Ephesus / Kusadasi on our own?

Hi,

I have seen many posts about Ephesus/Kusadasi and all sorts of tours. We are a family of 3 and like to go out and explore on our own. Is this an option here? How easy is it to get around? We usually rent a car or take local transportation..or just walk, if that is an option.

Thank you for your help!

Hank~ I would love to hear your thoughts! :)

if you are going to visit Ephesus its at least a half hour drive -some people hail a taxi to take them there but the distance and the perspective a guide can give is why many people use private tours

It is about a 25 minute drive from the port to Ephesus, definitely not walkable. The biggest problem IMO with visiting Ephesus on your own is that there is a pretty lengthy downhill walk and if you have to go back to your own car, you would have to take this lengthy walk back uphill. And there is little shade and it gets very warm. If you have a private tour, the driver simply picks you up after you get to the bottom.

Also, private tours in Turkey are very reasonably priced. We had a four-and-a half hour tour of Ancient Ephesus, including the do-not-miss Terrace Houses, plus a look at the sad sole remaining column of the Temple of Artemis, once one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World plus all admission fees and a very knowledgable guide for $40 per person in May with Ephesus Deluxe.

We mostly travel DIY but you will gain a great deal of information from this site (which has little signage) with a tour guide.

We have been to Ephesus on a cruise ship excursion (Princess), totally on our own (where we even used public transit to get to within a mile of the ruins), and once we hired a personal private guide (for just the 2 of us). To put it simply, DW and I really are fascinated by Ephesus, have been there 4 times, and will return again if we ever in the area.

So, for the OP we would say yes, you can do it on your own. Of course you would have to use a taxi or rent a car to get out to the ruins (we do not recommend the public buses for inexperienced visitors). But once at the ruins you can buy a ticket and walk through the ruins on your own. But, we do not recommend this...and we say this being huge proponents of DIY (which we do all over the world). We think every first time visitor to Ephesus will get a lot more out of the visit if they have a professional guide. We strongly recommend booking a private tour from any of the very reputable local companies. The cost is reasonable and a good guide can bring the ruins to life. And make sure your visit includes a visit to the Terrace Houses (it has a separate admission price) which is often an optional add-on to many private tours.

Hank

Thank you to all. I really appreciate and value your opinions, and this is now one port I (for the first time) will consider a tour.

What are the must sees for one port day?

OK my opinion for what's it's worth;)

if you are going to do a private tour do you want to join up with others from your roll call to fill a minivan-this will work out cheaper but of course is more difficult to reach a consensus on what are the must sees

Ephesus is of course the big draw where you will want to spend most of your time and as already mentioned the terrace houses have a separate entrance fee but are worth seeing

we did a private tour a few years ago and visited Marys house first before the large tour buses turned up. It is a very tranquil spot surrounded by greenery on the top of the hill so great views-it also gives a complete contrast to the site of Ephesus which is mostly without shade

on the way back to the ship we were given the choice of visiting the various souvenir stalls at exit to Ephesus or visiting the ruins of temple[of Artemis-I think]-no contest for us-we hate souvenir stands

this was free admission but interesting but our tour guide warned us the site is full of gypsies trying to sell lucky charms etc and just to ignore them

Actually the main thing to be aware of in Turkey is aggressive salesmen

If you have absolutely no interest in rug making demonstrations /factories make this very clear as guides are very keen on assuring you you have plenty of time but it can be hard to get away once they start bringing out the goods!

