi area or on subsequent visits?

 

This may be my one and only visit to Kusadasi ever, and I want to be sure I don't waste my time in places that are less interesting (to me) than what's on offer at Ephesus proper.

 

Might also be interested in Didyma and Miletus, although I need to do more research to see if they are worth spending less time than I intended at Ephesus. Miletus sounds intriguing to me as someone with an interest in Philosophy. The first Greek philosophers ("the Pre-Socratics")--yep, much of modern Turkey was Ancient Greece--are said to have hailed from Miletus. Of course, Miletus may be as dull as dust visually--in which case I'll probably give it a miss. And the history may be dubious as well.

[cruisemom42]

Two visits so far to Kusadasi, and I haven't yet contemplated the visit to Virgin Mary's house. You'll have look to others for info on that.

 

One my first visit, we did a tour that included Ephesus, the Terrace Houses (these are actually a part of the Ephesus site, so you won't lose any time traveling to them) and St. John's Basilica.

 

I would have to say that Ephesus AND the Terrace Houses are the "must see" things for a first visit. The reason why the Terrace Houses are so spectacular are that they are very "complete" -- they still retain their original mosaic floors, frescoed walls, and so on. In many other sites (such as Pompeii) the floors and many of the outstanding frescoes have been relocated to museums in order to protect them. Here, you can see them in situ. (That's why they have the protective structure over them -- also because archeological/restoration work is still ongoing). They have done a very good job of using some sort of plexiglass or other clear plastic for stairs and pathways above the houses so that you can walk through and look down and into the houses. I loved seeing the remains of the advanced Roman plumbing (wall pipes), the likes of which wasn't seen in Europe again for about 1500 years...

 

On my second visit, I did a private tour to Priene, Miletus, and Didyma. If you like spectacularly sited ruins, I suggest you substitute Priene for either Miletus or Didyma. (In terms of distance from Kusadasi, Priene is closest, Miletus is farther, and Didyma is the farthest (although not much farther than Miletus). This pristine Greek city is situated very beautifully at the top of a high hill with beautiful views all around.

 

Here is what I said in another post about Miletus and Didyma:

 

Miletus has a nice theatre (not as large as Ephesus but totally marble), a ruined bath complex, and other Roman ruins, as well as ruins from the original Greek 1st century settlement. Because the site is partially flooded, it makes for some great photos. (Also, when I was there in early April all the wildflowers were blooming!) After walking all around the site, I sat in the shade of the olive trees and had bread and olives (the man who sold them to us claimed the olives were from the very tree we sat under...a nice story, but who knows? ;)

 

Didyma's claim to fame in ancient times was its huge temple of Apollo -- it just missed being on the list of the "Seven Wonders of the World" because it was still under construction at the time. Because of earthquakes, only 3 pillars are still standing, but the quality of the stone and the carvings on site are really top notch. They clearly spared no expense. The columns are huge and you can see some of the tops up close (since they've tumbled), as well as the huge Medusa heads that were originally between the columns. The "sacred courtyard" where the Oracle lived (at one time rivalling the one at Delphi) is still in very good shape.

[mikeerdas]

Thanks for the detailed reply CruiseMom. It indeed sounds like I should not miss the Terrace Houses.

 

One my first visit, we did a tour that included Ephesus, the Terrace Houses (these are actually a part of the Ephesus site, so you won't lose any time traveling to them) and St. John's Basilica.

 

Thanks for that bit. Why do folks seem to be saying the Terrace Houses aren't part of their tour? I haven't made any final decisions, but I've considered skipping the ship-sponsored tour and arranging my own transport to Ephesus. I could probably hire a guide on-site and/or find the Blue Guide for Turkey if one exists. Really enjoyed the Blue Guide for Greece since it contained site plans. I would never have discovered the Secret Cistern at Mycenae were if not for that book.

 

How much of a walk is it to the Terrace Houses? My wife and I are reasonably fit, and I'm a hiker. We're going in late September, so I'm hoping the heat won't be unbearable. But then I live in the American South and am acclimated to heat.

 

I would have to say that Ephesus AND the Terrace Houses are the "must see" things for a first visit. The reason why the Terrace Houses are so spectacular are that they are very "complete" -- they still retain their original mosaic floors, frescoed walls, and so on. In many other sites (such as Pompeii) the floors and many of the outstanding frescoes have been relocated to museums in order to protect them. Here, you can see them in situ.

 

Aha! Now I understand the allure.

 

On my second visit, I did a private tour to Priene, Miletus, and Didyma. If you like spectacularly sited ruins, I suggest you substitute Priene for either Miletus or Didyma. (In terms of distance from Kusadasi, Priene is closest This pristine Greek city is situated very beautifully at the top of a high hill with beautiful views all around.

