Hire Private guide in advance or getting off the ship?

Hi - For Istanbul and Kusadasi, a friend is wanting to get off the ship and find a driver/guide to take us around to the sites. There are three of us, and two or us are of the thinking that we should book the guide/tour in advance, whether it's through the ship or something we book with a tour company ourselves. We want to get the most of our experience there and are thinking that is the way to go.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

Book ahead for Kusadasi.

This is a port that you don't want to miss the ship at (not that you want to ever miss the ship)

The more well known companies know they must get cruisers back to the ship on time or suffer the consequences of losing business.

For Istanbul: take the tram into the historic district and DIY. It is sooo easy, cheap, safe, faster and fun. We have done this a few times. There will be lots of other cruisers doing the same thing so just follow them :D

From Kusadasi most people go to Ephesus, which is about 30 or 40 minutes away, and for that, it would probably be best to book a private touring service in advance or take the ship's tour. (Check your roll call for private tours to share.)

Ephesus is a large, complex site and deserves a guide, in my opinion, but not all will agree. For DIY though, there are taxis and dolmus, public minivans, for getting there on your own, if you choose, and then either hire a guide outside the entrance or self-tour.

Istanbul, on the other hand, is easy to do on your own. There are taxis, a public tram stop near the port, or you can walk to the Sultanamet, the old town which contains most of the sights you will want to visit. Do some reading about the area and decide if you want a guide or tour. Local guides for hire hang out in front of some sights.

Istanbul

You can explore independently very easily with a little research, using the excellent tram between the port and the old city part, called Sultanahmet, where most of the city's sights are easy to walk. Tram cost a flat 2TL.

Or you can pre-book a guide - might be a guide & driver, or a walking tour. Don't dismiss a walking tour, which may also start with a tram ride - its the best way to get to the sights. Best to agree some sort of itinerary.

Sorry, no experience of hiring a guide.

But planning to just find someone at the pier, which works well enough in some places, is about the worst thing you can do in Istanbul :eek:

I very much doubt you'd find a guide, qualified or not, available on spec at the pier. What you will find are taxi drivers. At the pier they're a cross between sharks & vultures, their sole aim will be to relieve you of as much money as possible. They do not use their meters, whether for an airport or hotel transfer or for a taxi tour. And a taxi tour of the old city is pointless. A taxi is slower than the tram, which has a dedicated traffic lane. The driver cannot simply park-up & accompany you into the various places, & in any case I doubt he'd be knowledgeable enough to be any sort of "guide". On foot, one sight leads to naturally to another, and at some places - the Grand Bazaar for instance - its most convenient to go in one end & out the other, so a car is a hindrance.

Taxi drivers in the city are OK, and a metered taxi can be a convenient way to get from A to B. But at the port, use the tram or a pre-booked guide.

Kusadasi

For Ephesus (about 20 - 25 mins away) it's easy enough to barter a taxi for around 45 - 50 euros, or a little more if you also want to include to the House of the Virgin Mary, a few miles beyond up in the hills. The driver drops you at the entrance to Ephesus, you can buy guide books here or hire a guide. The driver waits for you at the other end of the complex. Agree a price before you board, pay when you get back - its the norm.

Or there's a wide choice of pre-booked guided tours, private or shared. Again, sorry, no personal experience. In Kusadasi it's possible you might be able to fix up a guided tour on the spot, others might be able to comment.

There's even a bus service of sorts, but it involves a long & shadeless walk.

I mentioned TL in Istanbul & euros in Kusadasi.

Yes, I know they're both in Turkey ;)

Euros are widely accepted in Kusadasi (you can pay Ephesus entrance fee by card).

But not so widely accepted in Istanbul, & where goods are priced in TL (eg cafes & bars) you'll get a poor exchange rate. Official sites, trams & ferries only accept TL, and the trams, regular ferries & even some official sites don't accept cards.

Just MHO

JB :)

I agree it is extremely easy to go on your own in Istanbul. Check Rick Steve's guide. Google for toms port guides. Do a search here for Virtual Rain's post on how they toured Istanbul.

For Ephesus, you should consider a private tour. Go to the Roll Call for your cruise and see if you can join one that someone has organized. I organized one for 15 people and we had a great day. This was with Hello Ephesus. You really want to guidance about what you are looking at. Be sure to specify that you want to see the Terrace Houses.

Thanks to everyone for your great advice! I shall go away and ponder our options!

Comes down do you like turnkey no worries with a bit of upfront planning or daring and wing it in port.

I did pre-reserved for Istanbul and Kusadasi as I had 3 generations and a large group. The experience was great with private vendors, but I have to admit Ephesus was doable with Taxi from port and pick up another taxi from the exit. As another poster said Istanbul is easy to DIY.

