Turkey on your own?

[Jo Cruiser]

Please explain how to do Ephesus and Istanbul without an expensive tour guide.

 

I've read somewhere that it is cheaper to take a taxi from Kusadasi port to Ephesus where you can visit the ancient city, walk up to the home of the Virign Mary, then walk down to the Terrace buildings and just pay for entrance fees and tour guides there and then have the taxi pick you up at an arranged time. Has anyone done this or something similar? Which is better a tour guide at $55-$80 pp (or more) or taxi?

 

Also, is it possible to do Istanbul on your own as well? Taxi or bus to the sites and pay entrance fees/guides at each site? Has anyone done this? (We have 2 days in Istanbul.)

 

Thanks!

[Keith1010]

Istanbul is very easy to do on your own. On our cruise, there was a complimentary bus that dropped us off in the Grand Bazaar area. We spent a few hours at the Grand Bazaar and also walked to the area where they sell varous Spices.

 

You can also do the tourist areas on your own such as visiting the Blue Mosque and then just across the street you can visit the ancient Basilica of St. Sophia which is no a museum.

 

I would find a map on line and orient yourself where these attractions are and then you can add more to your list of attractions to visit.

 

Again, some are in walking distance and for some of the others you can take cabs.

 

I have been to Ephesus a few times but through organized tours so other will need to comment on that. It is located about 30 minutes from the port.

 

Keith

[cruisemom42]

As Keith says, Istanbul is easy to do on your own. Most of the sights are very central.

 

My general feeling about Ephesus is that if you get a group of a few people together (6-8) from your roll call and find a guide to take your small group, it will probably be cheaper than a taxi. The site of Ephesus is quite a distance from the port. I don't know if there is a bus, but the prices for tour guides in Turkey seem pretty reasonable.

 

I don't think the house of the Virgin Mary is close enough to Ephesus to walk, but I may be wrong as we didn't go there.

[mal's boy]

The house of the Virgin Mary is too far from Ephesus to consider walking. You would need to have a driver wait for you there and then take you to Ephesus. It is up a long winding mountain road, with not much else around. I agree with the other posters, you can get a tour guide for a very reasonable price, especially if you can hook up with another couple or two. We used one of the recommendations off of these boards and they were excellent. Also, Ephesus is so big and spread out, I'm not sure I would have been able to appreciate it all without a tour guide.

Istanbul, you can do on your own.

[fonseu]

Hi,

Has anyone taken the Bosphorus Cruise in Istanbul? We will be on the Celebrity Galaxy in November and we would like to do a couple of things on our own in addition to a tour. Is it difficult to get to the ferry pier from the cruise port?

Also, are ATM machines readily available in Kusadasi and Istanbul for getting lira?

Any and all information would be appreciated.

Diana

[friend of Eeyore]

We did Istanbul on our own (you can look at my "live from" thread for details; click here). We found Rick Steve's Istanbul book to be very good and helpful.

[martyap]

Hi,

Has anyone taken the Bosphorus Cruise in Istanbul? We will be on the Celebrity Galaxy in November and we would like to do a couple of things on our own in addition to a tour. Is it difficult to get to the ferry pier from the cruise port? Also, are ATM machines readily available in Kusadasi and Istanbul for getting lira? Any and all information would be appreciated.

Diana

 

ATM's are plentiful. The public ferry terminals are in Eminonu right near the Galata Bridge. It is a few minutes from the port by taxi. One side of the Galata Bridge is Sultanahmet (Spice Market, Grand Bazaar, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Underground Cistern,Aya Sophia....) The other side is the pedestrian street, Istiklal Cadessi about a twenty minute walk to Taksim Square. Most of the sights in Istanbul are walkable. The ferry ride up the Bosphorus takes the entire day because it stops for a few hours in the little village of Anadolu Kavagi to allow for lunch before returning to the ferry terminal. It is OK if you are in Istanbul for several days......the return ferry trip covers the same sights as the trip up the Bosphorus.....if you are there for 1-2 days there are better ways to spend your time in my opinion. The walk across the Galata Bridge and up Istiklal Cadessi taking in all the side streets is a better way to spend the afternoon.

