Short Port Time Izmir

[katiepe]

We are only in port from 700am until 1pm in Izmir

Would it be best to stick with a ship's tour to Ephesus or would you be comfortable with a private one?

The usual "get back to the ship in time" worry I am afraid.

Price would be about the same, really, because there are just two of us so that isnt the issue.. dont want to miss a less congested experience either..what to do?

Has anyone else had such a short stay? What did you do?

[puablo]

I just got back from an NCL Spirit cruise with the same port hours, we took the ship's "Simply Ephesus" tour and it was great. I felt like we had enough time at the site, though admittedly that tour does not go to the terrace houses. There are tours that do include the terrace houses at the expense of simply walking through the rest of the site faster, but in all cases you do see the whole thing, it's just a matter of how often the guide stops to talk.

[katiepe]

Thank you that tour is exactly what we are looking at.

[aud671]

I just got back from an NCL Spirit cruise with the same port hours, we took the ship's "Simply Ephesus" tour and it was great. I felt like we had enough time at the site, though admittedly that tour does not go to the terrace houses. There are tours that do include the terrace houses at the expense of simply walking through the rest of the site faster, but in all cases you do see the whole thing, it's just a matter of how often the guide stops to talk.

I was wondering how intense the walking is for this tour. I am debating on whether to just stay on board or book the tour through NCL since I will be traveling with my elderly parents who cannot walk as quick.

[MeHeartCruising]

I was wondering how intense the walking is for this tour. I am debating on whether to just stay on board or book the tour through NCL since I will be traveling with my elderly parents who cannot walk as quick.

 

Ephesus tours involve walking between 3/4 to one mile total, I would estimate. Basically, you enter the site at the top of a gradually descending hill. The first half of the walk is progressing down this hill on a combination of gravel path and stone street. It's not an overly uneven surface type walk, but you do need to keep aware of your footing as there may be an occasional step up or down or some rocks that are in the way or might be protruding from the ground. At least once, the guide may take you off the street into a building where you might need to navigate up/down a pathway with some small number of steps. Near the bottom of the hill, you reach the Library and I seem to recall that there were several steps necessary to get down to it and to climb up in it. Some people might just view it from the "street" since that gives the big picture. Also in this area is where you enter the Terrace Houses. If you enter the Terrace House structure, you will need to climb several sets of metal steps up and down that have been built over the houses. You mostly climb up the terrace as you tour. Then you exit out the back of the Terrace House structure and need to walk back down to street level, some on dirt path and some on concrete steps. The tour would then proceed back on to a main street in front of the Library again. The remainder of the tour (still about 1/2 of your total distance) is flat walking for the most part on gravel/stone walkway. If you walk up into the large Theatre, which I would try to do, you will again walk some steps if I recall. Our tour guide did not walk us up there, but gave us time to do it on our own.

 

Here are my pictures to one of my tours at Ephesus (I went twice last summer on back-to-back cruises). If you look thru, you might get a sense of the walking experience. I hope this helps.

 

https://picasaweb.google.com/rickchapman62/20110516KusadasiTurkey?authuser=0&feat=directlink

[Cornishpastyman1]

I was wondering how intense the walking is for this tour. I am debating on whether to just stay on board or book the tour through NCL since I will be traveling with my elderly parents who cannot walk as quick.

I reckon MeHeartCrusing's (great photos) estimate and descriptions are accurate. This shows a top-bottom walk-through of the site

and as it's downhill all the way if 'quickness' is your parents' only issue they will not have a problem. Ephesus is wonderful and i hope you all go there. All the best, Tony

[MeHeartCruising]

Thank you CornishPastryMan. I enjoyed your video too. I also took video on my trips to Ephesus, so thought I'd share them one of them as well.

 

[fabnfortysomething]

I was wondering how intense the walking is for this tour. I am debating on whether to just stay on board or book the tour through NCL since I will be traveling with my elderly parents who cannot walk as quick.

 

we just did that trip with a private tour guide from Kagan Kosagan -ask for Taner-he was fantastic!

 

we also had 7-1 port time from Izmir and went to House of Virgin Mary and then Ephesus and got back in time[with no trips to Rug or leather factory which NCL include

 

relevantly my husband who has 2 metal hips and a dodgy ankle managed just fine with the aid of a walking stick that converts to a seat for rests

[aud671]

Thanks for all the great information.