Ephesus Excursion Queries

[Peadar2000]

Hello everyone. This is my first post (transferred from the Roll Call section where in my ignorance I originally posted it). My husband and I (early 40s) are going on our first cruise this summer aboard the Constellation. It’s a belated honeymoon. For most of the ports we’ll do our own thing, except for Kusadasi/Ephesus. I’m torn between the Celebrity excursions and the independent providers. I have some queries.
 

1.  Group size. How big are the general excursion groups? Are we talking 50/60 people? And does this mean a slow, sluggish slog with difficulty hearing the guide/seeing the monuments? Is it worth looking at the tours with limited numbers? (I’m not particularly interested in the very private tours.)

2. I am interested in seeing the House of the Virgin Mary and the Ephesus complex. I know the Temple of Artemis in Selçuk is one of the seven Wonders of the World but Google Earth suggests it’s little more than some stones in a field these days. If I picked a tour that doesn’t include this would I regret it?

3. I’ve seen competing tours offer pretty much the same sites but one might last 4 hours and another 6 hours. What can account for this time difference? Is the short one going to be ‘bang, bang, bang, you’re done’ and the long one an in-depth, informative dive into history?
4. To lunch or not to lunch! Some tours include a lunch of Turkish meze. To be honest that kind of food doesn’t particularly appeal to me and I wonder too does an included lunch add unnecessary time to the excursion. As it’s our first cruise I’m happy to head back to the ship and graze for lunch there.

5. Another area of slight concern is the carpet demonstrations which seem hard to avoid. From what I can tell they are used to pressure guests into buying largely unwanted products. I have no interest in learning how rugs/carpets are made; can I get duck out of these without too much issue?

6. The Celebrity excursions seem to be more expensive than the ones on Shore Excursions Group and Venture Ashore. Are they all essentially the same offerings? The ones on Viator offer ‘skip the queue’ tickets. I assume all the other ones include entry tickets that also skip the queue? Our trip is in July so crowds will be inescapable but obviously I’d like to keep the waiting around to a minimum.

 

I’m sorry for throwing all these questions at ye, but I would really appreciate any helpful advice. We booked this cruise last September when July seemed so far away but it’s scary how fast the time is passing and now July is coming into sight. I’m getting excited!

[MAVIP]

25 minutes ago, Peadar2000 said:

 

Hello everyone. This is my first post (transferred from the Roll Call section where in my ignorance I originally posted it). My husband and I (early 40s) are going on our first cruise this summer aboard the Constellation. It’s a belated honeymoon. For most of the ports we’ll do our own thing, except for Kusadasi/Ephesus. I’m torn between the Celebrity excursions and the independent providers. I have some queries.
 

1.  

3. I’ve seen competing tours offer pretty much the same sites but one might last 4 hours and another 6 hours. What can account for this time difference? Is the short one going to be ‘bang, bang, bang, you’re done’ and the long one an in-depth, informative dive into history?
4.

5. Another area of slight concern is the carpet demonstrations which seem hard to avoid. From what I can tell they are used to pressure guests into buying largely unwanted products. I have no interest in learning how rugs/carpets are made; can I get duck out of these without too much issue?

6. 

I’m sorry for throwing all these questions at ye, but I would really appreciate any helpful advice. We booked this cruise last September when July seemed so far away but it’s scary how fast the time is passing and now July is coming into sight. I’m getting excited!

It was in 2015, but we booked for € 50 a taxi for the 4 of us with CAN TAXI https://www.kusadasitaxiport.com/  in Kusadasi for a half day trip to the Ephesus site. From the ship to the taxi was a 5 minutes walk. Our advise: go as early as your can, so before the tourist busses arrive.... CAN Taxi waited for our return at the exit of the site in Ephesus and drove us to other sites we wished to visit that morning. So NO CARPETS.

We bought the entrance tickets plus extra tickets for "the villas" (worthwhile!) ourselves.   (We paid cash in Euro.)   I see they offer Ephesus and House of Virgin Mary now for € 75.  The brother of Yucel Bor drove us and we still remember the box of sweets he gave us on the way back. 

Enjoy your visit! 

[John Bull]

Hi Peadar, and welcome to Cruise Critic,

 

A cruise-ship excursion which wastes guests' time at a carpet demonstration ? 🤔

Surely not 🤣🤣🤣

It's one of a number of reasons why we don't take ships' excursions.

