Kusadasi Markets

[HolyShip!]

Has anyone stopped off at Kusadasi and can rate if it's worth spending time there vs Ephesus? Looks like Kusadasi is known for fake markets. Anyone know what a shirt or belt would go for? 

[cruisemom42]

6 minutes ago, HolyShip! said:

Has anyone stopped off at Kusadasi and can rate if it's worth spending time there vs Ephesus? Looks like Kusadasi is known for fake markets. Anyone know what a shirt or belt would go for? 

 

Question 1:  On a scale of 1-10 I'd give Ephesus an 11. Seriously, do not miss it. I can't tell you how many times I've read posts here about how surprised people were re: Ephesus. It's simply brilliant. Kusadasi merits a 2 (at best). I'm not much of a shopper on vacation but even if you are, many are put off by the aggressive salespeople. You will not be left alone for a moment.

 

Question 2:  Whatever you can bargain them down to.

[edinburgher]

Best advice as usual from Cruisemom42

 

Ephesus should be your #1 priority. You should still have time for some shopping after your Ephesus visit.  If not, you are really not missing much.

[cruisemom42]

Just a thought -- you needn't miss shopping for "fakes" even if you choose to tour Ephesus. At the exit from the archaeological site there are stalls with goods for sale, including the ever-popular "Genuine Fake Rolex" watches:

 

[WESTEAST]

6 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Question 1:  On a scale of 1-10 I'd give Ephesus an 11. Seriously, do not miss it. I can't tell you how many times I've read posts here about how surprised people were re: Ephesus. It's simply brilliant. Kusadasi merits a 2 (at best). I'm not much of a shopper on vacation but even if you are, many are put off by the aggressive salespeople. You will not be left alone for a moment.

 

Question 2:  Whatever you can bargain them down to.

Totally agree with cruisemom42. When leaving Ephesus (where the toilets are), there is a nice souvenir shop where we purchased a very unusual pencil (we collect unique pencils from our travels as easy to find, pack and now proudly sits in a large jar on our desk). After our tour (skipped the optional carpet demo), we had time to stroll Kusadasi before boarding the ship; we didn't buy anything but had an ice cream while walking around.

[PurpleTraveller]

Agree with everyone else. Ephesus is wonderful and not to be missed. We still had time after the tour to wander around the market. Store holders can be pushy and the price you pay is dependent on your bargaining skills. It is amusing to see shops advertising "Genuine Fake Watches".

 

Edited May 30, 2022 by PurpleTraveller

[lynncarol]

It's been a number of years since we were in Ephesus, but we still retain fond memories of the site.  After our private tour (Ephesus Shuttle, which did a wonderful job), we returned to the port and hiked up to the nearby castle/fortress. It was closed to the public but the grounds offered a nice shady retreat with fine views of the sea.  Returning down to the shoreline, there was (at least at that time) a small cafe area where, for the price of a soft drink, we could sit and watch later cruiseships arriving in port.. We also explored the Kusadasi market place. Yes, it is touristy and overpriced, but we enjoyed interacting with the local vendors who had their sales pitch honed and ready for each passing tourist. Also, if you really see something you want to buy, bargaining is very acceptable in the markets.  Just be pleasant, polite and  reasonable with your counteroffer. Remain firm about the amount you will pay. Most often they accept a price close to half their initial offer.

[tring]

On 5/31/2022 at 9:22 PM, lynncarol said:

Most often they accept a price close to half their initial offer.

 

As much as that?!!!!!!!!!  I can see why it is an acceptable amount for them. 

 

Seriously though, you can have fun in markets as the traders are usually pretty good natured, as long as you are pleasant with them.  Your final action should be to walk away of course.  If they do not call you back, then you know you have gone too low for there to be a profit in the deal.  About a third of the original asking price was what we used to go for in North Africa and I suspect Turkey is much the same, though some traders do go for really big price tags initially. What matters is what something is worth to you at the end of the day.

 

We are going to Kusadasi in October, but have been to Ephesus previously, so are a little uncertain what to do.  We have loads of OBS, so a ship's tour would be preferable for us, but they all include Ephesus, even if other places are visited as well, which seems a shame, though another visit to Ephesus will possibly be worthwhile anyway.  We do not have to decide just yet.

 

Any suggestions on other places to visit along with a second visit to Ephesus?  The house of the Virgin Mary and a nearby Temple ruins are what we are thinking about at present.  We did look at a couple of other archaeological sites about an hour away, but decided it was not worth so long on a coach (making it a very long day with Ephesus in the afternoon, and we are not all that interested in archaeological sites either.

 

Edited July 27, 2022 by tring

[iancal]

We have been to Ephesus a few times.  Last time with in laws.  FIL wanted to go to house of the Virgin Mary.   

 

From the perspective of each of the four people who went on this add on it was a complete bust.  Typical tourist trap.  It was a major disappoint for him.  We knew what to expect but he was determined to go so we went.

[cruisemom42]

7 hours ago, tring said:

Any suggestions on other places to visit along with a second visit to Ephesus?  The house of the Virgin Mary and a nearby Temple ruins are what we are thinking about at present.  We did look at a couple of other archaeological sites about an hour away, but decided it was not worth so long on a coach (making it a very long day with Ephesus in the afternoon, and we are not all that interested in archaeological sites either.

 

It's a shame they don't offer those other archaeological sites without Ephesus. The temple of Apollo at Didyma is a complete WOW in my opinion -- at least the equivalent of the Library of Celsus at Ephesus -- even if you're not into archaeology.  And it's just a single (large) temple. It was also home to a famous sibyl or "oracle" in ancient times (like the ones at Delphi and Cumae).

 

Priene is a bit of a climb but a very peaceful site with a strikingly site temple to Athena Polias. (Both this temple and the one at Didyma were funded by Alexander the Great on his passage through the area.)

 

Miletus -- not much left of this once-large city except its impressive theatre. Not really worth it unless you're really interested in ruins.

 

I would agree with giving Mary's house a miss.  The museum in Selcuk (close to Ephesus) has many of the finer pieces excavated in Ephesus and is worth a visit too.

 

[tring]

Thanks to both of you for those comments, especially cruisemom for the very detailed comments about various places.  We will look again at all of them and make a decision nearer to our cruise date.  Perhaps we should hit the onboard shops with the OBS and book a private tour from Kusadasi.

 

[lynncarol]

I am assuming your previous tour of the Ephesus site included the Terrace Houses.  If not they are definitely worth seeing.

[tring]

2 hours ago, lynncarol said:

I am assuming your previous tour of the Ephesus site included the Terrace Houses.  If not they are definitely worth seeing.

 

Yes it did, they are impressive.  There was so much there that another visit would be good, so perhaps we should go for it.  At our age chances are we will have forgotten about most of it anyway 🙂

 

[janert]

We have been to Ephesus 3 times.  Looking for something else to do?

[bennybear]

We also highly recommend a private tour to the ancient mountain top city of Priene,  and Miletus and Didyma.   They were truly spectacular but Priene is a bit of a climb and uneven ground,  some photos of Didyma.  

Edited July 30, 2022 by bennybear

[Maverick!]

On 7/30/2022 at 11:30 AM, janert said:

We have been to Ephesus 3 times.  Looking for something else to do?

We have also and visited the Didyma, Priene and Miletus sites too (which we enjoyed very much).

This time, we chose to do a sailboat tour with Amores 1 on their gullet to 4 bays around Kusadasi. We even saw dolphins.

We had a lovely day.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g297972-d4480180-Reviews-Amores_1_Boat_Tours-Kusadasi_Turkish_Aegean_Coast.html

Edited July 31, 2022 by Maverick!