Kusadasi Ephesus Turkey safety

[tlynnm]

How safe is Kusadasi ( Ephesus ) Turkey? I've heard it isn't very safe? What about going on shore excursions?

[smeyer418]

We were there in October, its reasonably safe. Safer then many places I have been. But you are probably safer if you go on a tour(either through the cruise line or a pre-arranged private tour).

[cberge]

We were there in October, its reasonably safe. Safer then many places I have been. But you are probably safer if you go on a tour(either through the cruise line or a pre-arranged private tour).

 

We were there last fall,and doing the ships tour to Kusadasi was just fine..we didn't feel unsafe in the least.I agree with this poster that it is probably best to do the ship's tour or private tour with a guide.As for the town itself...just be prepared as you walk though the market to say no if you do not want to to shop in a store,bargain if you do,and if you see something you want make sure they write down the prices they give you for cash or CC,and try to pay cash for your items as opposed to CC unless you are buying something vwey $$$$ and then make sure to check your receipt as to the charged price.I never felt unsafe there,but like any place just beware of your surroundings.

[JeannyCT]

How safe is Kusadasi ( Ephesus ) Turkey? I've heard it isn't very safe? What about going on shore excursions?

Where did you hear that? I've been to Kusadasi twice. The second time in 2001 with a cruise ship I walked around on my own, partly to places where no tourist has gone before (well, maybe a few) as I wanted to get away from the crowds.

The first time I arrived on a ferry from Samos (Greece) with my sister and a friend back in 1989 (three girls between 19 and 22) and stayed at a campground. After visiting Ephesus we took a train to Pamukkale, from there to Izmir, ferry to Istanbul, then a train to Thessaloniki (Greece).

Both times I didn't have a problem and felt very safe. Especially on the 1989 tour we met many nice and helpful people. I've got no complaints about holidays in Turkey whatsoever.

[Fabulous2B50]

A few months ago there was a tourist bus that was bombed in Kusadasi. Several British tourists were either killed or injured. I don't think it was part of a cruise ship tour, though. The only way I will get off the ship in this port is doing a cruise ship tour. I believe that for a short period of time, one of the cruise lines did substitute this port and went to Rhodes.

[tlynnm]

thanks all for your help. We are looking forward to our visit there.

[mdeane]

We are looking forward to visiting Turkey in Oct. The Turkish people are now very welcoming of tourist. We will stay in Istanbul 5 days with a local guide each day to see all we can. We are staying in a small Turkish hotel.

We also have a private guide for Kusadisi. Sounds very interesting to us. We will not be taking any ship's tours and have hired guides in every port except Mykonos and Dubrovnik which we think we can do on our own. It is so much easier to have a local guide and not waste time trying to get somewhere.

[jennifers490]

"A few months ago there was a tourist bus that was bombed in Kusadasi. Several British tourists were either killed or injured. I don't think it was part of a cruise ship tour, though. The only way I will get off the ship in this port is doing a cruise ship tour. I believe that for a short period of time, one of the cruise lines did substitute this port and went to Rhodes."

 

I had heard about this a couple of years ago, not months, are you sure about the timing on this? I'm going with my cousin in may and things like this make her very nervous about getting off the ship...

[Host Karen]

We sailed Brilliance last June and docked in Kusadasi. Within a few months, there was a bombing there.

 

That said, our friends, who visited Ephesus, said it was the best excursion they took on the entire sailing. Many people were impressed with the ruins and highly recommended them.

 

It's difficult to anticipate what will happen in any part of the world, so you need to make a decision regarding tours based on your own comfort level.

[steveg]

The bombing occurred this past July:

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4688575.stm

 

We were on the Grand Princess in August and there was a scheduled stop in Kusadasi that was cancelled at the last minute due to some threats made to an Israeli ship. We stopped in Rhodes instead.

 

We're on the Grand again this year and have decided that if we stop, that we're going to take the ship's tour to Ephesus rather than a private tour.

[A Sixth?]

"A few months ago there was a tourist bus that was bombed in Kusadasi. Several British tourists were either killed or injured. I don't think it was part of a cruise ship tour, though. The only way I will get off the ship in this port is doing a cruise ship tour. I believe that for a short period of time, one of the cruise lines did substitute this port and went to Rhodes."

 

I had heard about this a couple of years ago, not months, are you sure about the timing on this? I'm going with my cousin in may and things like this make her very nervous about getting off the ship...

 

The bombing was last July. Five were killed and some 13 injured. :(

 

It was the second bombing in the area of 2005, another bomb explosion in the center of Kusadasi in April killed one

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4690181.stm

 

It's not stopping me from touring the area the end of this May

[Fabulous2B50]

I almost decided to just stay put on the ship in Kusadasi after hearing of this bombing in the news.I don't recall which cable TV news station, but it was a mainstream and reliable one. The only way I will feel comfortable with my one and only child, a teen daughter, in this particular port is to go on a bus or motorcoach or van that only allows cruise ship passengers and not the general public or other tour groups.

