Ephesus Travel Forum

How much does a Taxi from the port cost to Ephasis? Are they safe? Are there buses to the site? oR TRAINS? Is it easy to get there? Or should I take a shore excurcion rom the ship? I will be traveling on June 7 2008 Splendor of the seas.

When you come ashore you will find many different bus tours and taxis offered to Ephesus. There is no train. A ship-organized excursion is good for some, but if you prefer to go it alone you can buy a guidebook at the entrance or hire a personal guide to take you around.

In Turkey, I would take the ship's tour. The driving can be dangerous. Take the tour that maybe assures you of a safe driver. The driver can be late, but okay if it is a ship's tour. Remember also that you are in a religious country and dress accordingly. The ship's tour may also offer a stop at some shops on the way back to port. When in doubt, always take the ship's tour.

There is really no problem taking local transport from Kusadasi to Ephesus (I lived in Kusadasi for a year, and we went to Ephesus quite often). If you don't want to pay for the ship's shore excursion, you just walk into town (very short distance), and there will be buses, taxis and dolmus, which is a type of shared mini-van. It takes less than 20-30 minutes to get to Ephesus, and the transport is extremely frequent and inexpensive. If you want to do this, the biggest problem will be competition from the other passengers on a ship this big to get to the public transport first. There are no particular safety issues that you might encounter that are any worse than Europe, but smoking on public transport is common and irritating, however.

Are you coming ashore at Kusadasi or Izmir? If it's Izmir take the ship's cruise. If it's Kusadasi, take Marianne2's good advice.

I certainly agree with Brotherleelove, as if the ship is docking at Izmir, it's a much longer trip to Ephesus, and then you have the risk of missing the ship if you do your own transport, and don't get back in time. In that case, I would also recommend taking the ship's shore excursion.

1. Is it easy to identify the bus or mini bus that goes to Ephesus?
2. When you leave the ship, where do you walk to to catch the local transportation?
3. How far is it?
4.How much does the local transportation cost?
5. Is it safe to walk?
6. Is there a way to get from Ephesus to St. John's Cathedral and the Virgin Mary House?
7. Is transportation back as easy as getting there?