Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey

[CintiPam]

We also recently toured with Epheses Deluxe and can recommend them highly. Ephesus is one place where a guided tour is essential. Those are very reasonably-priced in Turkey compared to the EU countries, so book a private tour there.

[canuck059]

We recently organized a tour on our roll call with 'Best of Ephesus'. They were excellent. They responded promptly to emails and went out of their way to make sure everything ran smoothly. I initially started with a group of 6 which eventually grew to 24. We arranged for 2 vans of 12, to tour Ephesus and Sirince. When we arrived they had supplied 3 vans with 3 guides at no extra charge so that we could tour in smaller groups. One group decided they also wanted to see Mary's House - not a problem. Unfortunately, there was a political demonstration that day, and the ship had advised that we return 2 hours earlier than scheduled - not a problem. The guides were already aware of this when they picked us up and checked with their office numerous times during the day for updates. At Ephesus, our guide was very knowledgable and let us take as much time as we wanted. He accompanied us throughout the ruins and liked to point out the best photo opportunities. When the time came to go to Sirince, we found the road blocked by a bus accident. Our guide quickly informed the others, and we met instead at a restaurant for a traditional Turkish meal instead. We had said we weren't interested buying carpets, so when a salesman showed up at our table, our guide quickly asked him not to bother us. When we arrived back at the port, the police had blocked off roads to all vehicles because of the demonstration. We tried another entrance, but that was blocked as well. We could see the ship but the police would not let the van through and insisted we get out and walk. This made many of our group quite nervous with the crowds but our guide reassured us and walked with us to the entrance of the pier to make sure we got there safely. The other vans were let through the roadblocks about 10 minutes later. When meeting with the others, everyone was impressed with each of their guides.

I highly recommend bestofephesus.com. Their guides are wonderful, the service is great, and they were able to respond to last minute requests. But what impressed me the most was the feeling of security from the guides - that they were in contact with their 'team' and could handle whatever happened - and made sure everyone had a wonderful day.

[theflight74]

I was in Kusadasi last week on Serenade of the Seas.

My advice to anyone going for the first time is to visit the ruins at Ephesus.

It is just an amazing place and I am not a ruins geek.

I found the name of a tour company on this forum and emailed them. The guide was very good and had very good English. The tour cost $78 or €58 (paid at the end) that also covered the ticket for the site and the ticket for the terrace houses. I have no problem in recommending the company I used on to anyone and I will use them again if I return to Kusadasi.

 

http://www.ephesusshuttle.com

 

So to sum up EPHESUS is a must and don't miss the TERRACE HOUSES.

[texancruzer]

We will be returning next May for our 4th visit…..

 

Try Ekol tours. We have used them for all our visits and will do so again next year. Quality guides and very reasonable prices. You can customize your day however you like……

 

now - I gotta say I can't even imagine going all the way to Turkey (Kusadasi or otherwise) and visiting a "theme park" :eek: Just can't even imagine it. While I know that "dusty old ruins" aren't for everyone, Ephesus is amazing. The Terrace Houses alone are mind blowing in that they take you up and over the ruins of homes where people lived so long ago….. there is, of course, ongoing restoration and while slow we have seen a change each time we go. The first time we visited our private guide said 13% of Ephesus had been excavated. I only wish I could live long enough to visit and see the 87% that remains to be unearthed …….

[Host Star]

Highly recommend visit to Ephesus & nearby sites, here's some info about our recent experience

 

Ephesus Deluxe—The Best

A few months ago I had booked on-line with Ephesus Deluxe a full day excursion for two people to Ephesus, Artemis, House of Virgin Mary & St. John shrine originating from Kusadasi for Monday June 9.

My wife and I were sailing on Windstar.

Ephesus Deluxe described this as a “shared” tour meaning up to 14 people could be on the excursion but that the tour was also guaranteed to run regardless of the actual number of people on the tour.

On 6/9/14 when we disembarked in Kusadasi, we were the only two people booked on the tour and Ephesus Deluxe did indeed run the excursion.

Firstly, Kudos to Ephesus Deluxe.

In fact my wife and I had an exceptional tour, transported via a private car & driver along with an expert tour guide Ceyla (pronounced J La)

Ceyla was an archeologist by training & was very familiar with all the sites visited. She had at some point dug at all of these ruins. She was highly knowledgeable & extremely personable.

The tour included a traditional Turkisk lunch at a rug cooperative ( a place in Turkey where people are trained in rug weaving) and we also managed a stop at a ceramics factory, where we purchased a number of items at a very fair price.

For anyone looking for a tour of Ephesus & the surrounding area, especially someone who might be in port for a day in Kusadasi while cruising, my highest recommendation would be for Ephesus Deluxe.

Unlike another tour operator in Santorini who accepted both my reservation & money but then reneged on running their excursion, Ephesus Deluxe made good on their commitment.

In my book, they’re the best.

Thank you again to:

Mr. Deniz Kose

General manager

http://www.ephesusdeluxe.com

 

we are booked with them.. however I made it clear we wanted no rug factory or shopping so hopefully they are taking us for lunch to a regular restaurant..

[Hlitner]

We will add some comments that might help answer a few questions posted above. We have to Kusadasi on 4 trips plus drove to Ephesus on a 5th trip to Izmir. Having done the ruins of Ephesus with a cruise ship excursion (Princess), a private tour (Ekol) and DIY when we actually used the small local van/bus to drop us along the main road about a mile from the ruins, we have pretty strong feelings. We really love the ruins at Ephesus (among the best ruins in the world) and think it is a Do Not Miss for any cruiser that goes to Kusadasi or Izmir.

 

For a first time visit we strongly (and we mean very strongly) recommend that folks book a private excursion from one of the several reputable local tour companies or a highly recommended private guide. You tour should include a visit to Ephesus and the Terrace Houses (you might have to specify this since it is an extra cost). The Virgin Mary House is not far from Ephesus, and there is really no evidence that Mary ever lived at that specific location. But there are some believers and the Catholic Church has certainly used it as a way to increase their presence in this Muslim country.

 

Over the years the city of Kusadasi has grown from a sleepy fishing town to a major tourist destination (they had over 1000 cruise ship calls last year). The city has really improved the area near the cruise port and there is a nice promenade along the water, a expansive shopping area (with a pedestrian-only street), and plenty of cafes/restaurants. You do not need a guide to enjoy the city...and in fact, we think a guide would be a waste of money. We think first time visitors should leave enough time in their day to explore the shopping area (it starts across the street from the cruise terminal). If you want to actually pay a tour company to take you to a rug factory, jewelry factory, etc. just beware that they do this because those places kick-back a percentage of any sales. At least one large "Jewelry Factory" is a phony as paste diamonds and most of the carpet places are simply about selling you carpets....which are often underquality and overpriced. You can certainly buy some good stuff in Kusadasi, but it will usually not be at the places visited on structured tours. If you do book a private tour and have a small group, you can try to speak to your guide about going to places that have decent shopping...and are not phony places created to serve tours.

 

And we cannot end this with talking about "Genuine Fake Watches." There are now a few shops displaying this sign, which has become quite famous around the world. We will admit that this is a great place to buy great fake watches (only in Beijing, China have we seen better collections) and these fakes can be a lot of fun.

 

Hank