Do I need Lira for Ephesus?

[2910car]

We will be in Ephesus on a 5 hour ships tour. Do you think I should order some Turkish Lira or could we use a credit card or Euros? If we should get Lira, how much? We would only want to buy some small inexpensive souvenirs.

[nolatravelgirl]

Are your entrance fees included in your ship tour? If you are doing the typical day: House of the Virgin Mary, Ephesus, Terrace Houses, etc then there is really no need to have Lira if you have pre-paid your entrance fees. The only thing you may want to buy is a water to bring inside Ephesus as there are no drinking fountains. Most souvenir vendors will likely take Euros or USD but they will probably charge a bit more for doing so.

 

I don't recall seeing an ATM in the Kusadasi port terminal.

[borasue]

We just came back from our Med cruise 2 days ago. We stopped in Kusadasi, so we also visited Ephesus. We did a private tour which included the Terrace Houses, a lunch buffet at a WONDERFUL family restaurant and a visit to the charming village of Sirince. This wasn't a ship's tour, though… it was booked online with Suzan thru Ephesus Shuttle (no deposit required). They provided a driver and our guide, Nafia, who was absolutely wonderful and gave us an amazing day! We were among the first off our ship that morning and so at Ephesus she managed to navigate us to the front of the line (ahead of the tour groups) so that we were the first 2 inside Ephesus when it opened. :p NO LINES and excellent photo opportunities! Cost was only $109 per person, including the lunch! The customary stops at the rug place, ceramics shop and leather shop were totally optional! She didn't push for us to go. It was one of the best excursions we had on our 11 day trip. If you're interested, you can check out all their tour options at: http://www.ephesusshuttle.com Whatever you decide, ship's tour or private, don't miss the Terrace Houses!!

[mskaufman]

On the ship tour (which included Terrace Houses) we did not need lira. The vendors there all took euros.

[Keith1010]

Other than entrance facilities you can use a combination of credit cards and euros during your visit.

 

Keith