Kusadasi Ephesus Turkey safety

[Saga Ruby]

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.

 

I will be in Istanbul for 5 days in late November for the Oceania repo, Istanbul to Singapore and also am staying at a new small Turkish hotel, Sumahan on the Water. A few days after I made the reservation, I received my May Conde Nast Traveler in the mail and, to my astonishment, this hotel was picked as one of the Top Hot New Hotels of 2006. It is Asia side, on the water, with its own hotel yacht to take you up and down the Bosphorus - can't wait.

 

How did you pick your local guides for Istanbul? I have sent out feelers but would like to hear about past experiences with guides and private cars in Istanbul. I am not looking for bus tours or group tours.

 

Ruby

[Juliadlf]

We regularly check the following website on travel warnings when planning our trips.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html

 

Not our only source, but at least we get an idea of where potential issues may be.

 

Julia

[martyap]

This is the most recent US State Department Info regarding visits to Turkey.

Any thoughts???? We are planning 5 days pre cruise in Istanbul in October.

 

Marty

..........................

Turkey

 

April 17, 2006

 

 

This Public Announcement is issued to update information on security concerns in Turkey.* This supercedes the Public Announcement issued on March 31, 2006, and expires on May 16, 2006.

 

Following clashes in March that involved security forces and sympathizers of the PKK terrorist organization in southeastern Turkey, there have been additional violent incidents in the main tourist areas of Istanbul, including demonstrations in central areas of Istanbul and small-scale bombings in various districts of the city.* In addition, the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons, also known by the Kurdish acronym TAK, have issued a public warning to foreign tourists not to visit Turkey. *

 

The Department of State advises U.S. citizens traveling or residing in Turkey to be alert for the high potential for violence when traveling in any of the southeast provinces.* Department of State personnel are subject to travel restrictions in Sirnak, Diyarbakir, Van, Siirt, Mus, Mardin, Batman, Bingol, Tunceli, Hakkari, Bitlis, and Elazig provinces.*

 

The Department of State advises U.S. citizens traveling or residing in Turkey to avoid areas where crowds are expected to gather, to exercise caution, and to closely follow media reports.* Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence.*

[Juliadlf]

Martyap:

All cruiselines have security measures in place to track potential issues as passenger safety is always their primary concern. If you review the State Department report for Italy and France they also had an annoucement issued.

 

If we were planning a precruise stay in Istanbul or any country, we would be following the reports. Remember, as easily as these reports come up, they can easily expire with no further incidents. And if you go back and look through the archives of these reports, many expire without further incident.

 

Julia

[soudersmes]

We are scheduled on the Grand for 7/3 and going to Turkey.

Which tour did you take and did you like it?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Margaert in phoenix

[Kenwoody]

I will be in Istanbul for 5 days in late November for the Oceania repo, Istanbul to Singapore and also am staying at a new small Turkish hotel, Sumahan on the Water. A few days after I made the reservation, I received my May Conde Nast Traveler in the mail and, to my astonishment, this hotel was picked as one of the Top Hot New Hotels of 2006. It is Asia side, on the water, with its own hotel yacht to take you up and down the Bosphorus - can't wait.

 

How did you pick your local guides for Istanbul? I have sent out feelers but would like to hear about past experiences with guides and private cars in Istanbul. I am not looking for bus tours or group tours.

 

Ruby

 

Ruby, do you have a website for the hotel? Thanks

[Mike Andrews]

Ephesus is included in the top 100 places you should visit in your lifetime

[mdeane]

WhyMe, sorry I have been off the boards for a bit so I am late giving you an answer to your question about the guides. We are using Lale Kosagan in Instanbul and her husband Kagan. They are both highly recommended.

[Saga Ruby]

Ruby, do you have a website for the hotel? Thanks

 

The website is www.sumahan.com. I love this place before I ever get there. It'll keep me out of the hustle bustle of the tourist areas, give me an oasis of tranquility. I can sit in an Adirondack chair and watch the Bosphorus traffic sailing by. Evidently their seafood restaurant, KordonBalik is quite well-known in Istanbul because I keep bumping into references and reviews of it. Don't know if the restaurant was there first or the hotel.

 

I love anything to do with the sea, so I'd rather be a ways out and enjoy the view instead of being locally situated downtown.

 

Ruby

[PaulS]

We visited Kusadasi last June while sailing on the Brilliance. Our group of eight booked a private tour with a company found on the internet - Meander Travel. We all thought it was the best day of the whole trip. We had a wonderful guide and visited Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary, and Sultankoy, where we had a wonderful lunch.

Although we were there before the bombing, we never felt uneasy and the people we came in contact with could not have been nicer. While the merchants in the bazaar in downtown Kusadasi were somewhat persistant, the atmosphere was not nearly as intimidating as some of the places in the Caribbean, such as Jamaica.

We are looking forward to going back next summer when we cruise the Med again.

[Nebr.cruiser]

I wouldn't miss Ephesus, especially the Terrace Houses. Missable: (To me) The Temple of Artemis (it's only one column), Mary's House and any kind of rug/leather/pottery factory. Although the latter that we went to was low-key and short, with a nice included lunch.

 

We were there in May and felt perfectly safe. We did a private tour with 10 others. It was a very full day so we didn't do much shopping on return to the ship, but the vendors didn't seem that aggressive, especially after some of the other places we have been! Just smile, say no thanks, keep walking.

