What to do on our 1 day in Kusadasi, Turkey?

Ephesus was the best part of our cruise last fall. We just walked outside the port and paid $50 for a taxi for 4 of us to go to Ephesus and we paid an extra $10 to add a trip to the Virgin Marys last home. Some of the drivers wanted $80 but if there arent too many tourists around, they will certainly bargain.

Ephesus is one of the must-see sites in the world, in my probably biased opinion. There are dolmuses (shared minivans) that you can take for a lot less than taxis, but for peace of mind, it's a lot easier to spend the extra money and take a taxi. Don't bother negotiating to have your cabbie wait for you at the other end of the Ephesus site--there are always a number of cabs there waiting to take people away. You can hire an English-speaking guide at the entrance of Ephesus by the hour. They're licensed and their neck-badges have languages spoken listed, but chat for a minute or so first because the level of fluency and accent varies from guide to guide.

Don't forget to bring plenty of bottled water with you--tramping through the grounds is thirsty work, and there is little if any shade there.

While in Ephesus, do make sure that you visit the Roman Terrace homes. They are remarkably well preserved, and were easily the highlight of our trip there. They have an additional entrance fee, I think it was 3 Euro or something. Plus, they are covered, so in the heat, it is a very nice break.

Also, we used ephesustours.com and really enjoyed them. Tijan, the owner, speaks excellent English and is very pleasant. She made our trip! She also customized the tour to do what we wanted, including a local market visit and lunch.

Dennis - I've been in Kusadasi over 25 times through the years and have several excellent friends there. The taxi right by the port is the way to go. Negotiate before getting in and you're good to go. The Turks are a very honest people. Try to save a bit of time for shopping in the Bazaar area because the prices will be better than anywhere else on your cruise. A tip - The turks love to negotiate, so, even if the price is right work them - they like that - Oh - and when they offer you some apple tea - take it!!

Greg

I agree with the last comment. We made friends when we were there in 1999 and have stayed in touch. Look for Zeki. He owns a couple of jewelry stores and used to also own an internet cafe at the harbor. Tell him I said hello.

Also agree on Ephesus. It's probably one of the highlights of my lifetime of travels.

Hi ,, this is Gokhan from Izmir TURKEY,,
here are the answers :)
1- go to Ephessus and also visit terace houses in Ephessus. you may spend ~1-2 hours
2- you can go Virgin Mary house ~10 minutes from Ephessus, small area , ~40-45 minutes could be enough
3- Go to Sirince Village , 10km far away Ephessus , it is a old style village on the mountain and hand made vines, red meet, .... very nice place to spend 2-3 hours also you may have lunch and dinner or breakfast
It is natural place....
4- If you still have time you may choose to go inside Selcuk for museums of Kusadasi for fun, shopping...

dont hesitate for further questions
Gokhan YURTESEN

Hi Dennis, I just saw your post. My husband and I both took the Dolmus to Ephesus and it was a blast. We both agreed that it really made the day. We rode packed with lots of locals and it was dirt cheap, like 50 cents. From the port it's a bit of a walk and a little hard to find the bus station where the dolmus leaves from but everyone in town is so friendly and speaks English that they kept giving us directions until we found it. About a block from the bus stop (there really isn't a building) there is a restaurant/bar with a very friendly owner who insisted we return for a beer, which we did. It was great on such a hot day. He was very nice to talk to and his English was great. When you get off the dolmus at Ephesus, it's a bit of a hike on a dirt road off the main drive but keep following signs until you find it. There is no shade at all so a hat is adviseable. Enjoy. You're going to love it.