Ephesus Turkey Tours - Top 8 Tips for Visiting Ephesus Ruins

"Ephesus Turkey Tours - tips that will help you enjoy Ephesus ruins and history."

When your cruiseship visits Kusadasi Turkey on a Mediterranean cruise, visiting Ephesus ruins should be your number one priority! 

Don't just spend the day in the village of Kusadasi, as it will be a ghost town until afternoon when tours start coming back from Ephesus.

Kusadasi is not the reason your cruise line is taking you here, but it is one of the most magnificent, well-preserved Roman cities in the world, the place where many biblical scenes took place - the Ephesus!

Small groups are one of the best ways for seeing Ephesus

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.

The best way to experience this magnificent place is to book one of the Ephesus tours: you can do that privately online (they are way more affordable and there is larger selection) and another option is booking one on the cruise ship (please compare the prices before you do that).

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Ephesus Turkey Tours - Tip #1

You know that on this website I always do my best to give you step-by-step instructions on how to get to the points of interest on your own. And I did that for Ephesus, too. But still, 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.

1. Half-day Ephesus shore excursions and tours

These tours give you a quick, 4-5 hour overview of Kusadasi, in small groups mostly. Some of them already have hundreds of raving reviews. They are a great value for money!

2. Full-day Ephesus Turkey tours

Full day shore excursions normally include seeing the House of the Virgin Mary, the Temple of Artemis, maybe even the nearby town of Selcuk and a lunch. You will have a lot of fun and meet new people in these small groups!

3. Private Ephesus Turkey Tours

For some reason, these tours have the best reviews: I think it's because they give you a change to have the tour guide all for yourself and they can really give you a VIP treatment. Cruisers just love them!

Ephesus Turkey Tours - Tip #2

 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.

Ephesus Turkey Tours - Tip #3

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.

Streets of Ephesus, as crowded as they would be in any modern day city

Ephesus Turkey Tours - Tip #4

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.

Ephesus Turkey Tour Tip #5

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.

Ephesus Turkey Tours Tip #6

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!

Ephesus Tours TIP #7

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.

Ephesus Turkey Tours Tip #8

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!