Kusadasi Private Tour to Ephesus

We will be in Kusadasi in April with Holland America. We want to take a tour to Ephesus and Virgin Mary's house. Any suggestions on good tour operators that offer a rate better than the rate offered by the ship for this tour?

We used Ephesus Express for a semi-private tour in 2014. Excellent guide and low price. Lunch at a carpet factory, but no hard sell. Included VM house. Make sure you include the Terrace Houses at Ephesus!

Stuart

We have been pleased with Ekol. They are not the cheapest tour operator in Turkey, but they have been around for many years and always seem to deliver a quality tour.

Hank

We have been pleased with Ekol. They are not the cheapest tour operator in Turkey, but they have been around for many years and always seem to deliver a quality tour.

 

Hank

Agree. Great Company to do business with.

Bobbie

We have been pleased with Ekol. They are not the cheapest tour operator in Turkey, but they have been around for many years and always seem to deliver a quality tour.

 

Hank

Hi Hank

I noticed that Ekol has/had a Jewish Orientation tour and I am waiting for them to provide me more information and rates. Do you know anything about this tour?

We use Ali (Ali Baba Taxi aka Ephesus Taxi Service) on our port day in Kusadasi last October. I did a lot of looking around and pricing and his price was very appealing and he had some good reviews on Trip Advisor. I thought it would just be a transport but it was a full tour stopping at Ephesus (the main attraction for us), Selcuk, Basilica of St. John, Artemis Temple as well as a stop at a carpet maker (where there was, happily, no high pressure sales pitch) as well as a leather shop with some beautiful products on offer. We decided not to go to the House of Mary due to time however, it was one of the options he would have taken us to see.

We highly recommend Ali. He was very professional and proficient in English as well as very charming. He had a great sense of humor and was very flexible and let us design our itinerary for the day. His van was very clean and comfortable and he offered on board wifi, as well. I think the cost was around 80 euros for all six of us (total, not per person) for approximately 5 hours. We were only in port from 7am until 2pm.

I blogged about our day in Kusadasi on my cruise blog and also have some photos there as well.

Hi Hank

I noticed that Ekol has/had a Jewish Orientation tour and I am waiting for them to provide me more information and rates. Do you know anything about this tour?

Have no clue. But having been to Ephesus several times we would suspect they will just give you a guide who will spin his/her commentary with a Jewish Oriented theme. Many decent tours companies have discovered that there is a market for Jewish oriented tours and sometimes they are good and other times they are pretty similar to any other tour. Historians will tell you that there was a Jewish community at Ephesus and they were there at the time Paul preached in that city (you can sit in the same amphitheater will "Paul spake to the Ephesians."

As to Ekol, if you do not hear from them within a few days just send another friendly e-mail. This time of year is pretty "off season" so we assume they have a reduced staff and may not be as quick to respond as in the busier spring/summer/fall seasons.

Hank

Have no clue. But having been to Ephesus several times we would suspect they will just give you a guide who will spin his/her commentary with a Jewish Oriented theme. Many decent tours companies have discovered that there is a market for Jewish oriented tours and sometimes they are good and other times they are pretty similar to any other tour. Historians will tell you that there was a Jewish community at Ephesus and they were there at the time Paul preached in that city (you can sit in the same amphitheater will "Paul spake to the Ephesians."

 

As to Ekol, if you do not hear from them within a few days just send another friendly e-mail. This time of year is pretty "off season" so we assume they have a reduced staff and may not be as quick to respond as in the busier spring/summer/fall seasons.

 

Hank

Thanks Hank.

I did hear back from Ekol. It appears that there is minimal Jewish presence in Ephesus today; only a menorah inscribed on the steps of the Library of Celsus. I found Ekol's price to be very high in comparison to others. Thanks again.

We used Ephesus Shuttle. We had a private tour that took us wherever we wanted whenever we wanted. Very pleased with our guide. She had a lot of knowledge about Christian heritage of the region

Our price was reasonable too. $117pp which included Sirince, less expensive without Sirince. Our guide was Nahide Sahin. It included admission to the Terrace House, Ephesus, St John Basilica, Sirince, Blessed Mother house and she also stopped wherever we asked along the way. I think the tour was about 7 hours

Thanks Hank.

