Short answer: there is no single "Silversea Ephesus excursion". For the Kuşadası call, Silversea's catalogue lists 21 shore excursions, and 11 of them are Ephesus visits. The one most guests mean is Ancient Ephesus with Lunch (code KUS-A): seven hours, the House of the Virgin Mary, the ancient city, the Ephesus Archaeological Museum and the Basilica of St. John, then lunch at a hotel in Kuşadası, for $169 per guest. The shortest is Easy Ephesus (KUS-G), three and a half hours from the Lower Gate for $79.
Every figure on this page comes from the Kuşadası listing on Silversea's own voyage page for Silver Nova's call on 18 May 2027, which we read on 21 October 2026. Silversea calls its excursion list a sample that can change before you sail, so check my.silversea.com for your own voyage. We are a private tour operator in Kuşadası and we sell an alternative, so we have kept the description of Silversea's tours to what Silversea itself publishes.
The 11 Ephesus excursions at a glance
Silversea sorts its tours into three families. Highlight Experiences are the straightforward group tours (Easy Ephesus, Virgin Mary House & Ephesus and the wheelchair-accessible tour). Signature Experiences are the deeper or more exclusive ones (Ancient Ephesus with Lunch, the archaeologist tour and both concerts). Private Experiences give your party its own vehicle and guide. Prices are per guest unless marked per vehicle.
| Excursion (code) | Price | Duration | Walking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy Ephesus (KUS-G) | $79 | 3.5 h | About 1.7 km, moderate |
| Virgin Mary House & Ephesus (KUS-F) | $109 | 4 h | About 2.6 km, moderate |
| Wheelchair Accessible Kusadasi (KUS-S) | $239 | 3.5 h | About 1.3 km, step-free route |
| Ancient Ephesus with Lunch (KUS-A) | $169 | 7 h | About 3.5 km, extensive |
| Ephesus & Terrace Houses with an Expert Archaeologist (KUS-C) | $179 | 5.5 h | About 2.6 km, over 200 steps |
| Exclusive Evening Concert at Ephesus (KUS-I) | $279 | 3 h | Moderate |
| Exclusive Evening Concert at Ephesus, Odeon Theatre (KUS-L) | $289 | 3 h | Moderate |
| Ancient Ephesus, Private Experience Package (KUS-001 to KUS-004) | $999 to $1,599 per vehicle | 6 h | About 3.5 km, extensive |
The private package is one tour sold in four vehicle sizes, which is how eight lines in Silversea's list become one row here.
What each one actually includes
Easy Ephesus
The gentlest version. Silversea enters through the Lower Gate, which it describes as easily accessible, and keeps the visit to the two buildings everyone comes for: the Great Theatre and the façade of the Library of Celsus. The tour ends at the Ephesus Archaeological Museum in Selçuk, with its statues of Artemis. Silversea says it suits guests with limited mobility but is not recommended for wheelchair users. Which gate you enter by changes which part of the city you see first and how far you climb; our upper gate vs lower gate guide explains the trade.
Virgin Mary House & Ephesus
Four hours that pair the ancient city with the House of the Virgin Mary on the wooded slope above it. Conservative dress is required at the house. It is the shortest way on Silversea's list to see both, and the walking roughly doubles compared with Easy Ephesus.
Ancient Ephesus with Lunch
This is the full day, and the answer to "what is the Ancient Ephesus excursion" on a Silversea stop. Seven hours take in the House of the Virgin Mary, the ancient city (Library of Celsus, Great Theatre, Temple of Hadrian), the Archaeological Museum and the Basilica of St. John, built over the believed tomb of the apostle. Lunch is served at the end, at a hotel in Kuşadası, and Silversea warns that crowds and traffic can delay getting there. It is the longest walk on the list, about 3.5 kilometres, and Silversea does not recommend it for guests with limited mobility.
The code is not new. In a Silversea tour programme from 2022 for a Kuşadası call, KUS-A was the same tour at $119 for six and a half hours.
Ephesus & Terrace Houses with an Expert Archaeologist
The one for readers of history. An archaeologist leads the visit, the group goes inside the Terrace Houses, the roofed Roman homes with their frescoes and mosaics, and the route includes the Church of Mary, the basilica where the Council of Ephesus met in 431. The museum and a meal are included. Expect more than 200 steps inside the Terrace Houses. Silversea notes that space is very limited and that when the tour leaves in the afternoon, lunch comes first.
The wheelchair-accessible tour
KUS-S uses an accessible vehicle to reach the lower section of Ephesus and the Great Theatre on a route that avoids steps. Silversea publishes the limits in full: a combined weight of 400 kilograms for chair and user, a maximum width of 110 centimetres, and a request that full-time wheelchair users contact shoreconcierge@silversea.com before booking.
The private package
Silversea's Private Experience Package gives your party its own guide and vehicle for six hours: the House of the Virgin Mary, then Ephesus, the Basilica of St. John and a free lunch stop chosen with your guide. Entrance fees are included, meals and gratuities are not, and the price is per vehicle: $999 for up to two guests, $1,199 for four, $1,299 for six and $1,599 for eight. Silversea does not pair separate parties to fill a vehicle, and cancelling within 48 hours of the cruise start is non-refundable. There is also a private van with an English-speaking guide on an itinerary you shape yourself, $599 for four hours for up to six guests, with entrance fees extra.
