Kusadasi - Temple of Apollo - rent a car or tour

We will be visiting Kusadasi in October. We are trying to determine how best to see as much as we can - my DH wants to see the Temple of Apollo and we want to see the Terrace Houses and Ephesus - should we try to book a private tour to see these sights? Should we rent a car to get to the Temple (how far is it from the port?), and then private tour the rest? We have two different port days. Also, if we are missing any other 'must see' please advise. It appears that there is sooo much here - and making sure we also take the time to sit back for a meal and drinks to just be!! Thanks for your advice!

We were there in 2010, and although we are adventurous and typically use public transportation etc most places this was one place I would highly recommend a guided tour. I think the place we used was Ephesus Tours. There were 6 of us who met on here and formed a group. Great guide for the entire day, nice van, great lunch, too. Felt 100% safe with him, but would not have been comfortable driving around on our own. They had check points coming back into the city, which we were able to avoid with a tour operator. We saw ancient Ephesus, house of Virgin Mary, St Johns Basilica. It was an amazing day. Bought a great rug at the rug factory. And had an authentic Turkish lunch. I wish we had been there for 2 days, because we barely had any time at the Grand Bazaar.

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Jimmyvinny, that is really important to know. I started out trying to secure a tour with Ephesus Tours based on reviews on cc, however they are already fully booked both days we are in port. I will start to research alternatives - I am glad I asked. Thank you for responding.

Jimmyvinny, that is really important to know. I started out trying to secure a tour with Ephesus Tours based on reviews on cc, however they are already fully booked both days we are in port. I will start to research alternatives - I am glad I asked. Thank you for responding.

I assume you mean that you want to see Ephesus (the Terrace Houses are inside) and the Temple of Apollo at Didyma.

If so, you should easily be able to do both in a day (not a long day, but longer than a half-day) with a private tour.

I would recommend looking into a private tour, as the costs are much less than in some countries and having a guide --- particularly at Ephesus --- is worth it.

I highly recommend seeing the Terrace Houses, it was the highlight of Ephesus. We did a Celebrity excursion because the price was about the same as a private tour.

Just booked a full day tour to see it all! Yeah! Thank you for all your advice. And for clarifying that the Terrace Houses are part of Ephesus. We are very excited. We appreciate your expertise!

Enjoy! - Good decision to include the Terrace Houses.

Just booked a full day tour to see it all! Yeah! Thank you for all your advice. And for clarifying that the Terrace Houses are part of Ephesus. We are very excited. We appreciate your expertise!

Great! I'm glad you were able to find a way to get to the Temple of Apollo at Didyma. I found it well worth the visit. In my case, I did this as part of a ship excursion which went to Ephesus as well, so it definitely can be done in a day. You'll love these sites when you see them. Amazing.

Thanks to all of you - again!!

For a first time visitor we recommend booking a private tour (we have had great success with Ekol) that covers both Ephesus and The Terrace Houses (which are actually part of Ephesus). All else pales by comparison in the immediate area although the Virgin Mary House is interesting (although arguably not genuine). As to rental cars (and we have rented cars in Kusadasi) that is really not necessary for the sites in the Kusadasi area since we think a private tour is the way to go! But we used our rental car to drive pretty far from Kusadasi since we went to the weekly market at Tire (we were the only non-Turks within 20 miles of this place), and then drove to Didyma, Priene and Miletus (more then 100 miles of driving). This latter trip is something we recommend that folks save for a future trip once they have already seen most of what the Kusadasi area has to offer.

Hank

Thank you. I will check into them, although I think I am secure with another that I found on cc - EphesusShuttle. If anyone thinks this is not a great direction we remain open.

Wondering also if you went to Sirence? I realize that this would be on another day, but not sure if worth the time and money.

Thanks!

