Your Ship, Your Day: A Private Shore Excursion Built From Scratch

Private shore excursion, built from your list

You tell us your ship and what you want to see; we send back a timed plan that fits between meeting your guide at the terminal exit and all-aboard. We build it backward. First comes the all-aboard time, then the drive back to the port and the walk through the terminal, then a margin. Whatever time is left is yours, and we fill it in the order the roads allow.

Geography does most of the work. Ephesus and Selcuk are about 20-25 minutes from the pier, and the Ephesus Museum, the Basilica of St. John and the Temple of Artemis all sit around Selcuk, so they chain together easily. The House of the Virgin Mary is about 30-35 minutes away, up the road past the Upper Gate, so it pairs naturally with a start at the top of Ephesus. Kusadasi's own old town costs no drive at all.

If you would rather not choose, one of our set tours is simpler: Just Ephesus for the classic walk, or All-Aboard Ephesus if the clock is your main worry. Choose this tour when your list is your own.

Combinations that work, and what each one costs in time

Most custom days start with Ephesus and add one or two things. Here is what each addition costs, in the time we plan for it:

The Ephesus Museum holds much of what was found in the city, including the marble statues of Artemis and finds from the Terrace Houses, and its doors stay open until 20:00, later than the day hours at Ephesus and the Basilica. That makes it a good last stop when your ship stays into the evening. The Isa Bey Mosque closes to visitors during prayer times, so we time it around them.

Sirince is a hill village of old stone-and-timber houses above Selcuk, Greek-speaking until the 1920s and now known for its fruit wines and olive-oil soaps. Because of the road and the time it deserves, we suggest it on calls of about 9 hours or more. The Grotto of the Seven Sleepers keeps the legend of seven young Christians who hid from persecution and woke centuries later, a story also told in the Quran; we see it from outside.

Groups a custom day suits best

Families. Children aged 7 and under enter Ephesus free, and a young family often wants the Library of Celsus and the Great Theater without the full walk. We can enter and leave at the Lower Gate, keep the day short and end with ice cream in the old town. Our Ephesus with kids guide has more ideas.

Mixed mobility. A wheelchair user can enter Ephesus at the Lower Gate and return there, and the Temple of Artemis, the Byzantine aqueduct in Selcuk and the Ayasuluk Hill viewpoint can be seen with almost no walking. If that is the whole day, The Open-Air Circle is already built for it; a custom day lets part of your group walk while the others ride.

Second visits. If you have already stood in front of Celsus on an earlier cruise, skip it. Spend the day on the museum, the Basilica of St. John and Sirince instead, or on the Terrace Houses you missed last time.

Special diets and interests. Lunch is optional and never included, but vegetarian, vegan and halal meals are easy, and kosher needs can be discussed when you book. A carpet-weaving demonstration or a leather showroom can be part of the day too, if it interests you; both are optional.

What does not fit a port day, and farther sites

A long list on a short call does not work, and we will tell you so in our first reply rather than on the pier. On a call of about 7 hours, for example, the House of the Virgin Mary, the Terrace Houses and Sirince will not all fit comfortably together. We will show you the combinations that do fit and let you choose.

Priene, Miletus and Didyma lie further south, well beyond the Ephesus road. They are wonderful sites, but they only make sense on a long call and usually mean trading away part of Ephesus. If they are on your list, ask us with your ship's times and we will say plainly whether the day can hold them. Farther sites are quoted separately.

When the ship's times change

We plan backward from your all-aboard time and watch the clock all day, so a late arrival shortens the list, not the return. That is why we ask you to rank your wishes: if the morning starts late, we drop from the bottom of your list, and your guide tells you what is changing at the meeting point.

Tendering at Kusadasi is possible but rare, since ships normally berth alongside, so most custom days start with the short walk from the gangway to the terminal exit.

When you are ready, send your ship, date, all-aboard time and your list through our inquiry form. If you would like to plan the last free hour yourself, our guide to Kusadasi from the pier covers what is within a short walk of the terminal.