Wasted time with a (usually very basic) lunch is another reason to avoid ships' excursions. Getting folk to table & re-boarding the bus takes a long time.

There are some places (usually hours from the port and/or tight timing) where ship's excursion does make sense - Kusadasi to Ephesus isn't one of them.

 

Viator is a good site to just research what sights to see etc - but they're an agency not a tour operator. Ditto Shore Excursions Group and Venture Ashore. Whilst booking thro them isn't usually much more expensive than booking direct (they get a commission from the operators), it's an extra link in the chain so an extra opportunity for information to get muddled and messages to go astray, And staff don't know any more than what's on their website (how could they - they deal with hundreds, probably thousands, of tour operators worldwide). 

The only time we used Viator was for a group excursion from Hong Kong into China - this involved payment in advance because it included a group visa, and a google search of the local operators gave very little information so we plumped for Viator because of the security of our money. Chasing an unknown tour operator on the other side of the world for a refund would likely not bring a resolution whereas Viator and the other agencies need to keep a good reputation - they can simply withhold money from a duff tour operator. The excursion was fine, and Viator phoned us at our HK hotel to remind us of where to be and when. 

 

At Ephesus we screwed up by bartering with a taxi. He took us to the entrance and waited for us at the exit which is at the other end of the site (same as MAVIP and likely to be the same with all excursions). No problem with the taxi, but we wandered Ephesus without a guide or even a leaflet and there was hardly any signage so we didn't have much of a clue what we were looking at.

Learn from our mistake, don't be a tightwad- you do need a guide at Ephesus.

 

A local tour operator is your best bet, one which offers a group tour exclusively for ship's passengers would be ideal because of the simple pick-up & drop-off, and the timing would suit ship's time in port.

Go back to your ship's RollCall and look for anyone on your cruise seeking sharers for a small-group tour. And post on there anyway to say hi to your ship-mates.

 

On another visit to Kusadasi we rented a car to explore the area, and visited the (reputedly) House of the Virgin Maty.

We rated it far less interesting than the drive up to it. Others may disagree

 

Ships tours are usually in a large coach - 45 to 50 passengers, local operators usually quote their type of transport /  group sizes.

 

Eastern Med is a great place to cruise, 

Connie is one of Celebrity's older ships but has a special place in Celebrity cruisers' hearts - and Celebrity is a cut above the other mass-market lines.

 

Enjoy

 

JB 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

[cruisemom42]

I'm going to try to answer your questions in order. (Have been to Ephesus 5x and sailed Med cruises w/Celebrity twice:

 

1. Yes. Most ship tours are 40-50 people. Sometimes they offer "smaller group" tours but these are still usually 20 people or so. Yes, they move at a somewhat slow pace. As to hearing, many tours in Europe have gone to using the "whisperers" or "quiet vox" system with earphones so you can hear the guide. However, it's not universal....

 

2. The remains of the Temple of Artemis are literally right next to the Ephesus archaeological site. Most tours spent at most 5-10 minutes there as a brief photo stop. Seeing it won't really impact your tour length, so if you are ambivalent I wouldn't make it a big thing either way. For me it was delightful to be able to see one of the "Seven Wonders." But most would only see a grassy field with a few stones and columns.

 

3.  On 4 vs. 6 hours:  Hard to tell without a careful reading of the tour. (Celebrity tour descriptions are some of the worst in terms of detail....)  Most guides have about a 2-hour canned spiel through Ephesus. The site is about a 30-minute drive from the port. So that accounts for 3 hours. I have not been to the House of Mary so cannot figure the time to and from it. I know sometimes there is a long line for the latter.  One important thing:  Not all tours to Ephesus include the Terrace Houses, and they are a MUST. (This may be one reason for the difference in the tour lengths.) The Terrace Houses are a series of Roman dwellings perched one above another on a steep hill (in Ephesus, right in the center). It is an active archaeological site and it is also the most interesting part of Ephesus other than the Library of Celsus.  If a tour description doesn't mention the Terrace Houses, they won't be included and if you are on a ship tour, they rarely give you enough free time to do it on your own. If you take a private tour, make sure it is included. 

