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Kusadasi - Ephesus on your own.


nigkar
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We will be visiting Kusadasi on our up coming cruise.

We wish to visit Ephesus on our own.

 

Do they have public transport from Kusadasi to Ephesus ?

Could you take a dolmus there ?

And where would we get either ?

 

I'm afraid I'm a little ignorant as towhat is actually at Ephesus.

Is everything worth visiting close together ?

 

We will be visiting in September, and dock on a Sunday at 07:00 departing

at 18:00.

 

We may not have enough time to visit everything, so if we just visit a few of major sites we would be more than happy.

As we we do things on our own we like to get back to the ship in plenty of time.

 

Thank you for any information.

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We will be visiting Kusadasi on our up coming cruise.

We wish to visit Ephesus on our own.

 

Do they have public transport from Kusadasi to Ephesus ?

Could you take a dolmus there ?

And where would we get either ?

 

I'm afraid I'm a little ignorant as towhat is actually at Ephesus.

Is everything worth visiting close together ?

 

We will be visiting in September, and dock on a Sunday at 07:00 departing

at 18:00.

 

We may not have enough time to visit everything, so if we just visit a few of major sites we would be more than happy.

As we we do things on our own we like to get back to the ship in plenty of time.

 

Thank you for any information.

 

I was just in Kusadasi last Sunday and I can tell you what we did. We hired a taxi right outside the port to take us to the top of Ephesus and pick us up approx. 2 hours later at the bottom of the site. You can negotiate the price before hand, for us it was 50Euros for our party of 4. Our driver was fantastic, pointed out some interesting sites along the way, gave us the option of the carpet/leather thing, but no pressure when we declined.

 

Once at Ephesus, you can easily see the ruins and the Terrace Houses together. The House of the Virgin Mary and the Temple of Artimis are seperate and we did not see those. It is about a 20-30 minute drive from the port to the site and 2 hours was just about the right amount of time at the ruins.

 

Please let me know if you have any other questions, this was by far our favorite port!

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You would be much better off taking a guided tour. They are not expensive, especially if you join up with others on your cruise. That way you have a guide to explain what you are seeing. Ephesus is an ancient Roman City and is amazing to walk around but you would miss a lot without a guide.

 

Go to the Roll Call for your cruise and see what others are doing.

 

A distant second in my opinion would be hiring a taxi and using a good guide book.

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You would be much better off taking a guided tour. They are not expensive, especially if you join up with others on your cruise. That way you have a guide to explain what you are seeing. Ephesus is an ancient Roman City and is amazing to walk around but you would miss a lot without a guide.

 

Go to the Roll Call for your cruise and see what others are doing.

 

A distant second in my opinion would be hiring a taxi and using a good guide book.

 

Guided Tours are a great option. I used an iPhone app in addition to a book we got at the site and did not feel that we missed anything. However, I had studied the history of Ephesus and knew what I was walking into. I prefer to go at my own pace so a guide would not have been for me, but if you do prefer one, they are all over the top of the site by the entrance and you can easily find one at the last minute if you are not able to reserve one before hand. Even if it is just your family, you can negotiate a price that you are comfortable with.

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We were in Kusadasi a few years ago and our group of eight hired a private driver and guide for the day. I would have been completely lost in Ephesus without the guide. She was terrific. There's so much to see and so much history that we knew nothing about; I wouldn't have had a clue as to what we were seeing and why it was significant. I didn't at all feel like we couldn't go at our own pace. She certainly had her timing down, and there is a kind of order to things (some of which she reversed to avoid the masses of people), but we all went at our own pace and if we wanted to know more about a particular section or whatever, she took the time to explain it. From Ephesus we did see the other main sites on our way back, after we had gone to this really cool local, off the beaten path place for lunch.

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Many years ago (on our third visit) DW and I decided to use a Dolmus (basically a mini-bus). So we walked from the port over to the bus station (about a 10-15 min hike) and took the Dolmus which dropped us at a bus stop located along the main road near the ruins. We then had to walk nearly a mile to the upper entrance (the one normally used by tours) and spent a few hours in the ruins...ending at the lower exit. From there...we walked back to the main road (the bus stop is on the opposite side of the road) and caught the next Dolmus back to town. We are not sure of the current Dolmus routes...but suspect nothing much has changed.

 

Having told this tale, you might want to consider this was our third visit (we have since been back to the ruins for a 4th time). We have visited the ruins on our own, on a cruise line excursion, and on a private tour (where we hired a private guide from Ekol for just us). For a first time visitor we have always strongly recommended taking a private tour from Ekol or one of the other reputable local tour companies (you book online prior to your trip). A professional guide can really help bring the ruins to life and explain some of the history (and even the internal debates about certain parts of the ruins). And you might want to consider that DW and moi have traveled, independently, all over the world for more than thirty years (forty+ for me) and seldom take tours. But a good professional guide does add a lot to Ephesus...so this is one of the few places we stress taking a tour.

