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Izmir/Ephesus, Turkey

I will be going on a cruise with my family in Sept. and one of the stops will be in Izmir, Turkey. Ephesus is the town we really want to see and I understand it to be an hour from the port. We wanted to do this without using the ships shore excursions and I was looking for advice from someone who has been there. Is it easy to catch a bus or a local tour from the docking location?

Posted by
338 posts

There are frequent buses that travel between Izmir and Selcuk. I have never taken the bus from Izmir, so I am not sure about the best way to get to the bus station from the port. Ephesus is a couple of miles outside of Slecuk, so you'll need to either hike or hire a taxi once you arrive. I know that there are tour operators that will take you from the port in Izmir to Ephesus, but do not know the datails. Hopefully, you'll get a response from someone who's taken one of those tours. Good luck.

Posted by
15 posts

I visited Selcuk a little over 1.5 years ago. We flew from Istanbul to Izmir. There is a train station at the Izmir Airport, there is a train that takes you to Selcuk. It's a newer train and the ride was about 1.5 hours (if I remember correctly). You might be able to find a train station close to the port, or take a taxi to the train station. When in Selcuk, you can get a taxi to take you to Ephesus, which is about 1.5 miles away.

Posted by
14 posts

I was there last year, and flew from Istanbul to Izmir. Our hotel in Selcuk picked us up. But when we returned, we took a bus. I don't remember the bus line, but do remember that there were many options. The bus station in Selcuk is in the center of town, within a couple of blocks of the museum, the ruins of the temple of Diana, the old Selcuk mosque, and the ruins of the Basilica of St. John (where he is buried). To get to the ruins of the city of Ephesus, you can take a short cab ride or walk about 1.5 to 2 miles through beautiful crop fields.

Posted by
811 posts

i don't know how far from the ship dock to the izmir airport train station, but if close enough the previous post is right on. train to selcuk, exit the train station you'll see a pretty busy area with shops and restaurants the bus station is on the opposite side about 5 min walk. from there you can find a domos take you to efes. another option is to find a taxi or bus from your ship dock to selcuk. actually selcuk is pretty nice place to spend at least an overnight. there a few places around the town really worth seeing.

Posted by
157 posts

I flew from Istanbul to Izmir last September. Atlas Airline offers a free shuttle from the airport to its customers to and from Selcuk. I am not sure if you can pay for ticket to use this service or you can take a taxi. From Selcuk I took a taxi to Ephesus, House of the Virgin Mary and the Cave of the Sleepers. The driver waited for us ( me & two other guests from the hotel) at each site. It can be done in less than 2 hrs. Our hotel arranged it for us. I am not sure if a domus goes to Ephesus but you can take it to Pamucak Beach.

Posted by
1 posts

We are going on a cruise which will dock in Kusadasi and have private tour arrangement with a company called aboutephesus.com Have had easy communications with a Mr. Teleri for a full day's tour. You may want to contact him.

Posted by
653 posts

Love Selcuk, and the B&B owner sent his car to take me to the (according to legend) House of Mary, about 7km away. Overnight in Selcuk is a good idea, but if you can't, plan for a long day trip, there's a lot to see (as other posters have noted).