 

Marty

[fonseu]

Cathy - Thanks for the thread. Great report and helpful.

Marty - I didn't realize the ferry was an all-day affair -- I thought we could do it in a couple of hours. I guess we'll have to rethink it.

Diana

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I believe you can find a half day Bosphorus cruise, or even shorter. We didn't do one, but have a look at this site: http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/go/Istanbul/Sights/Bosphorus/BosphorusCruise.html

 

This is a great general website for Turkey, by the way.

[Hektor]

Hi,

Has anyone taken the Bosphorus Cruise in Istanbul? We will be on the Celebrity Galaxy in November and we would like to do a couple of things on our own in addition to a tour. Is it difficult to get to the ferry pier from the cruise port?

Also, are ATM machines readily available in Kusadasi and Istanbul for getting lira?

Any and all information would be appreciated.

Diana

 

Hi Diana,

 

not of all the information given to you is absolutely right.

 

First: There's a tram from the cruise port to the ferry per. It starts every 5 minutes between 7.42am and 8.22pm (less often before or after these timings). The trip to the ferry pier lasts 8 minutes. The stop is called "Eminönü". So there's no need to grab a cab. The same tram also heads to other sights like the Blue Mosque or the Grand Bazaar.

 

Second: The Bosphorus cruise is not a day trip, if you don't want this. Marty is right that "the ferry ride up the Bosphorus takes the entire day because it stops for a few hours in the little village of Anadolu Kavagi to allow for lunch before returning to the ferry terminal", but there's no need to do this. In summer, it's possible to head back directly by changing the boats (not in November). It's also possible to do the rest of the bosphorus (by connecting boat; just at morning cruise) - as you may see on a map, Anadolu Kavagi ist not at the end of bosphorus.

 

But I also agree that it is a little bit boring to do the same thing twice in a row. I recommend: go up the bosphorus by boat and go back by bus. This way, you'll have a 1 1/2 hour cruise (less if you leave the boat earlier - that's possible). Do this with the normal boats, not with the "tourist boats" (BTW the same ones) and it will cost you just $1. Ok, to be right: the bus trip back is also $1. But this is only possible in the evening. Leave the boat a little bit earlier on the european side (Emirgan for a 45-minute cruise or Sariyer for a 1 1/2 hour cruise) and the bus brings you back to the cruise port (a 10-minute-walk ashore the bosphorus or just 1 stop by tram). It's also the perfect time to see Istanbul at night - you can take the tram directly to Sultanahmet for example.

 

BTW: I think (just my 2 cents) the BOSPHORUS is a "must see".

AND: The ferry passes your cruise ship, so it's a perfect photo oportunity.

ALSO: You're with the locals, not just with tourists.

[kruzin']

:) do you need turkish currency to use the tram? that could be a problem if you plan on using the tram if you only have euros or dollars:)

Hi Diana,

 

not of all the information given to you is absolutely right.

 

First: There's a tram from the cruise port to the ferry per. It starts every 5 minutes between 7.42am and 8.22pm (less often before or after these timings). The trip to the ferry pier lasts 8 minutes. The stop is called "Eminönü". So there's no need to grab a cab. The same tram also heads to other sights like the Blue Mosque or the Grand Bazaar.

 

Second: The Bosphorus cruise is not a day trip, if you don't want this. Marty is right that "the ferry ride up the Bosphorus takes the entire day because it stops for a few hours in the little village of Anadolu Kavagi to allow for lunch before returning to the ferry terminal", but there's no need to do this. In summer, it's possible to head back directly by changing the boats (not in November). It's also possible to do the rest of the bosphorus (by connecting boat; just at morning cruise) - as you may see on a map, Anadolu Kavagi ist not at the end of bosphorus.

 

But I also agree that it is a little bit boring to do the same thing twice in a row. I recommend: go up the bosphorus by boat and go back by bus. This way, you'll have a 1 1/2 hour cruise (less if you leave the boat earlier - that's possible). Do this with the normal boats, not with the "tourist boats" (BTW the same ones) and it will cost you just $1. Ok, to be right: the bus trip back is also $1. But this is only possible in the evening. Leave the boat a little bit earlier on the european side (Emirgan for a 45-minute cruise or Sariyer for a 1 1/2 hour cruise) and the bus brings you back to the cruise port (a 10-minute-walk ashore the bosphorus or just 1 stop by tram). It's also the perfect time to see Istanbul at night - you can take the tram directly to Sultanahmet for example.