The dollar exchange is good so having a guide and bus isn't too expensive either.

We were there last July and booked our tour few months before with a local guide. Ertunga was simply great! Born and raised the area, he is very knowledgeable of the history of Ephesus and Kusadasi and his English is great. We started our tour with Ephesus and he gave us many choices of sites to see next. After Ephesus, we visited the house of the Virgin Mary (which is a must see). Ertunga took us to a local restaurant for lunch which is located next to a carpet factory. He gave us the option of seeing the carpet factory without any pressure. We then visited the tomb of Saint John and he also took us to a neat overlook of the entire city of Kusadasi. I would highly recommend visiting Kusadasi/Ephesus and I would also highly recommend Ertunga!

www.ertungaecir.com

Visited July 2012

We were there last July and booked our tour few months before with a local guide. Ertunga was simply great! Born and raised the area, he is very knowledgeable of the history of Ephesus and Kusadasi and his English is great. We started our tour with Ephesus and he gave us many choices of sites to see next. After Ephesus, we visited the house of the Virgin Mary (which is a must see). Ertunga took us to a local restaurant for lunch which is located next to a carpet factory. He gave us the option of seeing the carpet factory without any pressure. We then visited the tomb of Saint John and he also took us to a neat overlook of the entire city of Kusadasi. I would highly recommend visiting Kusadasi/Ephesus and I would also highly recommend Ertunga!

www.ertungaecir.com

Visited July 2012

Do you remember what the cost of this tour was.

Sorry for my late answer; We were 5 and I guess we paid around 40 euros per person for all day tour.

Sandyfitz,

I used Ertunga for a tour in November 2013 based on your recommendation.

It was exactly what we wanted and it was a pleasure dealing with him.

He even sent me a Christmas greeting in December!

I will be in Kusadasi in September. Should I already contact some company to arrange Ephesus tour? Do they charge deposit? Credit card payment possible?

email Mehmet Olgun at Pratik Car Rental, 130 euros for the day. Went the main highway to Ephesus, Pamucak beach and took the scenic drive along the coast back to Izmir and the Kizlaragasi Han Bazaar, back at the ship with lots of time to spare.

I also had Ephesus tour with Ertunga Ecir. You can read my review.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=251325

email Mehmet Olgun at Pratik Car Rental, 130 euros for the day. Went the main highway to Ephesus, Pamucak beach and took the scenic drive along the coast back to Izmir and the Kizlaragasi Han Bazaar, back at the ship with lots of time to spare.

The poster was asking about tours from Kusadasi not Izmir…… but I am sure some on here can use the info :D

A year ago we took a one day tour of the Ephasus area with About Ephasis/Osman Tourism and had a wonderful experience. We were not on a cruise, but they arrange tours from the port in Kusadai too. Our guide was Gonca (pronounced GONE ja) although she also goes by Rosie. She was very nice and knowledgeable. The driver was excellent and the vehicle a new first class passenger van. The arrangement before, during, and after the tour were all handled very professionally. We were picked up at the Izmir airport and driven to the Shrine of Mary. The shrine itself is not too impressive, but the history behind the site and its importance to two of the world's major religions is fascinating. We then toured Ephasus, including the terrace houses. The tour included lunch at an outdoor garden restaurant. There was a tour of a carpet making school where they teach young women the carpet weaving craft. Of course they then try to sell you carpets. Many tours will include these shopping stops, even if you don't want to buy anything. Basically, they tour operator gets a payment for bringing tours which in subsidizes the cost of the tour. In this case, it was interesting to see how silk is spun and how carpets are knotted. The carpet sale is a fun show. If you don't want to buy, just say no and realize that those people who do buy carpets are helping to keep down the cost of your tour. We then went to the temple of Artemis and finally were dropped off at our hotel. Our hotel was a B&B that was not staffed when we arrived and instead of just dumping us on the street and leaving, the guide and driver called around to locate the staff (who were at an ajacent property) and stayed with us until they showed up and we were settled. We really appreciated that extra service. This was a private tour for just my wife and I. We were there a little early in the season so we got a bit of a discount. I figured the cost of the tour for two (which included transportation from the airport, lunch, guide, and all admissions) was not any more than what we would have paid to do all that on our own without a guide, so it was an excellent value. Plus we would not have had enough time in a day to do all that on our own. The other major sight in the area is the Basilica of St. John, which we saw on our own the next morning as it was just across the street from the hotel. The well reviewed museum in town was closed for renovations. There is much to do an see.

