Ephesus Travel Forum

There are six of us going on a cruise in October. I am wondering what is the best way to see Ephesus, the 7 hour organized tours from the ship cost $112 per person. With 6 of us its quite a bit of money. Is there a better way for a group??

Whether your cruise ship docks in Kusadasi or Izmir you will see other tours being offered ashore for your benefit. These will be much cheaper. You can also just take a bus or taxi to Ephesus and buy a book at the entrance and guide yourselves. Another option would be to hire one of the official guides you'll find at the entrance.

If you are late returning to the ship it will leave without you! You can save money by getting a independent tour but is it worth the chance of missing the boat. We were on a cruise to Alaska and the boat left a large group of people because they did not take a ship's sponsored tour.

That can easily be prevented with some careful planning and diligent clock-watching.

I would recommend doing it on your own. As Brotherleelove mentions, there are all kinds of independent transport options from Kusadasi, which is where the ship most likely will be docked. Ephesus is only a 20-30-minute drive away. With your group of 6, I would suggest you hire a mini-van, or just take the simpler public bus each way. All kinds of transport options are in the main "bus square," which is an easy walk from where the cruise ships dock (might need map). Independent guides are available at the site -- make sure they are licensed as tour guides, and not just "touts" trying to make a buck. You shouldn't have any problems -- and do avoid that overly inflated cruise ship shore excursion fee! It's a ridiculous one, in this case. There should be no problem in getting back to the ship on time, as the distances are very short.

Ephesus is a big place and can be overwhelming without a good guide. Make sure you select a professional guide. It's worth the extra money.

I had taken the ship excursion but with 6 people I think you can arrange for a private tour a lot cheaper than the $112 per person cruise price.

Jeannette, We should re-think this advice. For the same $672 they'd be spending for the ship's shore excursion, maybe they could hire a private mini-helicopter to get them there fast (hmm, it should slow itself a bit for some views, and so they have a chance to drink some champagne en route). And then, it picks them up at the bottom of the site after the walk/exploration (more champagne), and back to the ship. Now, that is what I call a classy shore excursion. Sorry, folks, just to be clear, this is imaginary and wishful thinking, from someone who lived in Kusadasi for a year. You will not have any problems in Kusadasi-Ephesus, except those generated by the volume of passengers from the cruise ship itself.

LOL@Marianne

I visited Ephesus on a very hot day. There is a lot of walking and we were lucky to have an excellent guide. I can't stress enough the importance of a knowledgable guide to really appreciate what you are seeing.
Jeannette

You are absolutely right. Otherwise, this site looks "somewhat" like an ancient city with a jumble of rocks, and without the expert guide's knowledge, visitors cannot find those little unique things -- like the toilet-system, or the houses that have been under excavation for many years, or understand what the facade of the Library is. It is indeed, a very special site. Best seen earliest in the morning, although in October, when this group is going, the weather should be mild and perfect.

I advice to pay USD 112.-
The reasons:
1- 5 or 6 ships are ancoring at port of Kusadasi. Each one have 1000 passangers.
2- Every passanger wants save money surely.
3- all of them will land after paying their visa
4- wasting time on the line of visa
5- You dont know Kusadasi very well. You will search an agency to hire a mini van or a guide. You will lost time. You dont know how trustable or good are the guide or van. Van could be out off order on the way or you may have a trouble on the 15kms long distance in an unknown land.
6- Ephesus is full of busses and tourist. YUou will rather find a place to park your van. It will be difficult for you after walkin in the streets of antic city, exsausted, tired to find your van where you parked.
Under these conditions pay 112 better.

ahhhhhh
Sirvictor is making some good points. I had forgotten about the visa issue.

I think the initial poster should also check on cruise websites to see if other cruise travelers have recommendations for a reliable guide. All this should be done ahead of time, not once you arrive in Kusadasi. Sometimes it's best to pay a little more for peace of mind.
J.

If you do decide on the ship's tour I would recommend making your reservations the minute you get on the boat. We have been on 4 cruises and without fail, the special excursions filled up fast. Once we checked into our room we proceeded up to make our reservations. The lines always seemed to form just as we got there.

I'm not sure if you can make your reservations ahead of time but it would be worth checking into.
Mike

On Princess cruises, you can make your shore excursion reservations on line before you even board the ship.