 

BTW: I think (just my 2 cents) the BOSPHORUS is a "must see".

AND: The ferry passes your cruise ship, so it's a perfect photo oportunity.

ALSO: You're with the locals, not just with tourists.

[travelingmcmahans]

:) do you need turkish currency to use the tram? that could be a problem if you plan on using the tram if you only have euros or dollars:)

You can use the ATM just outside the port' date=' then stop and buy some water on the walk to the tram stop to get change for the tram fare.

 

I've posted about our recent experience seeing Istanbul independently on my blog where you can find all the gory details:

24 hours in İstanbul | Part V

24 hours in İstanbul | Part IV

24 hours in İstanbul | Part III

24 hours in İstanbul | Part II

24 hours in İstanbul | Part I

[piper28]

You can use the ATM just outside the port, then stop and buy some water on the walk to the tram stop to get change for the tram fare.

 

Heck, you don't even need change for the tram fare. Most of the tram stops seem to have booths you can buy the required token from, and they didn't seem to have any problem taking bills (when I got 100 YTL out of the ATM, it gave me a mix of 10's and 20's, and I used a 10 at the booth). Although they probably won't like too large of a bill.

 

(And yeah, they did require Turkish money.)

[Curlyjo]

I've posted about our recent experience seeing Istanbul independently on my blog where you can find all the gory details:

24 hours in İstanbul | Part V

24 hours in İstanbul | Part IV

24 hours in İstanbul | Part III

24 hours in İstanbul | Part II

24 hours in İstanbul | Part I

 

Thanks for sharing your story. I am now very excited and not worried at all about exploring Istanbul on our own. We too have 24 hours (27 actually). I can't wait to see the sites in person that you photographed and described. We definately won't be using a guide in Istanbul. Thanks!

[fonseu]

Thank you all for giving such helpful information. I think we're definitely going to try doing the shorter (1 1/2 hr) Bosphorus cruise. It seems doable.

Diana

[screwcork]

Please explain how to do Ephesus and Istanbul without an expensive tour guide.

 

I've read somewhere that it is cheaper to take a taxi from Kusadasi port to Ephesus where you can visit the ancient city, walk up to the home of the Virign Mary, then walk down to the Terrace buildings and just pay for entrance fees and tour guides there and then have the taxi pick you up at an arranged time. Has anyone done this or something similar? Which is better a tour guide at $55-$80 pp (or more) or taxi?

 

Also, is it possible to do Istanbul on your own as well? Taxi or bus to the sites and pay entrance fees/guides at each site? Has anyone done this? (We have 2 days in Istanbul.)

 

Thanks!

 

 

WE paid USD 50 for a taxi in Kusadasi 3 years ago. With your own guide book this is certainly a better deal than the other options.

 

Screwcork

[sayaguru]

Thank you so much travelingmcmahans fo your report.

I LOVED Istanbul an would love to go back there. Your report makes me want to go NOW.

We sepent 2 days there before doing a tour. We loved wandering around and stopped many times for apple tea. Both at tea houses and to drink with the many people that wanted to sell us rugs. We said we weren't interested but insisted we have tea. I found the Turkish people so friendly.

Our first day we couldn't get our phone to work and the owner of a tea house spent quite a while helping us. He even rang friends to help. THEN he wouldn't let us pay for our tea.

We did a tour of Turkey and simply adored everything. Ephesus is amazing and Capadoccia. It's definately on our visit again list.

We are looking at a European cruise next year and would love to include Istanbul on that cruise.

[Eclipsepearl]

Please explain how to do Ephesus and Istanbul without an expensive tour guide.

 

I've read somewhere that it is cheaper to take a taxi from Kusadasi port to Ephesus where you can visit the ancient city, walk up to the home of the Virign Mary, then walk down to the Terrace buildings and just pay for entrance fees and tour guides there and then have the taxi pick you up at an arranged time. Has anyone done this or something similar? Which is better a tour guide at $55-$80 pp (or more) or taxi?