Used Ephesus Shuttle in 2011 and are using them again in September. Booked them on short notice and was able to put together a group through our roll call. We had no problems with them. The guide was great. We told him, in confidence, that one of the group had foot problems and could not walk for long periods. The guide stopped often making it seem like it was "his" idea and I doubt the person with walking problems ever realized that it was for his benefit. He raved about the tour. You won't be sorry that you booked with them.

<<<Karen>>>

Nice to know gkkapp. Little things often make the big difference!

Thank you. I will check into them, although I think I am secure with another that I found on cc - EphesusShuttle. If anyone thinks this is not a great direction we remain open.

Wondering also if you went to Sirence? I realize that this would be on another day, but not sure if worth the time and money.

 

Thanks!

Sure, we have been to Sirence a couple of times. It actually pairs rather well with a visit to Ephesus because it is located in the same area. You could certainly arrange a private tour and ask the tour company to include that as an option. But we think a lot of the charm that used to exist at the village of Sirence, is now long gone as the village became a major tourist destination for large bus tours. Bring enough tourists to any place and the shops/restaurants quickly morph into places designed for those tourists.

This all goes to why we drove all the way to the city of Tire for their weekly market (Tuesdays). This town has yet to be touched by tourism and their market is one of the best in Turkey. Unlike Kusadasi, where plenty of local women are dressed in western garb, in Tire the ladies were all gowned and covered, there were no women in the cafes, etc. It is what much of Turkey is like...in places that have not yet been "Westernized."

Hank

Your visit to Ephesus and its must-see Terrace Houses really benefit from the background supplied by a private tour guide. Plus private tours are so reasonably priced in that area that I highly recommend one.

We toured Ephesus six years ago with EKOL but this trip (in May) used Ephesus Deluxe for a wonderful day at Ephesus with a short stop at the sad remains of what once was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Temple of Artemis near Selcuk.

We booked a private tour so that we can see Terrace Houses, Ephesus, Miletus, Didyma, Temple of Apollo.

We will have another full day in port on the return from Istanbul. SHould we book another tour and if so what are we missing, or would you recommend that we just DIY? If our above tour really hits the high points, then we are a couple who enjoys DIY.....just not sure what else is worth booking for?

THanks!

Thank you. I will check into them, although I think I am secure with another that I found on cc - EphesusShuttle. If anyone thinks this is not a great direction we remain open.

Wondering also if you went to Sirence? I realize that this would be on another day, but not sure if worth the time and money.

 

Thanks!

A group of us from the Serenade OTS roll call are booked with them on Oct 24 so it sounds like we are traveling around the same time. Based on the reviews here and on Trip Advisor I think we made a great choice :D

We booked a private tour so that we can see Terrace Houses, Ephesus, Miletus, Didyma, Temple of Apollo.

 

We will have another full day in port on the return from Istanbul. SHould we book another tour and if so what are we missing, or would you recommend that we just DIY? If our above tour really hits the high points, then we are a couple who enjoys DIY.....just not sure what else is worth booking for?

 

THanks!

If you wanted to do two days of private touring, I'd suggest you make one day a tour of Ephesus, St. John's Basilica, the Temple of Artemis (scant remains but bragging rights for visiting the site of one of the original Seven Wonders of the World). Normally I'd also suggest tossing in the Archaeological Museum at Selcuk but it's currently closed (under renovation).

On the second day: Priene (a wonderful site), Miletus, and the Temple of Apollo at Didyma.

Alternatively, you can stick to your original schedule and on your second day you can poke around Kusadasi. Unfortunately it is really a town built for the tourist trade. There is a SMALL traditional area, where you could track down a hammam and experience a Turkish bath. Or visit a nearby beach if you're there in the warmer months.

Thank you cruisemom. I will look at those options....I suppose it would be too much to add to our itinerary as it is......

Another advantage to the private tour is that you will be dropped off at the top of the hill and walk downhill through the site to be picked up at the low end. If you park at one end and need to return to your car, you will be walking uphill agains the flow of all the foot traffic.

LEtue/Linda - from what I hear, there will be 4 ships in port at the same time.............