I suggest everybody to arrange a guide in advance! We were there last week, and the port was so busy, many tourists and many guides with name signs. I hoped to find available guide at the gate, but unfortunately the situation there was not better... At the end, we ended up walking around on our own, relying on the informations from the book. I wish we had a guide...

I will be in Kusadasi in August. Planning to visit Ephesus on my own. Can I get a bus from cruise terminal to Ephesus? I also want to visit the House of Mary...

I will be in Kusadasi in August. Planning to visit Ephesus on my own. Can I get a bus from cruise terminal to Ephesus? I also want to visit the House of Mary...

There's a bus service from Kusadasi to Selcuk which goes past the end of the road that leads to Ephesus - gives you about a 3/4 of a mile (??) walk to the site. And it will be a hot walk in August.

You'll also need either a guide or a guide book, Both available on-site. No audio guides when we were there a few years back.

House of the Virgin Mary is a 10-15 minute drive beyond Ephesus. But I'm pretty certain there's no bus service to it - if there is it'll be pretty infrequent, which isn't good for a place which is worth no more than about 15 mins of your time.

You could be a bit cheeky.;) Taxi drivers drop their passengers at the entrance to Ephesus & then drive round to the exit at the other end of the site where they park-up & wait for their passengers to appear 60 to 90 minutes later. So you could get one to earn a little extra by taking you up to VM's House, wait for you there 15-20 mins & bring you back to Ephesus.

But really you'd be better off sharing with a group, perhaps via your RollCall or perhaps a seat-in-bus tour from a local agency or Viator or City Discovery, or even - dare I suggest it on this forum :rolleyes: - ship's tour.

A lot of tours combine Ephesus & VM.

JB :)

We did this tour on our own in August... John Bull, you were right, I should have joined a group, that is the best option...

First of all, the bus service left as at the main road, close to the lower gate. So, we walked to the lower gate where we found out that practically all the guides wait at the upper gate (long walk, and August was hot...) We had to take taxi to the Virgin Marys and back to the main road, where the bus stops. All in all, too complicated and tiring, would not do it again!

I would definitely go with a smaller group next time, does not have to be too expensive actually...

Is ephesus museum in Selcuk, open?

Hi - For Istanbul and Kusadasi, a friend is wanting to get off the ship and find a driver/guide to take us around to the sites. There are three of us, and two or us are of the thinking that we should book the guide/tour in advance, whether it's through the ship or something we book with a tour company ourselves. We want to get the most of our experience there and are thinking that is the way to go.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks.

Book ahead for both. You have probably gotten lots of names. I suggest EKOL for both places.

Is ephesus museum in Selcuk, open?

According to information I read on an Ephesus website recently, the museum reopened in December after extensive renovation.

Hi - For Istanbul and Kusadasi, a friend is wanting to get off the ship and find a driver/guide to take us around to the sites. There are three of us, and two or us are of the thinking that we should book the guide/tour in advance, whether it's through the ship or something we book with a tour company ourselves. We want to get the most of our experience there and are thinking that is the way to go.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks.

Definately book in advance. It is cheap enough to do a tour there and you will get a lot more out of the experience. I am attaching my review of the port:

“Kusadasi shore excursion - Ephesus with The Terrace Houses”

Reviewed June 3, 2014

I arranged with Ekol Travel a private 4 hour tour of Ephesus including the Terrace Houses. Our guide was Hadi and he was wonderful. Spoke perfect English, had a great personality, was well organized and extremely knowledgable. My husband thought he was the best tour guide we had in the last 14 years!

Ephesus is an ancient treasure of a city. We entered through the Upper Gate and worked our way down through the marble street. The magnificent Library, amphitheater and many more awesome structures.

Not everyone does The Terrace Houses as there is an additional fee but they are NOT to be missed! They give you an idea how the wealthy lived during the Roman period. Beautiful mosiacs and frescoes can be viewed from the glass scaffoldings.

Lastly, we went to the Temple of Artemis. Originally it has 36 marble columns but only one is left. A stork made a nest for her little ones on top of the column and was feeding them while we were there. It put a big smile on my face.

A wonderful tour with an excellant guide from Ekol Travel, a quality organization.

Visited May 2014

Hi - For Istanbul and Kusadasi, a friend is wanting to get off the ship and find a driver/guide to take us around to the sites. There are three of us, and two or us are of the thinking that we should book the guide/tour in advance, whether it's through the ship or something we book with a tour company ourselves. We want to get the most of our experience there and are thinking that is the way to go.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks.

I would personally book in advance. It's such a great city so full of history! Its well worth it to have it in advance and have someone who is a guide and not just a driver.

I personally love Levent Solmaz, have gone with him twice. My aunt and uncle just went with him and it was their favorite tour and guide, hands down.