 

And finally, any visit to Ephesus should include a visit to the Terrace Houses (located within the ruins...but with an extra admission fee). When booking any tour...make sure it does include the Terrace Houses.

 

Hank

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I strongly agree with those above who have recommended a private tour. It will be the difference between seeing a site of ruins and having the ancient city come alive for you. There are a number of reputable guides recommended on this board (we used Ekol, this was years ago); get some folks from your Roll Call (some may already have tours organized), and the price pp will go down. And yes, be sure you include a visit to the Terrace Houses.

 

LibraryofCelsus.jpg

 

(photo by turtles06)

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Chiming in to agree with those recommending that you get a guide for Ephesus! There's so many "extra" things they will point out that you would easily miss on your own... directions to the brothel (and the stories that go along with them), the statuary which shows the Ephesians knew the world was round LONG before Columbus, how the public toilets were thoughtfully laid out with..... Oh I don't want to spoil it for you... get a guide! :D Kusadasi was one of our favorite ports last year, thanks to our excellent tour with Ephesus Shuttle. Looking forward to our stop there again this October.

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I would second the comments that you should get a guide. I don't know if I can direct you but there are "TOURS BY LOCALS". We used a local, Hakan and he was great. There are details in the stuatory and signs you would not understand without a guide. Do not pass on the Terrace houses, they were so ahead of their time, it is amazing.

 

 

House of Virgin Mary was slightly interesting if you have time. The other side tours, to the other monuments are a waste of time. They are nothing special.

 

Enjoy every moment.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I also highly recommend a guided tour here. They are inexpensive and as mentioned you could join a group from your ship.

 

I set up a group of 14 last year and even though I knew a lot about the sites and history of the area - I just can't imagine doing this on your own.

 

I used Ephesus Shuttle and can highly recommend them. They were easy to work with and communication was excellent. They offer lots of tour options in my opinion all of the sites were worth a visit and not a waste of time at all :)

 

http://www.ephesusshuttle.com/

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I'm in total agreement with the previous posters. Hire yourself a guide or join a

guided group tour. You'll get so much more with a guide providing you with a lot of useful information about what you're looking at. We took a semi-private tour in 2014 with ephesusdeluxe.com. Ephesus is an amazing place. Enjoy your time there.

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I'm a little confused. I looked at the web sites for Akol and for Ephesus Shuttle. The tours they offer are similar, but, at least as I read it, the prices are far different.

 

Context: six people. Akol is $114 for all. Ephesus shuttle is $90 (maybe minus a 20% discount) per person.

 

What am I missing?

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I'm a little confused. I looked at the web sites for Akol and for Ephesus Shuttle. The tours they offer are similar, but, at least as I read it, the prices are far different.

 

Context: six people. Akol is $114 for all. Ephesus shuttle is $90 (maybe minus a 20% discount) per person.

 

What am I missing?

 

I assume you're talking about Ekol? (Not Akol.)

 

I just looked at their website. It seems pretty clear to me that their prices are also per person.

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We (2 of us) were in Kusadasi at the end of last month.

 

After much research, I felt the best value was Viator's Kusadasi Shore Excursion: Ephesus Terrace Houses, Artemission Temple, Including Lunch tour. It was just $39 per person including admission to Ephesus and the Terrace Houses.

 

It was a great choice. It was our 3rd visit to Ephesus; yet our guide shared some things that our previous guides had not.

 

Our guide Mutlu Bullit was waiting for us at the pier exit. On the way to Ephesus he told us about Turkey and its regions as well as showing us where the original settlement was.

 

Once at Ephesus, Mutlu was careful to ensure that we were in the shade when possible as he explained each section and provided some history to put it in perspective. Through out the tour he was both interesting and informative and always willing to take pictures of us.

 

We especially enjoyed the Terrace Houses since a lot had been done since our last visit to them about 10 years ago.

 

After leaving Ephesus, we made a short visit to the Tempe of Artemis before going to lunch at a restaurant associated with one of the carpet places. Lunch was delicious: various mezzas, grilled chicken. lamb and meatball kebabs and watermelon for desert. Of course, we were offered a tour of the carpet store, but Mutlu was careful to explain that we were not required to do ss.

 

At our request, they left us at the Bazaar near the pier and we wandered through it before returning to the ship.

 

It was the best tour of our cruise!

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We (2 of us) were in Kusadasi at the end of last month.

 

After much research, I felt the best value was Viator's Kusadasi Shore Excursion: Ephesus Terrace Houses, Artemission Temple, Including Lunch tour. It was just $39 per person including admission to Ephesus and the Terrace Houses.

 

It was a great choice. It was our 3rd visit to Ephesus; yet our guide shared some things that our previous guides had not.

 

Our guide Mutlu Bullit was waiting for us at the pier exit. On the way to Ephesus he told us about Turkey and its regions as well as showing us where the original settlement was.

 

Once at Ephesus, Mutlu was careful to ensure that we were in the shade when possible as he explained each section and provided some history to put it in perspective. Through out the tour he was both interesting and informative and always willing to take pictures of us.