My original post on this thread was to simply notify the initial poster who had questions about safety here that sadly there was a bombing that killed some tourists several months ago.

Obviously violence can occur anywhere in the world (just look what is happening in Paris today!) so my comfort level is on a ship excursion in Kusadasi.

[whyme]

We are looking forward to visiting Turkey in Oct. The Turkish people are now very welcoming of tourist. We will stay in Istanbul 5 days with a local guide each day to see all we can. We are staying in a small Turkish hotel.

We also have a private guide for Kusadisi. Sounds very interesting to us. We will not be taking any ship's tours and have hired guides in every port except Mykonos and Dubrovnik which we think we can do on our own. It is so much easier to have a local guide and not waste time trying to get somewhere.

IF I MAY ASK WHICH TOUR GUIDE ARE YOU USING,,WHYME71842@AOL.COM

[mountainhouse]

Maybe it's because I do technical work for a living, but my mind really accepts statistics. Based on the probabilities, a bombing should be the least of my worries. You're far more likely to have almost any other accident befall you. I'll be Rome this summer....that traffic! Now that's scary. ;) I think terrorist is horrible, but if it stops me from doing things, it's achieved its goal. Looking forward to Kusadasi!

[Phoenix cruiser]

Gosh, there was a huge terrorist incident in NYC and Washington called 9/11 and a bombing in Oklahoma City. Is everyone staying away from there as well? A lot more people killed than in Turkey on the minibus.

[mountainhouse]

Odd you should mention OK city. Was thinking about that as I wrote that last post. I was there to see the memorial a few years ago, and I had just a bit of a feeling of thumbing my nose at the terrorists. Maybe it's silly, but it was good to be there lending a little support to the economy. VERY impressive and thought provoking memorial, by the way.

[tlynnm]

"Gosh, there was a huge terrorist incident in NYC and Washington called 9/11 and a bombing in Oklahoma City. Is everyone staying away from there as well? A lot more people killed than in Turkey on the minibus"

 

 

I don't think anyone suggested staying away from Turkey. I was just asking what people experience while visiting there.

[A Sixth?]

From what I've heard about the port and ruins, you have far more to fear from the vendors and their pervasive arguments to lighten your wallets than any other "attack". :D

[chasetf]

We were on the Grand Princess in August and there was a scheduled stop in Kusadasi that was cancelled at the last minute due to some threats made to an Israeli ship. We stopped in Rhodes instead.

 

We're on the Grand again this year and have decided that if we stop, that we're going to take the ship's tour to Ephesus rather than a private tour.

We were on the Grand in Sept / Oct. We did Ephesus by ship tour. It was reasonable and with the distant to Ephesus, if there is a problem getting back (probably no traffic problem, but maybe mechanical problem) I would not want to worry about missing the ship.

 

After getting back from the tour we wandered around the dock bazzar area and felt completely safe.

[DALSAL]

I too am worried about safety and even earthquakes! :) But,I will be there in July and trying to book an excursion thru the ship.Anyone know of a site that should not be missed? We are there for 10 hrs,but I might just do a quickie tour and then use the rest of my time to recoup from my excursions in the other ports! :) Thanks for any help,Dot

[Blamar]

I felt safer in Kusadasi than I did in Athens or Naples. I was pickpocketed in Florence but that is another story. The big thing is not to flaunt those goodies you don't want stolen. It might be a good idea to leave that Ipod on the ship. And as always, don't take anything with you that you would be broken hearted to loose. On the other hand, what you do have to watch out for is the sales people. You will meet the nicest, most charming and friendly people who will be engaging and in no time at all, you will be walking out the store with a carpet under your arm. All the while, you will be thinking to yourself, "now, how did I manage to do that"?

 

I would return to Kusadasi in a moment for the friendly people, great shopping (Leather and rugs), and a Visa card with lots of room on it.

 

B

[Mike Andrews]

Have always found Kusadasi to be very safe and the local people very pleasant and friendly.In this changing world knowhere is immune from strife of one kind or another.

[Miata6]

You will meet the nicest, most charming and friendly people who will be engaging and in no time at all, you will be walking out the store with a carpet under your arm. All the while, you will be thinking to yourself, "now, how did I manage to do that"?

 

B

 

And I thought we were the only ones to "get rugged" ("ruged?") in Kusadasi. The Turks were born for 'retail' and do it well. Very nice visit. :)

[cccruiser59]

We book a private tour, had a wonderful day, felt completely safe.

[ddjwms]

We booked a private tour (Mesut Yilmaz <mesutyilmaz74@yahoo.com>) and had a great day. We were very surprised and impressed with Ephesus--now consider it one of those "must-sees" in the class of Colosseum, Pyramids, Acropolis and Pompeii. It really does compare favorably with these more well-known sites. I urge you not to miss it.

 

Mesut is very reliable, and you don't need to worry about getting back to the ship on time: he will get you there with plenty of margin for safety...