 

Thanks!

 

We picked up a taxi easily at Kusadasi and I think we paid 60 euros. He dropped us off at the top and was waiting for us at the bottom. We didn't have a guide but I recommend one. Sharing a tour is a *great idea* and then it's all taken care of. We didn't do that because we're all French. I'm the only one who spoke English and couldn't find a French-speaking guide. Didn't fancy translating and I think we missed out on what we were seeing. We bought books so by the time you buy that and pay for the taxi, the whole guided tour is not that expensive.

 

We also didn't visit where Mary was supposed to live. There were so many people at Ephasus that I imagined that smaller site nearby to be a madhouse. It's not our religion so I didn't want to bother true worshippers at the height of the tourist season, especially if it's not a stunning site to see (i.e. like the Blue Mosque).

 

We were only in Kusadasi on our cruise so I didn't bother getting lira and never needed it.

[travelingmcmahans]

I'm glad my rambling blog posts have helped. I finally finished the series with 24 hours in İstanbul | Part VI -- this is the few hours when we *do* have a guide that the four of us hired. I was pretty disappointed because he couldn't actually go in anywhere with us in Topkapi, and he drug us off early from the palace to take us to a SHOP. :mad:

[fonseu]

Hi,

Could someone please confirm something for me. Does the tram go from the cruise port at Karakoy across the Galata Bridge and on to Sultanahamet (Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace) or is it necessary to walk across Galata Bridge to get the tram?

Thanks again.

Diana

[martyap]

The tram does not go across the bridge. If you are in port for only a day

you might consider just taking a taxi from the ship to Sultanahmet. In Sultanahmet start at the Blue Mosque/Aya Sofia/Underground Cistern and possibly Topkapi. Then take the tram back towards the Galata Bridge and visit the Spice Market and/or the Grand Bazaar. From there you can easily get back to the ship as you are very close.

 

If you had more time you could cross the bridge, take the one stop subway called the tunel and spend hours walking up Istiklal Cadessi towards Taksim Square.....great shops and restaurants, the street of scarves, the Flower Passage, the Pera Palace Hotel made famous by Agatha Christie, The Galata Tower......Lots to see, lots to eat!

 

By the way.....a taxi from the port to Sultanahmet is probably a ten minute ride and not very $$.

 

Marty

[sfotraveler]

I agree with the other posts: tour guides are quite reasonable and add good value it you tend to have questions. I was there in early August, and made prior arrangements through Sammys Travel. They were less than the cruise line tour, and the guide they contracted for us, Yalcin Ikizoglu, was great. He's an independent guide, I think, and can be reached through email at info.wanderingtours.com.

 

If costs were an issue, you could contact someone like Yalcin and still use a taxi but go with him. Sammys Travel can handle things on any larger scale, and were VERY reliable, efficient, and delivered everything as promised. Yalcin was knowledgeable about Ephesus -- to the point where he gave my father, who's a minister and familiar with the history of the site, a lot of new information. Can't say enough good things about the guy.

 

Depending on what you need and the size of your party, either Sammys or Yalcin himself will be reliable based on the experience of our group, which was 16 people, all one family, and included three senior citizens (including one in a wheelchair) and a 5- and 3-year old.

[piper28]

Hi,

Could someone please confirm something for me. Does the tram go from the cruise port at Karakoy across the Galata Bridge and on to Sultanahamet (Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace) or is it necessary to walk across Galata Bridge to get the tram?

 

I'm afraid Martyap's response to you is incorrect. I believe it used to be that the tram did not cross the Galata Bridge, but it does now. We used the tram in our trip in Istanbul last month. From the entrance to the port, I believe the tram station to the right (away from the galata bridge) is slightly closer, but it's pretty close to equal both ways. There's an ATM right at the port entrance, you will need turkish currency to use the Tram. You'll probably run across a bunch of taxi drivers that will try to convince you that using the tram is hard and that you need exact change, neither of which is true. Just go up to the booth that sells the tokens and buy them there.

[fonseu]

Thanks for all your responses and help. We've been looking at maps and I found a tram map online so we're off.

Diana