 

4. I'm not a big fan of excursions with lunch included. Another common "thing" in Ephesus is to take you for a "free" lunch (this is on private tours usually) in a place that is also a carpet factory -- HAH!  On the other hand, if you were to be going on a tour that included the Temple of Apollo in Didyma (also near Ephesus), there is a lovely restaurant overlooking the ruins there that I wouldn't mind having lunch at. It's situational...

 

(Side note:  I also wanted to mention that Turkish food is delicious. If mezes aren't your thing, in Kusadasi by the port -- when you get back from touring -- there are some great restaurants overlooking the water with wonderful fresh fish. And I will say that I never loved eggplant before going to Turkey; they have so many variations and types and all of them I tried were amazing.  Eating ashore and trying local food should be part of the plan when visiting the Med. Just do it based on your own choices, not the tour guides'.)

 

5.  Just say no to the carpet demos. This is easier to do on a private tour. You can specify no shopping stops (they will also drag you to ceramics factories and leather factories....).  On a ship tour you may have difficulty ducking out. They actually locked the shop doors on us once in Istanbul.  You may have to tell even a private driver more than once that you will NOT go into any stores. It's just part of the culture there. And FWIW, it's not that hard to resist buying something, the pressure isn't that great. To me, it's more an issue of the time that's being wasted in something I have no interest in.

 

6. I don't think there's any real "skip the queue" at Ephesus. The queue would be for tickets and I've not experienced a long wait there either on a ship tour (they usually have them all ready for the guide to pick up) or a private guide. I'm not sure about the House of Mary, again I have heard there can be long lines at certain times. The good news about finding a genuine private tour at Ephesus (not via a third party) is that the cost is generally low enough that you could do a private tour for just your party without having to get a small group together. 

 

Hope that answers your questions. And as JB says, there is very little signage around, so I would definitely recommend a guide unless you want to research it all in advance and bring notes.

[Artemis63]

For those who have done the tour in Ephesus, how is the terrain? Is there a lot of walking on the tour and are there places to sit? Thanks

[MeHeartCruising]

1 hour ago, Artemis63 said:

For those who have done the tour in Ephesus, how is the terrain? Is there a lot of walking on the tour and are there places to sit? Thanks

 

The primary tour route through the Ephesus ruins is a gradual downhill sloping walk on uneven stone roadway.  I have attached a picture of this from near the top of the "hill".

 

If your tour includes a visit to the Terrace Houses, that is more strenuous of a walk in that there are multiple metal stairs that must be navigated.  Unless they have changed the route since I was there, you enter the covered pavilion at the bottom of a hill.  You view the excavations while walking on the metal walkways and continually walk up steps to the next level of "the terraces".  You climb quite a few stairs.  At the top, you exit the covered pavilion and then must walk down a paved walkway.  This paved walkway was much more steep than the Main Street slope you see in the first picture.  I have attached a picture of the Terrace House metal stair cases.  There are more than in this picture, I think.

 

As for places to sit during the tour, I don't recall much of anything.  Near the end of the walking tour, you likely will visit the Amphitheater.  There are usually people sitting on the stone seats, but it will depend on your tour guide if there is time to do this.

 

 

Edited March 7, 2023 by MeHeartCruising

[edinburgher]

And do not miss the Roman terraced houses which are on site but at extra cost in addition to the general entrance fee..  We paid our tickets right at the entrance to the houses, and Turkish Lira ( cash only) had to be paid.  Physical demands for visiting are described very well in post #6 above.

 

We thought these were one of the best sites to visit within Ephesus.  Excavations were ongoing but there was still plenty to see of these villas which had belonged to the wealthiest citizens. The wall decorations were surprisingly well preserved with patterns and colours clearly visible on several.

 

There should be info and images online for either Roman villas or Terraced houses (Ephesus) to tempt you.

Edited March 8, 2023 by edinburgher

[Travelswithmycamera]

Can anyone who has been to Ephesus comment on length of time it normally takes to walk through the terrace houses.  I plan on taking private transportation to the site and walking down as my husband has mobility issues and I know he would not be agreeable to walk up those stairs.  Is there a place he would be able to wait for me.  Are the houses near the exit as he could wait in the car.  Just trying to figure out best way to accommodate us both otherwise I will just have to be happy with youtube videos.  Thank you all for your great reviews, it really helps in planning our days.  