I did hear back from Ekol. It appears that there is minimal Jewish presence in Ephesus today; only a menorah inscribed on the steps of the Library of Celsus. I found Ekol's price to be very high in comparison to others. Thanks again.

Tis true about Ekol's higher prices. There are quite a few other private tour companies (several recommended on this blog) that are lower cost...if that is your priority. In fact, the cheapest way would be to use the local van/buses and go from the Kusadasi bus station to the closest stop to Ephesus. You then have to hike to the upper entrance and will also to later hike back to the main road to later catch a return bus. We actually did this one day (just for fun and to see if it was doable) and a few other CCers have followed our example. It turns out to be a cheap day (the bus costs next to nothing and you only need to pay the admission price to Ephesus plus the Terrace Houses). In closing we would just mention that we do not recommend this type of DIY day for most cruisers...and it should be reserved for only the most adventurous who like long hikes (often in the heat).

Hank

We used Ephesus Shuttle in 2012 and will be using them again in June.You can go to their web site and look at all the tours that they offer.That way you can choose exactly what you want to see on your tour.

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

I also came across http://helloephesus.com/ with very good reviews on TripAdvisor.

We use Ali (Ali Baba Taxi aka Ephesus Taxi Service) on our port day in Kusadasi last October. I did a lot of looking around and pricing and his price was very appealing and he had some good reviews on Trip Advisor. I thought it would just be a transport but it was a full tour stopping at Ephesus (the main attraction for us), Selcuk, Basilica of St. John, Artemis Temple as well as a stop at a carpet maker (where there was, happily, no high pressure sales pitch) as well as a leather shop with some beautiful products on offer. We decided not to go to the House of Mary due to time however, it was one of the options he would have taken us to see.

 

We highly recommend Ali. He was very professional and proficient in English as well as very charming. He had a great sense of humor and was very flexible and let us design our itinerary for the day. His van was very clean and comfortable and he offered on board wifi, as well. I think the cost was around 80 euros for all six of us (total, not per person) for approximately 5 hours. We were only in port from 7am until 2pm.

 

I blogged about our day in Kusadasi on my cruise blog and also have some photos there as well.

Our stop in September is only 7am to 1 pm, so wondering if we had to cut something out of the tour you did, what would you eliminate?

Thanks.

Our stop in September is only 7am to 1 pm, so wondering if we had to cut something out of the tour you did, what would you eliminate?

Thanks.

The carpet factory and leather shop. :rolleyes: (But I am not a shopper -- I see no need to spend time on a paid tour shopping, when there is plenty of free shopping in Ephesus near the ship.)

Of the other standard sites, Ephesus and the Terrace Houses (which are within Ephesus) is the biggie. The other stops will depend on your interest. The House of Mary is probably not historic, and all that remains of the Temple of Artemis is a single standing column. Nevertheless there are those who are religious or interested in history who would want to see them. Best thing is to to a little reading and decide what appeals most to you.

Our stop in September is only 7am to 1 pm, so wondering if we had to cut something out of the tour you did, what would you eliminate?

Thanks.

It would all depend on what your interests are but I would eliminate the stop at the leather shop and the Temple of Artemis, which is just one standing column. We had not originally wanted to do a carpet factory stop, due to time, but I did find it was very interesting to see the process and how to tell the different quality of carpets. If you are more interested in history, I would drop the carpet factory and see more of the Basilica of St. John. We did not have time to see much more than the front and I would have loved to see inside.

With all of the stops we made, we were still back in town and at the bazaar by a little after noon so you could still see a lot and just not bother to shop, if that was your preference, and still be back in lots of time for all aboard.

It would all depend on what your interests are but I would eliminate the stop at the leather shop and the Temple of Artemis, which is just one standing column. We had not originally wanted to do a carpet factory stop, due to time, but I did find it was very interesting to see the process and how to tell the different quality of carpets. If you are more interested in history, I would drop the carpet factory and see more of the Basilica of St. John. We did not have time to see much more than the front and I would have loved to see inside.

