"Ephesus Turkey Tours - tips that will help you enjoy Ephesus ruins and history."
When you visit Kusadasi Turkey as a Mediterranean cruise guest, visiting the Ephesus ruins should be your number one priority.
If you're still not sure why seeing Ephesus is so important, make sure you read our article Why Taking an Ephesus Shore Excursion is a Must.
And the best way to experience this magnificent place is to book one of the Ephesus tours, either through your cruise ship or even better privately online (they are way more affordable and there is larger selection).
This is not one of the days I recommend doing independent sightseeing. Period!
Having an experienced professional tour guide with you at the Ephesus site, due to their immense knowledge, will prove to be the best investment in your Kusadasi day.
Here's our top recommendations for Epheus Turkey tours and they are divided into a few categories. They are all with a reputable provider Viator.
You can find out more about different ways of getting from Kusadasi to Ephesus in our article Travel to Ephesus.
If you don’t go with one of the Ephesus Turkey tours and decide to visit the ancient city of Ephesus on your own, do make sure you have Turkish lira on you before you reach the entrance into the site.
They will not take US$ or € for the entrance fee. You can use your credit card though.
Take all your credit cards with you as you leave the ship.
Do not plan to “come back to the ship and then go out again to do your shopping”.
Many Ephesus Turkey tours finish off with a complimentary Turkish rug or leather demonstration before returning to the ship and this will be a good time to do your Kusadasi shopping right there and then.
Take a bottle of water with you as you leave the ship for one of your Ephesus Turkey tours.
Chances are you will pay more at the entrance to the Ephesus ruins and you won't have time to buy it in town before you leave for your tour.
Have a hat, an umbrella, a fan or anything else that could protect you from the sun in Ephesus. There, heat can be excruciating, without any shade in sight for hundreds of meters.
Wear flat shoes that don’t slip, preferably sneakers. The marble streets of Ephesus are very smooth and slippery. People do fall there, don’t be one of them!
Don’t buy coins offered by the merchants around the site of Ephesus. They are not original Roman coins, and even if they were, you would get in big trouble for taking them out of the country. They are National Treasures.
Buy your souvenirs downtown, not around the site of Ephesus, the price will be double there and the selection is just incomaparable.
If the tour doesn't involve shopping upon the arrival to town, ask your tour guide to take you shopping. No tour guide will ever tell you no!