If you know us at all, you know that we love to travel and explore unique sites and ancient ruins throughout the world. Sometimes cruise ships are awesome transportation means and sometimes they aren’t. However, even if we are reaching a destination by ship, you will almost never see us on a ship tour. They are overpriced and you can only go as fast as the slowest person in the group. So, we either book a tour when we arrive at the port, make our own tour, or in the case of exotic destinations, book a private guide and driver.
Today, I am going to describe tours we booked in for Ephesus, Turkey off of a cruise ship and in the next post discuss doing the Pyramids of Giza on our own.
Some of the big tour companies or clearing houses are Viator, Tripadvisor, Getyourguide, and Toursbylocals. I know people who swear by these companies and use them at every destination. These will be on the top of any search that you do on google and all offer good products. For me, I usually start with Viator and then search for the tour that provides the options that I want. Viator contracts with many local tour operators, has a very good cancellation policy and offers prices that are always below the cruise ship prices. Often these operators are the same ones the cruise lines are using. However, by going direct, instead of a bus full of cruise passengers, it can be just you and a guide and driver. Let me give you some examples on how we pull this together.
Ephesus (Kusadasi) Cruise ship port, Tour Operator: Ephesus Port Tours
We choose the tour operator Ephesus Port Tours (EPT) using google and reviewing the ratings. EPT was the highest rated operator and for two people, a private tour the cost was $185 plus entrance fees and tips for the driver and guide (only $320 for 8 people). One advantage of EPT was that you paid nothing until the tour was completed. That was great, just in case the port was missed for some reason, we were out nothing.
Our guide contacted us via WhatsApp the day before and morning of the tour. We had selected a “Biblical Tour” so our guide was prepared to cover all the religious significance of Ephesus. We docked early and were off the ship just after 8:00. Our guide, Ekin, was waiting for us holding a sign with my name and after quick introductions we were off. Our driver, Omir, was waiting just a few blocks away for us and we were on the road before 8:30…no waiting for anyone! Ekin started the tour by introducing himself and explaining that he lived in the area, had a Masters Degree from England in Archaeology and had been conducting tours of Ephesus and the local area for over 15 years. He went over the cost that we had agreed to pay and asked us specifically what we wanted to cover. Our first answer was everything, this was our first trip to Turkey.
After some discussion, we opted to start the day with a visit to the believed location of Virgin Mary’s home and where she lived up to her death or Assumption into Heaven (depending on your religious view.) Since we had gotten an early start, and our driver went straight to the house, we beat all of the tour busses.
Along the way, Ekin said that he would take us to a carpet factory so we could see the Turkish art of rug making. The look of horror on our faces startled him. I told him that we had heard the stories of the high pressure “time-share” sales techniques used by these vendors and that we had no interest. He apologized. “This is your tour and we will only go where you want.” He was unaware of the terrible experiences other tourists had had and assured us that that was not the case regarding the factory he took people to see. Nonetheless, he understood that we were not there to shop and we continued with the tour.
We were the second couple to arrive at Mary’s House that morning. Ekin had fast pass tickets on an app on his phone and he went first and scanned us in.
Mary’s house was very simple, as you would expect and was adjacent to a spring which was the main clue used to identify the location. The house was in the woods on top of a hill a few miles from Ephesus itself. Ekin explained that Mary was very important in the Islamic Faith as well as the Christian faith and that she is mentioned 6 times in the Koran. We quickly went and paid our respects and were only at the site about 15 minutes. We surprised Ekin with our quick return and we headed off to the main site …. Ephesus. A few hours later, Ekin shared a photo from Mary’s house showing the lines stretching out into the parking lot which would take hours to clear. That is typical, but because we got there first, no waiting!
It was a short ride to the Ephesus Site. Omir, the driver, dropped us off at one entrance on the uphill side of the site and would wait for us at the other entrance. I didn’t know much about the city of Ephesus or its role in the time of Christ or in the Bible. Turns out the City was a major trade center and the second largest city in the Roman Empire. However, because of silt filling in the harbor the ruins of the city sit 4 mile away from the Ocean now. Also, in addition to the harbor issues there was a good deal of sickness from Mosquitoes which led to the City being abandoned. Once it was home to 250,000 people and the hub of trade activity in the Mediterranean.
For Christians, this is where the Apostle Paul moved along with James who was responsible for taking care of Mary. It became a hub of Christian activity and in many ways the site where the Christian faith developed. Like Rome, Christians were fed to the lions in it’s massive amphitheater. Paul preached here and was exiled for awhile on an island off the coast, where he wrote the Book of Revelations. The guide took us to the areas where Paul probably preached and spoke to the early Christians. When he traveled to Rome and elsewhere, he wrote letters to the Church leaders….the Letters to the Ephesians! There was one of the largest libraries outside of Rome in Ephesus and this is where many of the early Christian scrolls were kept.
Due to the frequent earthquakes in the area and the silt from the river, the entire city eventually was buried. The City has been under extensive excavation for decades and a good deal of the City has been discovered mostly intact. One particular area that has been unearthed are the Terrace homes of the rich merchants who lived in the City. The Terrace houses required an additional entrance ticket but with Ekin’s fast pass, we didn’t have to wait in line at all. Again, we were one of only two or three couples in this area. The mosaics and murals in the 2,000 plus year old structures were amazing. Very reminiscent of the art that would be seen throughout Europe during the Renascence Period….surprising for this time period.
Our last stop in Ephesus was the Amphitheater which held 30,000 or more spectators and is still used for concerts today. Reva and I climbed the ancient steps as far as we could and sat looking over the massive structure. This really was quite a place, we were impressed.
Our next stop was the ruins of St John’s Basilica. We drove over and looked at the massive walls. Ekin recommended that we didn’t go inside the structure, since there wasn’t much to see. Instead we headed over to site where the “Temple of Artemis” once stood. This was one of the original wonders of the ancient world, but now only one pillar remains. We headed off to get some photos and admire the stork who had build a nest on top of the tower. This temple had been destroyed by 400 AD and its stones used in the mosque or castle in the area. The view was spectacular!
Our tour had included taking us to lunch (additional cost) but since we had done everything and it was only noon, we opted to have the driver take us to an overlook over Kusadasi and then drop us off by the market so we could explore this Turkish town and its sites.
We settled up with Ekin and Omir. We chose to pay in Euros. The tour cost was $170. Entrance fees to Mary’s House, Ephesus and the Terrance Houses was $60. I tipped Ekin $30 and Omir $10. Total cost $270 Euros. This was about what we would have paid if we had taken the bus tour from ship, but we were able to explore what we wanted and stay as long as we wished. We also saw more and had a good opportunity to talk with a local about the area and life in Turkey….It turned out it was election day in Turkey and no one particularly likes their government officials.
Kusadasi, Turkey, was a surprising treat. It has a long history, a beautiful, clean old town and ancient fortifications along the sea. Not what we expected at all. No one hassled us at all. It was very friendly and walkable. The seaside was developed with shops and parks and even the old fort on Bird Island was pleasant.
Definitely a site not to be missed if you get the opportunity! But lets move on and talk about touring the Pyramids.
