Choose by where the day begins. If your ship docks at Kusadasi Cruise Port, start there; if it docks at Izmir Cruise Port, start there instead; and if you have several days on land, look at the multi-day private journeys. Everything we operate is private for your booking party alone, with a maximum of 14 guests.
Operated by Karaefe Tours, a licensed Turkish travel agency, TÜRSAB 17017.
10 published tour options.
Choose this if your ship docks at Kusadasi. The pier is the closest arrival point to Ephesus, so more of the day is spent on site rather than on the road.
5 published tour options.
Choose this if your ship docks at Izmir. A road journey sits at each end of the day, so the itinerary is built around the drive as well as the site.
6 published tour options.
Choose this if you are travelling on land rather than by ship and want a private journey across several days with hotels, breakfast and dinner included.
Compares the three trip types so you can pick the right starting point.
| Trip type | Starts and ends | Typical format | Best for | Key planning rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kusadasi Cruise Port tours | Starts and ends at Kusadasi Cruise Port. | Private one-day tour, 4–10 hours, your party only. | Cruise guests whose ship calls at Kusadasi. | The day is planned around your confirmed docking and all-aboard times. |
| Izmir Cruise Port tours | Starts and ends at Izmir Cruise Port. | Private one-day tour, 6–8 hours, your party only. | Cruise guests whose ship calls at Izmir. | Road time to Selcuk sits inside the same all-aboard window. |
| Multi-day private journeys | Kusadasi to Izmir, or Istanbul round trip. | Private journey of 4, 8 or 14 days, your party only. | Land travellers following a faith or history route across Turkey. | Dates, hotels and the detailed itinerary are confirmed by the reservations team. |
No shared or seat-in-coach departures on any trip type.
The same limit applies to one-day tours and multi-day journeys.
Cruise days are planned around the confirmed ship schedule and adjusted when it changes. Multi-day journeys are not cruise tours and this rule does not apply to them.
The carpet-weaving heritage visit is optional and on request only, never preselected.
A short text preview of each departure. The full inventory, with images, durations and comparison, lives on the two port landings.
Three of the 10 private tours that start and end at the Kusadasi pier.
About 4 hours · Private, maximum 14 guests
The essential Ephesus sequence in about four hours, privately, for a shorter Kusadasi call.
See this tour — Ephesus Highlights: Private Half-Day Tour from Kusadasi Port
About 7 hours · Private, maximum 14 guests
Seven private hours in Ephesus, including the Terrace Houses and the full Curetes Street climb.
See this tour — Ephesus Exclusive: Private Tour from Kusadasi Port
About 10 hours · Private, maximum 14 guests
Ten private hours covering the city, the Terrace Houses, the museum, St John, Artemis and the House of the Virgin Mary.
See this tour — Ephesus Brilliant: Private Full-Day Tour from Kusadasi Port
See all 10 Kusadasi Cruise Port tours
All 5 private tours that start and end at the Izmir cruise berth.
About 6 hours · Private, maximum 14 guests
Six private hours from Izmir Cruise Port focused on the Ephesus site, with optional Terrace Houses.
See this tour — Ephesus Highlights: Private Tour from Izmir Port
About 6–8 hours · Private, maximum 14 guests
A private full Ephesus day for Izmir calls: the hilltop house, the city, St John and the Artemision.
See this tour — Private Full-Day Ephesus Tour from Izmir Port
About 6–7 hours · Private, maximum 14 guests
Museum galleries in Selcuk, then a vineyard cellar and a seated tasting menu. Much less walking than a ruins day.
See this tour — Gentle-Paced Ephesus Museum & LA Mahzen Wine Experience
About 5–6 hours · Private, maximum 14 guests
Stone lanes, an Orthodox-era church and a village lunch in the hills above Selcuk. The gentlest of our shared shore days.
About 12–13 hours · Private, maximum 14 guests
The travertine terraces and the ancient city of Hierapolis, on a private inland day from either cruise port. The longest drive we operate.
See all 5 Izmir Cruise Port tours
6 private multi-day journeys are open for enquiry rather than for an online cruise quote.
Three more private day tours we operate ourselves, plus two activities run by an independent partner. Partner rows are labelled, carry no price and never book online.
The travertines of Pamukkale below Hierapolis. Photo: Karelj CC BY-SA 3.0 Resized and re-encoded for the web; no other changes.
The travertine terraces and the ancient city of Hierapolis, on a private inland day from either cruise port. The longest drive we operate.
About 12–13 hours · needs a port window of at least 14 hours
Check Price & Availability · Check Price & Availability
The hillside village of Sirince, above Selcuk. Photo: Peter Tritthart CC BY 3.0 Centre-cropped, resized and re-encoded for the web; no other changes.
Stone lanes, an Orthodox-era church and a village lunch in the hills above Selcuk. The gentlest of our shared shore days.
About 5–6 hours · needs a port window of at least 7 hours
Check Price & Availability · Check Price & Availability
The Ephesus Archaeological Museum in Selcuk. Photo: Klaus-Peter Simon CC BY-SA 3.0 Centre-cropped, resized and re-encoded for the web; no other changes.
Museum galleries in Selcuk, then a vineyard cellar and a seated tasting menu. Much less walking than a ruins day.
About 6–7 hours · needs a port window of at least 8 hours
Check Price & Availability · Check Price & Availability
Representative jeep safari photograph. It does not show the partner operator, its vehicles or its route. Photo: John Duncan CC BY 3.0 Centre-cropped, resized and re-encoded for the web; no other changes.
Off-road driving in the hills behind Kusadasi, run by an independent partner. Terms confirmed in writing before you decide.
Duration confirmed in writing · needs a port window of at least 8 hours
Operated by an independent partner
Check Price & Availability · Request Activity Details
Representative ATV photograph. It does not show the partner operator, its equipment or its route. Photo: BLM Utah Public domain (U.S. Government work) Centre-cropped, resized and re-encoded for the web; no other changes.
A short quad-bike outing on trails near Kusadasi, run by an independent partner. Terms confirmed in writing before you decide.
Duration confirmed in writing · needs a port window of at least 5 hours
Operated by an independent partner
Check Price & Availability · Request Activity Details
