Tour in Ephesus

[captkangro]

We will be on the Prinsendam in October. HAL offers an evening cruise in Kusadasi with dinner or cocktails and chamber music at the library in Ephesus.

 

Has anyone done this tour with either HAL or another cruise line? Was it a comfortable experience.

 

Thank you.

 

Charlie

[mamadot]

We have not done this excursion but have been to Ephesus twice. It is a remarkable experience! Go for it!

[las313]

We have also been but not on a cruise tour. Don't miss it. One of our most favorite places we have been

Louise in FLA

[O2B@C]

Ditto the above. Ephesus is a not-to-be-missed experience.

[jhannah]

I'll add an amen. Ephesus is wonderful to experience. Our tour wasn't in the evening with music ... but it was fabulous.

[KLLund]

I can only imagine how great that would be with the music .. but Ephesus is never to be missed .. it is an amazing experience !!

[Atomica]

I'll ditto everyone else - Ephesus is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. I'd jump at the chance to be able to enjoy evening cocktails and music in the Library at Ephesus!!!

[ski ww]

That would be a great experience, we've also done this tour but during the day. Not to be missed.

Allan

[the2ofus]

Ephesus is not to be missed! That said, I'd want to know more about what the tour would actually include. It would be a shame if it did not include time to explore the whole site and to visit the terrace houses.

 

Be aware that the library at the ancient site is a facade only and any concert held there will be some kind of outdoor event.

[chefestelle]

Is this the place where the WC cruises do a full dinner and cultural experience? If so, that might give OP some idea of setting for dinner and cocktails. Sadly, I have no personal experience of it to say...

 

 

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[OlsSalt]

Ghosts come out at night - your imagination can take flight - this would be an opportunity not to miss. You can listen to the past best at night when not crowded out by the present - which today at Ephesus are hordes and hordes of milling tourists.

[brazilgirl]

Spoiler Alert!!!! Do not read if you do not want details on the whole experience ( you may want a surprise )

 

We did this tour on Crystal last June and I can affirm that it was one of the highlights of all my travels.

 

We arrived as the sun was starting to slower lower in the sky.

 

 

All of Ephesus was empty... Only our group ( perhaps 60 people) and the performers/ organizers were there.

 

We were allowed to walk around and see the place without the hoards of tourists. We did not have to face terrible heat.. Just a gentle breeze.

 

As the sun went down, one could really imagine ancient times.

 

Then we sat.. We were served wine and simple appetizers. The performers and the cats ( so many kitties!! I love kitties) came out.

The library is magnificent.

[RMLincoln]

I've been there during the day and rather warm to hot even in September/October when we were there. We greatly enjoy classical music so that would be wonderful.

 

But keep in mind that lighting may be poor, footing can be a bit slippery on the time-polished marble and at night would need a bit more caution. If you have no mobility or major eye-sight issues I would think this is a grand opportunity. I hope you get to do it. I know I would love to.

[brazilgirl]

More spoilers! Alert!

 

 

The music was lovely... Very talented performers.

 

The cats loved the music

 

Night started to come and the illumination was gorgeous

 

 

After the concert we strolled through the ruins in this marvelous place, on our own. Just incredible.

 

It was magical... No words can really describe it.https://vimeo.com/160323153

 

A very short video

[chefestelle]

Wonderful! Thank you for posting this!

 

 

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[brazilgirl]

Wonderful! Thank you for posting this!

 

 

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You are welcome! I love being able to share such an incredible excursion .

Please forgive my exuberance but a few more photos ( I have many lol)poppies among the ruins

Ancient splendour

Detail of the Library's Facade

My DH... Here you can see how the tables are set up

[chefestelle]

I can't wait to go! I wish we were there for an evening. I'd pick that option for sure!

 

 

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[brazilgirl]

Turkey is so fascinating... You will love it! Enjoy!

[Durban]

That looks amazing, we did Ephesus in the morning, I would have loved it in the evening

[Vict0riann]

Brazilgirl, did you do an overnight there, to be able to do this evening outing? Or did the ship just leave very late?

[brazilgirl]

Brazilgirl, did you do an overnight there, to be able to do this evening outing? Or did the ship just leave very late?

 

 

 

No, we didn't have an overnight. The excursion left 6:30 pm or so .... If my memory serves me the ship was scheduled to leave at 9:30 pm. Our group arrived 9ish and we set sail. It was a ship sponsored shore excursion so they waited for us . :)

[Vict0riann]

You were lucky, then. We have 2 stops in Kusadasi in the Fall, but both say we're leaving at 6, and there's no option for this tour.:(

[brazilgirl]

Just looked at our cruise documents... We were in port from 8 am to 10 pm.

[Vict0riann]

Wow! Nice:) Both our stops say 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and I think it was like that the other times we've been there, too. I'm not crazy about such early arrivals! Every once in a while I need a sleep-in...

[smwg]

I LOVED Ephesus! Seeing all this posts makes me want to go again. To the original poster: Go if you can! :)