 

With all of the stops we made, we were still back in town and at the bazaar by a little after noon so you could still see a lot and just not bother to shop, if that was your preference, and still be back in lots of time for all aboard.

Thank you, I appreciate your thoughts. We aren't shoppers so would probably forego those stops. Thanks again for your reply.

I organized a few independent group excursions during our Serenade cruise last year and booked with Ephesus Shuttle for our port stop in Kusadasi. Our guide was great and very detailed so I highly recommend them. They are also very responsive to email and answered all my questions quickly - including the van details for our group of 14.

No matter who you choose make sure you include the terrace houses in your tour!

http://www.ephesusshuttle.com/

We will be in Kusadasi in April with Holland America. We want to take a tour to Ephesus and Virgin Mary's house. Any suggestions on good tour operators that offer a rate better than the rate offered by the ship for this tour?

Hi there, - if you havent booked your tour yet - last year we did our Ephesus from Kusadasi with a guide who had excellent reviews on trip advisor and we had a wonderful day out ! The prices were from $25 per person - so cheap - The guide's name is Ergin Ince and you can take a look at reviews from this trip advisor link :

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1182247-d3458828-Reviews-Ephesus_Tours_Best-Didim_Turkish_Aegean_Coast.html

Hope that helps,

: ) Shirley

We used Ephesus Shuttle. We had a private tour that took us wherever we wanted whenever we wanted. Very pleased with our guide. She had a lot of knowledge about Christian heritage of the region

Its been several years but we used Ephesus Shuttle also and were very pleased, especially since our tour included the Terrace Houses. Actually, we were picked up at the ship so quickly that we were some of the first people to enter Ephesus when it opened that morning. Be sure to tell them (and your guide) you do NOT want a rug factory tour included. We found

Ephesus shuttle to have no problem with that request.

We used Ephesus Shuttle and had a great time. Their prices are very reasonable and you have a choice of several tours from Kusadasi. Here's the link: http://www.ephesusshuttle.com/kusadasi-to-ephesus/

JP, just wondering if you are still scheduled to stop in Kusadasi/Ephesus. I have read on these boards that some companies are canceling Turkish ports. We stop in Kusadasi in July. I can't wait. I hope we still go.

JP, just wondering if you are still scheduled to stop in Kusadasi/Ephesus. I have read on these boards that some companies are canceling Turkish ports. We stop in Kusadasi in July. I can't wait. I hope we still go.

Hello JZ,

I have not heard anything yet. That will be very sad, it will be the second time I miss the chance to visit Ephesus. The first time was due to bad weather. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!

Does anyone have any experience with a company called Ephesus Tours at http://www.************.biz? I accessed them through the Kusadasi Guide web site (kusadasi dot net). I am thinking of booking a private tour with them.

Thanks

Originally Carnival had canceled our stop in Izmir, but two days before sailing, it was reinstated but at Kusadasi. We quickly contacted Levent Solmaz to see if he would still take us to Ephesus and he was quick to respond by email. It was so easy to get off the ship and find him. He escorted our group of 6 to a really nice van (one that was more like a small bus that you could actually stand in) and we were off. We visited the Virgin Mary's house, Ephesus and the Terrace Houses. He was very knowledgeable and did a great job at explaining everything. He went with us every step of the way (different from the tours we had done in Italy where the tour driver couldn't actually go into the historical sites). He was a bit eccentric in that he loves cats and took a container of cat food with him into Ephesus. At various places, he would stop and shake the container and the cats came running for the food. They knew him, and he had names for many of them. A little odd at first, but quite charming! After Ephesus, we had lunch at a great place in Selcuk. He made recommendations and it was very tasty and very reasonably priced (less than $20 for my husband and me and that included several sodas and an apple tea). Levent ate with us as part of the family and we really enjoyed our time with him. After lunch, we visited a mosque, the temple of Artemis (which is just one column) and then went back into town for some shopping. We asked not to stop at the carpet shops. Cost was $85 per person (there were 6 of us) and that included all the entrance fees. It was fabulous not to be with the hundreds of people from our cruise ship. Our day with Levent Solmaz was exceptional and I would highly recommend him!