The two evening concerts only Silversea can sell
This is the part of the catalogue no independent operator can match, and we would not pretend otherwise. On two evening programmes, Ephesus is opened after hours for Silversea guests alone. One seats you in front of the Library of Celsus for a classical programme of Vivaldi, Boccherini, Mozart, Bach and Fauré, with refreshments ($279). The other moves the concert into the Odeon, the city's old council chamber, with cocktails and the Great Theatre lit across the site ($289). Both run about three hours, follow an early buffet dinner on board, enter by the Upper Gate, and depend on the weather and a minimum number of guests.
They are possible because Silver Nova stays late. On the 18 May 2027 call the ship is alongside from 08:00 to 23:00, and our 2027 luxury calls calendar shows the same hours on all of its Kuşadası calls that year.
Silversea's private package and ours, side by side
If you want a private day rather than a group tour, the closest thing we run to Silversea's package is the private Ephesus, Virgin Mary, Artemis and Basilica of St. John tour. Here are the two for the same party sizes.
| Party | Silversea, per vehicle | Ours, whole party |
|---|---|---|
| 2 guests | $999 | $278 |
| 4 guests | $1,199 | $556 |
| 6 guests | $1,299 | $714 |
| 8 guests | $1,599 | $952 |
What each price covers:
- Silversea: six hours, guide and vehicle, House of the Virgin Mary, Ephesus and the Basilica of St. John, entrance fees included, meals and gratuities extra. Booked through Silversea, so the cruise line carries the return to the ship.
- Ours: five hours, licensed guide and a private vehicle with a separate driver, Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary, the Temple of Artemis and the Basilica of St. John, all entrance fees held as skip-the-line QR tickets, and a Turkish lunch at a family-run restaurant included. Tips are at your discretion. No deposit; you pay at the end of the tour.
Our figures are our current 2026 rates. Ephesus raises its gate ticket from 40 to 45 euros on 1 April 2027 (2027 entrance fees), so confirm the price for your date when you message us.
Two honest reasons to pay Silversea's price anyway. First, the return: on a cruise line's own tour, a late coach is the line's problem, not yours. We plan every day backwards from all-aboard and track the ship through the morning, but the guarantee is ours, not Silversea's. Second, the fare: Silversea's All-Inclusive Plus fare on this voyage carries a $480 shore excursion credit per guest "toward the excursion of your choice from our catalog". A guest with that credit may pay little or nothing out of pocket for a Silversea tour, and a credit cannot be spent with us. Ask Silversea how it applies to the per-vehicle private price.
A day that uses both
Because Silver Nova stays until 23:00, you do not have to choose between a private day and the concert. A plan that works:
- From about 08:30, a five-hour private morning. Meet your guide at the Starbucks in the port plaza, start at the Upper Gate before the coaches, walk down through Ephesus, then the House of the Virgin Mary, the Temple of Artemis and the basilica, with lunch on the way.
- Afternoon on board. Rest through the hottest hours.
- Evening, Silversea's concert. Return to Ephesus with the ship's group to hear music in front of the library you walked past that morning.
You see the city twice, once in daylight with a guide's full attention and once empty and lit, which no single excursion offers.
How to choose
- Choose Easy Ephesus if walking is the main limit and you want the two famous buildings without the hill.
- Choose Ancient Ephesus with Lunch if you want every major site in one day and are happy in a group.
- Choose the archaeologist tour if the Terrace Houses matter to you and you can manage the steps.
- Choose the wheelchair-accessible tour if anyone in your party uses a chair. It is the only Ephesus tour on the list built around one, and Silversea publishes its limits in full.
- Book the evening concert whatever you do in the day. Nothing else at Ephesus is like it.
- Choose a private day if you would rather set the pace, skip the group, and pay well under the per-vehicle package for the same sites.
Our Silversea page covers private days for Silversea guests, with ship pages for Silver Nova and Silver Muse. For the general trade-off between any ship's tour and a private one, see cruise ship excursion vs private Ephesus tour.
The questions in one minute
What is the Silversea Ephesus shore excursion?
Silversea offers several. The full-day one is Ancient Ephesus with Lunch: seven hours covering the House of the Virgin Mary, the ancient city, the Archaeological Museum and the Basilica of St. John, with lunch at a hotel in Kuşadası, for $169 per guest. Shorter options are Easy Ephesus at three and a half hours and Virgin Mary House and Ephesus at four.
What is the Ancient Ephesus excursion on a Silversea Turkey stop?
It is Silversea's full-day Ephesus tour from Kuşadası, code KUS-A, listed as Ancient Ephesus with Lunch. It runs about seven hours, involves about 3.5 kilometres of walking on uneven ground, and is not recommended for guests with limited mobility. Silversea also sells a private version for your own party, priced per vehicle.
How much do Silversea's Ephesus excursions cost?
On the May 2027 Silver Nova listing, prices run from $79 per guest for Easy Ephesus to $289 per guest for the evening concert in the Odeon. The private package costs $999 to $1,599 per vehicle, depending on party size.
Are Silversea's Ephesus excursions included in the fare?
Not as such. On the voyage we checked, the All-Inclusive Plus fare carries a $480 shore excursion credit per guest that can be put toward a tour, and the All-Inclusive fare carries no credit.
Can I visit Ephesus at night with Silversea?
Yes. Silversea runs two evening concerts at Ephesus for its own guests only, one in front of the Library of Celsus and one in the Odeon. Each lasts about three hours and depends on the weather and a minimum number of participants.
Can I book a private Ephesus tour instead of Silversea's excursion?
Yes. Silver Nova is alongside in Kuşadası from 08:00 to 23:00, which leaves time for a private day and the ship's evening concert. A private tour from the port is booked directly with a local operator rather than through Silversea, so you pay the operator and the cruise line does not carry the return.