 

Thanks, I will do some research on Priene. Is it possible to get there, in a reasonable amount of time (and expense!), using public transport or taxi, to Priene? Would I have time to explore Ephesus, the "Terrace Houses at Ephesus" (as I will now internally refer to them to remind myself they're far off in some can't-walk-to-it separate location), and Priene? The port stop is 7am to 7pm I believe. Good long day. Heard there's some good shopping in Kusadasi, but my wife and I aren't the shopping type.

 

Mike

[cruisemom42]

There is an extra charge to visit the Terrace Houses, and the number of people who can enter at a time is kept to a minimum, so my thought is that large tours just don't include them as an option because they might have to split their group into 2-3 smaller groups and wait around for others....

 

The houses themselves are really right there at the Ephesus site. They are built up a terraced hill but they overlook the center of Ephesus. I seem to recall our guide telling us that there are similar terrace houses on other hills around Ephesus that have not yet been unearthed.

 

As for Priene, it is probably a good half-hour drive from Kusadasi, but not in the same direction as Ephesus. It looks like there is a Dolmus bus stop nearby at Gullubahce, but I wouldn't be able to tell you which bus to take from Kusadasi -- sorry. A half-hour by taxi might be doable at a reasonable price. If you have a full day in port, you could probably do Ephesus (with Terrace Houses ;)) and Priene. According to my notes, Priene closes at 7pm and is open daily, so no problems there.

 

If you have plans to do Priene on your own, I might recommend that while you are at Ephesus, look for one of the shops near the gate that sells the small site-specific books for tourists. If you can find one that covers Priene, Miletus, and Didyma (they are usually all covered in a single book), it's worth the price and you can take it with you to Priene where you'll get much more context.

 

Priene was one of the oldest-known cities to be laid out according to a grid pattern, and it was never colonized by the later Romans, so it still retains a Greek feeling in architecture. The local blue-gray marble is beautiful against the green hills. There's a bit of a steep climb from the parking lot/ticket booth to the actual city entrance, but well worth it. The temple of Athena (of which 5 columns are still standing) was financed by Alexander the Great, who passed through the city on his way to defeat the Persians.

[MrsTW]

There is an extra charge to see the Terrace Houses and it isn't included in ships' tours. ;)

 

The Terrace Houses are next to the main street in Ephesus so everyone walks past them. As cruisemom said they are definitely worth visiting! :)

[Hlitner]

We recently completed our 3rd visit to Ephesus and have loved each visit (once on a ships tour, once on our own, and the most recent time with a highly educated private guide (for just us)). The Terrace Houses are absolutely amazing and are housed right in the regular ruins (covered by a new building). There is an extra admission fee but that is not the reason most ships tours skip the place. Most large tours include some kind of shopping to places such as a "Jewelry Factory" or a "Pottery Factory" which either kick-back a percentage of sales to the tour company (and cruise ship) or are sometimes owned by the tour company. Spending more time in the ruins (i.e. Terrace Houses) would hurt the bottom line for the tour company (and cruise ship) so you can figure out the rest. As to the Virgin Mary House, we skipped the place during our first two visits but this time (this past April) we included it in our private tour. What they have done is take the ruins of an ancient house (there were only some foundations remaining) and build what they think is an accurate replica on top. Is it real? That is debatable..but the place has been blessed by the Pope. We did not think it was worth the 30 min time we spent at the site and we share in the skepticism of many historians. But, since the place has been accepted by the Catholic Church it is certainly of interest to many visitors.

 

Hank

[margbem]

We visited Ephesus last year with a private tour with Ekol. It was the highlight of our trip. Our guide was Yelda and she freelances. If you search this forum for her you'll find her email address. We went to Virgin Mary's House but there's nothing much to see there so if you aren't bothered then don't go. You must NOT miss The Terrace Houses but not many cruise tours visit because they limit the numbers in there. If you book with Ekol specify when you book that you want to include them. Your guide will go in with you and explain everything - they are incredible!

[Cymro1953]

Hi,

Just back from Eastern Med on RCI's Legend of the Seas.

We did a ship's excursion that included the Terrace Houses. They were fantastic, as everyone else says who has visited them.

We were lucky enough to have a history tutor as our guide and he really knew his stuff.

There is a lot of up and down as you go up the metal steps up the terraces. And you walk over parts on a clear perspex floor (about 1 storey up in parts) so you need a bit of nerve.

If you can get an excursion that includes them do not miss them.

 

Berwyn

[mfantasia]

I did the "House of Virgen Mary", the trip is beautiful, the place is beautiful too, quite and peaceful, the house is rebuilt following the structures of the houses of that time, only the foundations are from that time (our guide told us that...), there is not real evidence thet she lived there, she did live in the area, but I doubt thet they know where...If you are not for pilgrimage, don't go.