[rmurray847]

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

 

We were in Izmir last November. There is no question that a Turkish city has a little different feeling than a "western city"...mostly because of the really cool mosques everywhere. We were wary about what to expect in Turkey, because we knew so little about the country. We booked a private tour through Celsus Travel and I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend them. Yes, we agreed to see the carpet factory, but she didn't squeeze us too hard...we were just in a great mood after seeing the fantastic sites...so we were agreeable!

 

You ask if there is a "site that should not be missed." YES!! You must do Ephesus with a tour of the Terrace Houses included (they are often advertised as separate...even though they are on the same site, the Terrace Houses are enclosed and require a separate admission. You can't just go through them on your own, either.) We've seen a lot of "famous" ruins over the years...but Ephesus is the most expansive, intact Roman city we've been too. You really get a feel for what it was like to LIVE there "back in the day." And it's set in a very pastoral area...so it's just super pleasant. Granted, we were there in Nov and not the heat of summer, but it was perfect. And the Turkish people we met were all uniformly pleasant and friendly. I never once had a "oh, this feels a little unsafe" vibe. Now Alexandria / Cairo were a different story!

[Travelcat2]

We were in Istanbul and Ephesus last month (2nd visit). We feel safer in both cities than in many places in the world (specifically Rome, Baracelona or Rio). We walked off on our own -- went to a local Hammam (Turkish Bath) and had a great time.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

There was a bombing in Istanbul when I was there in 2008 but I didn't see it or hear anything and there was no fuss over it. I had a wonderful overnight docked in Istanbul and this bombing didn't scare me or impact my trip in the slightest bit. I was with a tour and I do think that it is a good idea in any unknown area to do a tour. Taxi drivers can be good and bad and I've had my fair share of rip-offs artists.

 

Kusadasi is absolutely stunning! Ephesus is better than Pompeii IMO. The Terrace Houses are a must. The Turkish people are sophisticated and polite. Turkey was a beautiful clean country and I absolutely loved it.

[cruisemom42]

I wouldn't miss Ephesus, especially the Terrace Houses. Missable: (To me) The Temple of Artemis (it's only one column), Mary's House and any kind of rug/leather/pottery factory. Although the latter that we went to was low-key and short, with a nice included lunch.

 

We were there in May and felt perfectly safe. We did a private tour with 10 others. It was a very full day so we didn't do much shopping on return to the ship, but the vendors didn't seem that aggressive, especially after some of the other places we have been! Just smile, say no thanks, keep walking.

 

You do realize that you resurrected a thread from 2006? :D

[Hlitner]

Wondering where the OP heard about safety issues in Kusadasi. We have always felt its a very safe city (day or night) and during our recent visit (2 days in April) we saw nothing to change our opinion that its a very safe place. Just beware of the shops displaying signs that say, "Original Fake Watches." Love this place.

 

Hank

[May B]

OP started this thread in 2006, not sure you realized that.

[Nebr.cruiser]

OP started this thread in 2006, not sure you realized that.

 

Well, no, I seldom notice that original date of posts. But, maybe it will reassure someone who is going soon anyway.

[aquilegia]

You do realize that you resurrected a thread from 2006? :D

 

I'm another one wondering why this thread has come to life again! I think sometimes people do a search then start posting on a thread that interests them, without noticing that it's several years old.

[Suzieanna]

I would rather see an old question resurrected (after using search) than seeing the same old questions asked time and time again!

 

My own experiences in Turkey are:- The Kusadasi port area is full of merchants swarming around like a plague of locusts. They are all more than capable of selling sand to a man who lives in a desert, and are very persistent!! You need to be just as persistent if you dont want to buy - or you will have a leather coat, a rug, a bottle of perfume and a fake watch before you have even got your camera out! My "Genuine Fake" Watch is still going strong, however, and the people in Istanbul were all wonderful. We went there on our first ever cruise and I fell in love with the place. Very excited about going back in a few weeks.

[cruisemom42]

I would rather see an old question resurrected (after using search) than seeing the same old questions asked time and time again!

 

My own experiences in Turkey are:- The Kusadasi port area is full of merchants swarming around like a plague of locusts. They are all more than capable of selling sand to a man who lives in a desert, and are very persistent!! You need to be just as persistent if you dont want to buy - or you will have a leather coat, a rug, a bottle of perfume and a fake watch before you have even got your camera out! My "Genuine Fake" Watch is still going strong, however, and the people in Istanbul were all wonderful. We went there on our first ever cruise and I fell in love with the place. Very excited about going back in a few weeks.

 

 

In general I agree, but this 6-year-old thread was started (I think) due to specific safety concerns AT THAT TIME which are no longer relevant. Safety in a particular country varies a lot year by year. Lots of people don't notice the original dates on things.

 

I'd hate for this to scare people off as regards Turkey, which is very safe.

[tartanexile81]

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.

 

Think you are referring to a series of incidents which took place in 2005.

 

Opps have just add this comment as I have read the whole thread now and see as you all did that it started several years ago. How did it re-emerge??

[May B]

Somebody evidently did a search. That's fine, as already pointed out. May as well read all the old stuff if we want to, as sometimes it's still pertinent. But it's good for us all to remember to check the dates.

 

I'm still trying to figure out how anybody buys a real fake watch or, worse, a leather jacket, that they don't want. I guess I'm on my way to finding out, since I'll be in Kusadasi if all goes well on June 26th!