 

We especially enjoyed the Terrace Houses since a lot had been done since our last visit to them about 10 years ago.

 

After leaving Ephesus, we made a short visit to the Tempe of Artemis before going to lunch at a restaurant associated with one of the carpet places. Lunch was delicious: various mezzas, grilled chicken. lamb and meatball kebabs and watermelon for desert. Of course, we were offered a tour of the carpet store, but Mutlu was careful to explain that we were not required to do ss.

 

At our request, they left us at the Bazaar near the pier and we wandered through it before returning to the ship.

 

It was the best tour of our cruise!

 

Viator is only a broker or "middle man" for local tours.

 

Do you know what agency actually provided the tour?

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We were in Ephesus in April this year and we used Ephesus Shuttle for our tour of 14 people. We went at our leisurely pace including the Terrace Houses and the carpet factory. It took most of the day and ended up being the highlight of our cruise

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We just did this 2 days ago.Here is the least expensive way to do it.

1.Get off the ship, cross the street,with the ship at your back walk left until you pass the grand bazaar. Look for the D sign. This is where the public bus picks you up. Tell the bus driver you want to go so Selkuk (not correct spelling.) and then on to Ephesus. It will cost you one euro or dollar. They will take you about 15 minutes. He will point out the bus stop across the round about (lots of traffic). Get on that bus for about 30 minutes. Cost 2 euros. It will pass the water park and the ladies beach. It looks like he is dropping you off on a main highway in the middle of nowhere. (Bus stop is across the street to return home.) You will take a right and walk for 3/4 of a mile. Down the street. Turn right when you get to Ephesus sign (just past turnoff to the cave of the seven sleeping boys.) You can then negotiate with the taxi driver to take you to the house of the Virgin Mary for 25 euros. Entrance fee is 7.5 euros or dollars. You can do a horse drawn carriage for less but dusty and hot. You can get them to throw in the cave of the 7 sleeping boys. (Under construction not that exciting.) Mary's house is a religious icon but will not take long. They will then drop you off at the top gate to walk through the ancient city of Ephesus. This is the main interesting sight. This is on the left side across from refreshment area (with Mary's

house at your back.)Cost is 14 Euros. Don't

T make the mistake we did and walk down the road instead of going through the gate. I think I would have liked it. Everyone else did but I was too tired at this time.

 

After you walk through you can walk back to the road. They had a bus driver with a wally talkie who told the driver I as there. Not more than 10 minutes when catching the next bus.

 

2nd least epensive Book the viatour tour small group for cruise ship to Ephesus. $35 plus entrance fees. I think they had a tour guide or a narrative. It was sold out because we waited so late. Probably the best option but above was easy if you don't get it.My friends really liked this option. I wish it had been available.

 

3rd option Taxi drivers anywhere from $40 (they left late at 10"45 to $60. They wanted to charge us 20 euros a person.

Edited by TSCRUISING
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The bus option sounds like a lot of trouble and if needing to get a taxi it's not saving money. I agree that without a guide you miss many of the stories and explanations of the different areas.

 

I booked with ephesus port tours http://www.ephesusporttours.com

 

There was originally just us 2 but I posted on the roll call asking for others to fill a mini bus. I was inundated with others wanting to join. So I ended up with a few buses and the price reduced to 30Euro's plus admissions.

Pretty good for a small group tour with guide. Everytime I emailed I received an answer almost instantly.

 

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Think I will do the Ephesus shuttle tour and pay with credit card at end. I don't plan on having any local currency since I'm only around for hours. Shouldn't be a problem to tip in Euro's right? Free money is free money, right?

 

 

HIGHLY RECOMMEND Ephesus Shuttle. We used them back in June, and it was a fantastic tour. Tips in any currency are fine, and appreciated.

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Think I will do the Ephesus shuttle tour and pay with credit card at end. I don't plan on having any local currency since I'm only around for hours. Shouldn't be a problem to tip in Euro's right? Free money is free money, right?

 

You will be able to purchase anything you like in Euros

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Well all the travel tips say to pay with credit card in local currency OR in local currency itself....Not to have credit card paid in USD, and to pay in Euros for Turkish lira charge sounds like a good way to get ripped off. Just want to keep it simple.

 

In my opinion - assuming this works for you - best way to "keep it simple" is USD in cash. When we used Ephesus Shuttle back in June, they were very happy to take USD cash. Their prices are all quoted in USD anyway on their website. Just bring enough cash with you for the fee plus tips. This way you avoid any foreign transaction fees on your credit card, or any possible foreign exchange rate issues if using other currencies or a credit card.

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In my opinion - assuming this works for you - best way to "keep it simple" is USD in cash. When we used Ephesus Shuttle back in June, they were very happy to take USD cash. Their prices are all quoted in USD anyway on their website. Just bring enough cash with you for the fee plus tips. This way you avoid any foreign transaction fees on your credit card, or any possible foreign exchange rate issues if using other currencies or a credit card.

 

Oh I do like that ideal, didn't know/think it possible. Thank you!

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