 

Now Ephesus, it is worth every penny...the Terrace Houses are priceless and the Theater in Ephesus....you can't miss that...there is extra charge for the Terrace Hoses, yoou need to ask specifically for that.

[CruisinManiac]

The Virgin Mary's House was interesting, and could have been a moving experience had it not been for the tourist that were loudly talking when no talking was allowed in or near the house. The grounds, fountains and the prayer wall were beautiful and moving to me, but after you see them, you have to walk back through a tourist trap with very aggressive vendors. Thankfully, we had a guide with us and he steered us away. If I return to Kusadasi, I will probably skip that area.

 

Ephesus is not to be missed! I would not miss a chance to see them in person. ;)

 

How much of a walk is it to the Terrace Houses? My wife and I are reasonably fit, and I'm a hiker.

Are you talking about hiking from the ship...too far! If you mean how far from Ephesus, it's just about 10 steps us to the houses, several steps inside the houses, and about 50-60 very steep steps to come back down. My parents had to skip the houses because of the exit steps. That's why I took some video and photos. I have a video that I took inside of the Terrace Houses that I would be happy to share.

[Tulsa Cats]

We saw the Virgin Mary's house two years ago, but would not recommend it, unless you want to see the place that has been blessed by the Pope.

It was indeed quiet and a bit interesting but when you consider the travel time and visit time etc., there are things more interesting to us this year.

We definately want to see Ephasis ruins again and the Terrace houses.

And really, I loved the shopping in Kusadasi. The shop keepers are delightful, and there are so many fun things to look at. Whatever you decide to do, you'll be glad you did.

[Fblack]

As I recall the Virgin Mary's house is less than 10 minutes from Ephesus. We enjoyed it.

[CruisinManiac]

As I recall the Virgin Mary's house is less than 10 minutes from Ephesus. We enjoyed it.

 

That's true and it was not out of the way at all. They also have camels (and rides) in the parking lot. :D

[gtlovell]

We just got back from Ephesus. We had booked a tour with the Ancient City and the Terrace Houses; the one tour the ship offered that included the Terrace Houses.

It got canceled! Not enough passengers signed up. So we booked another that included the City, St. John's and Mary's. Our tour guide was amazing! We loved it!

We did have to endure a carpet sales pitch but we had no pressure to buy.

Warning: There is very little shade at any of the above stops and it was hot. Make sure to take water, hat/umbrella and sunscreen.

 

I wrote a short article with pictures on our stops if you are interested:

Ancient City Ephesus

House of Virgin Mary

Basilica of St. John

[mikeerdas]

Thanks again everyone.

[Hlitner]

We just got back from Ephesus. We had booked a tour with the Ancient City and the Terrace Houses; the one tour the ship offered that included the Terrace Houses.

It got canceled! Not enough passengers signed up. So we booked another that included the City, St. John's and Mary's. Our tour guide was amazing! We loved it!

We did have to endure a carpet sales pitch but we had no pressure to buy.

Warning: There is very little shade at any of the above stops and it was hot. Make sure to take water, hat/umbrella and sunscreen.

 

I wrote a short article with pictures on our stops if you are interested:

Ancient City Ephesus

House of Virgin Mary

Basilica of St. John

 

This sure makes the case for private tours. Going to the ruins at Ephesus without seeing the Terrace Houses is a crime (IMHO).

 

Hank

[cruise4usnow]

Do see the Terrace Houses. Ship tours are too large to walk through them. Our rollcall Nov6,2008 NCL Jade had four buses that went to Ephesus. We all saw more than the ship's tours and each of the four tour guides were great and provided extensive information as we road from Izmir to Ephesus. The guides all also work out of Kusadasi. On a previous trip none of the 12 people on our bus were impressed with the Mary House. On this trip we left early and saw Ephesus, Terrace Houses, drive by Atemetis Temple, Selkuk museum, and brief visit to Sirince village. On a previous trip we also saw St John's. Another time we saw Pergamon. Of all these sites - Ephesus and the Terrace Houses were the best. Our last guide was the best and had taught ancient history.

[hopingforthebest]

I just returned from an Eastern Med Cruise and must say that everyone in our party felt our private tour of Ephesus with Ekol travel, and the Terrace Houses specifically, were one the highlights of our entire trip. The condition of the Terrace Houses and the ability to see the archeological work in process was unbelievable. Although the private tour is a little more expensive, a private guide does much to shelter you from the heat and crowds and usher you to jut the right spots. This is priceless on a hot crowded day. Like you, I wasn't convinced of the authenticity of Mary's House and skipped it.