One Day in Turkey ... Ephesus

Hi Joanne, You will not be coming into the port of Ephesus. It is located inland. You're likely going to be coming into either Kusadasi or Izmir. If you want to skip Ephesus completely you could hang out in the port city or visit other areas nearby. If you let us know which port you'll be using I'll post some suggestions. If you want to tour Ephesus, but want to arrange your own itinerary I'll defer to the denizens of this board with recent cruise experience to provide more detailed options. Basically you'll need to either take public transportation, use a taxi, or arrange for your own tour. There are things to do in Selcuk (town near Ephesus) if you want to split your time between the ruins and some other nearby sites. Good luck.

The port we will come into is Kusadasi.

just grab a taxi to efes directly if you can. otherwise bus to selcuk first then change domos at the bus station. no need to use the cruise arranged trip. if you don't want to see efes, selcuk has a few sites keep you busy at least a full day. ruins of st john's church is a short walk from the bus station with a mosque near by and you can get lunch at the treehouse restaurant by the mosque with good view, mary's house, or the greek village up the hill about 10 min domos ride offers good view and great fruit wine.

Joanne, I may be in the same boat; literally. I googled Ephesus and Kusadasi, found some Turkish companies and booked a private tour thru them. Looked at the cruise's offerings first and read about those sights, then decided what to see. Going with the same company for Istanbul and Pergamon.

Whether on your own or thru your ship, I highly recommend seeing the Terrace Houses in Ephesus. They are right there with all the other ruins of Ephesus, but they require an additional ticket. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g298005-d294528-Reviews-The_Terrace_Houses-Ephesus_Izmir_Province_Turkish_Aegean_Coast.html It is my understanding that some of the mega cruise ships don't offer shore excursions that include the Terrace Houses, probably because only a very limited number of people can go through at one time. (We were lucky that we were on a small ship that did offer this.) So, if you decide to strike out on your own, definitely check this out. Really, don't miss Ephesus... it is truly wonderful. I've heard mixed reviews on the house that is supposedly the where the Virgin Mary lived. Check that out on www.tripadvisor.com and you can read what others who have been there think. We chose to skip it.

Just a "heads-up", since you will be in Turkey for only one day. If you make your own arrangements for Ephesus, admission is by payment of Turkish Lira only. Same goes for the terrace houses. I have read that a currency exchange desk exists near the entrance, but cannot personally verify this.

We are going on a cruise in November that includes Kusadasi. We have been to Ephesus before on a ship excursion with a wonderful guide. This time we are using Ephesus shuttle and are not having a guide. This time we want to wander around ourselves. But if this is your first trip to Ephesus, I highly recommend you have a guide. This is a place you don't want to miss. It's incredible. And you need a guide to get all the facts.

Assuming you want to see Ephesus and the sites around Selcuk here are the sites you could easily see in one day: - Ephesus itself. If you'd like a guide you'll be able to negotiate and hire one at the entrance. There are also English language guidebooks available for purchase if you want to explore on your own. It takes about a half of a day to see. - The archaeological museum in Selcuk. Selcuck is a mile or two down the road from the ruins. This museum has some neat items from Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis. It takes an hour or two to see. - Ruins of the Temple of Artemis. A chance to see the site of a wonder of the ancient world. There is not much left to see here and you'll be done in 10 minutes. - Basilica of St. John. This site is a ruins of an old chuch and possibly the burial site of St. John. It takes about 30 minutes. If you have extra time in Selcuk, there is an old mosque and and old fortress (not always open) in town. If you have transportation there are other nearby sites -Grotto of the Seven Sleepers, Mary's House and Sirince Village. Have fun.