[cruisemom42]

The Terrace Houses entrance is about midway through the site. Unforunately I don't recall whether there is anywhere nearby to sit and wait. 

[Peadar2000]

Thanks so much for the kind replies, they have been very helpful in my research. I have booked us onto a 12 person tour with Curio Travel (found on Viator but booked directly through their website) which takes in Mary’s House, Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis. I have specifically asked (and paid) to also visit the Terrace Houses, a site I hadn’t been aware of before ye lovely people suggested them. The tour lasts 4 hours, doesn’t include lunch (fine by me!) and costs $50/€47 each. I’ve specifically asked not to be brought to a carpet demonstration but we’ll see how that goes. It ticks all my boxes so hopefully it’ll be a fantastic experience.

[MeHeartCruising]

11 hours ago, Travelswithmycamera said:

Can anyone who has been to Ephesus comment on length of time it normally takes to walk through the terrace houses.  I plan on taking private transportation to the site and walking down as my husband has mobility issues and I know he would not be agreeable to walk up those stairs.  Is there a place he would be able to wait for me.  Are the houses near the exit as he could wait in the car.  Just trying to figure out best way to accommodate us both otherwise I will just have to be happy with youtube videos.  Thank you all for your great reviews, it really helps in planning our days.  

 

Since you mention YouTube videos, watch a few of them and you will get a better idea of the site.

This one is a great tour and if you focus on how the roads/paths look and how long they are, you can get an idea to the large size of this site.  These are the distances that must be walked.  Do note that he does the tour in the opposite direction that the tour buses will take you.  He mentions that at the beginning.  

 

Also, as I was watching this, I was noting where people were, or might sit during the walk.  There don't really seem to be any benches designed for sitting, but people do sit down on the many, many rocks and/or steps you see along the way.  But as cruisemom mentions, the Terrace Houses are pretty much in the middle of the site.  You have to walk quite a ways, maybe 1/4 mile or so before you reach the Terrace Houses.

 

 

[edinburgher]

I don't remember specific seating areas either, but we definitely rested somewhere within the site, maybe only perching on a step or a rock or something similar as mentioned above.

 

Something the OP may not be aware of, (and maybe or maybe not mentioned in previous threads) is that back in the day (and unless any changes) you enter at one end of the site, proceed through it and exit at the opposite end.  Our transport dropped us at the start/entrance and was waiting at the far end for us when we exited.

 

OP in our experience a "Lunch break" does not usually add time to a tour, it usually only reduces the amount of time at the main sight.

Edited March 10, 2023 by edinburgher

[sahara1]

On 3/8/2023 at 9:50 AM, edinburgher said:

And do not miss the Roman terraced houses which are on site but at extra cost in addition to the general entrance fee..  We paid our tickets right at the entrance to the houses, and Turkish Lira ( cash only) had to be paid.  Physical demands for visiting are described very well in post #6 above.

 

We thought these were one of the best sites to visit within Ephesus.  Excavations were ongoing but there was still plenty to see of these villas which had belonged to the wealthiest citizens. The wall decorations were surprisingly well preserved with patterns and colours clearly visible on several.

 

There should be info and images online for either Roman villas or Terraced houses (Ephesus) to tempt you.

So for Ephesus you can only pay in Lira?

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, sahara1 said:

So for Ephesus you can only pay in Lira?

 

My experience is from last year, so should be valid. You can pay for entrance to the main Ephesus site and also for the additional entrance fee to the Terrace Houses at the main entrance, and you can use credit card there. (I think Am Ex is not accepted but VISA and MC are okay).  Current entrance price for the main site is 400 lira and the Terrace Houses cost an additional 170 lira.

 

I don't remember if they still offered the option of paying at the entrance of the Terrace Houses, but if they do it could be that they accept cash only there.

 

[edinburgher]

  post #7 We paid our tickets right at the entrance to the houses refers to the terrace houses with separate fee.

I have no idea if terrace houses entry can be bought at the entrance to the site.

 

We were on a group shorex and did not pay the general Ephesus entry fees,, most likely the  guide for our group paid for these,but we didn't know if  we might have time for the terraced houses until we were in front of them and decided we did have time so took the opportunity when we saw we could pay right there. Fortunately we had Turkish currency in cash with us.