It's amusing to see the signs for "genuine fake watches" but the concept of window shopping doesn't exist-show the slightest interest in something and the assumption is you want to buy-just a case of haggling

again if you enjoy this great but otherwise can be very stressful

there are several private tour operators recommended on here-contact a few and tell them what you are looking for-you'll soon get a feeling which is the right company for you

happy planning!:D

OK my opinion for what's it's worth;)

 

if you are going to do a private tour do you want to join up with others from your roll call to fill a minivan-this will work out cheaper but of course is more difficult to reach a consensus on what are the must sees

 

Ephesus is of course the big draw where you will want to spend most of your time and as already mentioned the terrace houses have a separate entrance fee but are worth seeing

 

we did a private tour a few years ago and visited Marys house first before the large tour buses turned up. It is a very tranquil spot surrounded by greenery on the top of the hill so great views-it also gives a complete contrast to the site of Ephesus which is mostly without shade

 

on the way back to the ship we were given the choice of visiting the various souvenir stalls at exit to Ephesus or visiting the ruins of temple[of Artemis-I think]-no contest for us-we hate souvenir stands

 

this was free admission but interesting but our tour guide warned us the site is full of gypsies trying to sell lucky charms etc and just to ignore them

 

Actually the main thing to be aware of in Turkey is aggressive salesmen

 

If you have absolutely no interest in rug making demonstrations /factories make this very clear as guides are very keen on assuring you you have plenty of time but it can be hard to get away once they start bringing out the goods!

It's amusing to see the signs for "genuine fake watches" but the concept of window shopping doesn't exist-show the slightest interest in something and the assumption is you want to buy-just a case of haggling

 

again if you enjoy this great but otherwise can be very stressful

there are several private tour operators recommended on here-contact a few and tell them what you are looking for-you'll soon get a feeling which is the right company for you

 

happy planning!:D

Love your user name, and your opinion is worth a lot to me! Thank you!

I am NOT a shopper, not even at home! I am an online shopper. So, I am not interested in looking at leather or rugs, or anything else, really. I appreciate the useful tip.

It is going to be hard to persuade my husband to take a tour. We usually rent a car, even places people say not to drive (Amalfi Coast pops into mind). It's part of the fun for us to dive right in to where we are and either take the public transportation or drive along with everyone else. But, I do understand missing out on information we might not know about the area.

Have you or anyone else been to the State Park or beaches near Kusadasi? I would love to do this after visiting Ephesus.

Thank you for your reply!

We did Ephesus Plus Tours with a lady called Leyla, she was excellent. We could go out our own pace and she knew when to avoid the hordes of coaches arriving. The have a website, but do get booked up very quickly as they are so popular.

Love your user name, and your opinion is worth a lot to me! Thank you!

I am NOT a shopper, not even at home! I am an online shopper. So, I am not interested in looking at leather or rugs, or anything else, really. I appreciate the useful tip.

It is going to be hard to persuade my husband to take a tour. We usually rent a car, even places people say not to drive (Amalfi Coast pops into mind). It's part of the fun for us to dive right in to where we are and either take the public transportation or drive along with everyone else. But, I do understand missing out on information we might not know about the area.

Have you or anyone else been to the State Park or beaches near Kusadasi? I would love to do this after visiting Ephesus.

Thank you for your reply!

my user name came after inspiration in form of couple glasses of wine!:D

If you see when I joined cruise critic it is no longer correct as my husband delights in telling everyone at the meet and greets!

I'm not sure whether you could hire a guide at Ephesus site like you can for instance at the Acropolis and combine with a hire car.However 2 experienced DIY ers have already contributed to this thread and if they advocate a private tour guide.......

I cant help you with state park or beaches but how long will you be in port-will you have time to do both?

my user name came after inspiration in form of couple glasses of wine!:D

If you see when I joined cruise critic it is no longer correct as my husband delights in telling everyone at the meet and greets!

 

I'm not sure whether you could hire a guide at Ephesus site like you can for instance at the Acropolis and combine with a hire car.However 2 experienced DIY ers have already contributed to this thread and if they advocate a private tour guide.......

 

I cant help you with state park or beaches but how long will you be in port-will you have time to do both?

LOL! That is too funny!

I think I will look into a tour, and thank you to sarar too, I will look into that tour company.

Any other tips are appreciated! Thank you!!