Frequently asked
The questions cruise guests ask.
Sorted by where they come up, booking, meeting point, tour day, cancellation. Anything we missed? WhatsApp the team at +90 532 324 2489 and we'll add it here.
The short answers, in one paragraph
These are the answers we give over WhatsApp every port morning. The essentials: every tour is private, guides hold Ministry of Culture licences, we meet at the Starbucks inside the Kuşadası port plaza two minutes from the gangway, and you pay at the end of the tour, in cash or by card.
- Answered by
- Tours of Ephesus operations team
- Last reviewed
- August 2026
Every answer below comes from the team that meets the ships, not a call centre.
Booking & payment
The single thing that catches most cruise guests off-guard is just how little they have to do to confirm a tour with us.
Cruise guests have a ship to catch. The no-show risk that justifies deposits in most of our industry doesn't apply to us; you're already going to be back at the port by all-aboard time. Removing the deposit removes the only thing that makes booking a foreign operator feel risky.
Cash (USD, EUR, GBP, TRY) or credit card (Visa, Mastercard, AmEx). Your guide carries a mobile card terminal. Tipping is not expected but appreciated; round figures are fine.
Yes, up to 15 guests in our largest vehicle (a Mercedes Sprinter). Above that we coordinate two vehicles. Group bookings get a per-person discount; tell us the headcount and we adjust the quote.
Yes, up to 24 hours before the start. Cruise itineraries shift; we know. WhatsApp the change as soon as you know it and we'll adjust.
Per person, with tiered discounts as group size grows. The full pricing table appears on each tour page (Price by group size section). Children aged four to twelve receive a 50% discount on most tours.
Meeting & pickup
Cruise guests usually have one specific worry: meeting the guide at the right place without being late back. We have one specific answer.
Inside the Starbucks at the cruise port shopping plaza, a calm two-minute walk from the gangway. Your guide carries a small printed card with your booking name on it. No exit-gate scramble, no crowd of signs.
There is only one cruise terminal at Kuşadası, Ege Liman / Kuşadası Port, used by every cruise line that calls. Even when two or three ships dock simultaneously, all of them empty into the same shopping plaza.
Send a WhatsApp message to +90 532 324 2489 with the new time. The guide stays at Starbucks; we will not start the tour without you. The buffer in the itinerary is sized for delays of fifteen to twenty minutes.
Yes, guaranteed. Every itinerary is built backwards from your specific ship's all-aboard time with a safety buffer the cruise lines don't give you. We have never missed a return in more than 25 years of operation.
No. Our private tours are designed around cruise ship calls and depart from Kuşadası cruise port only: your guide waits at the Starbucks inside the port shopping plaza with a named sign, timed to your ship.
Tours & guides
Every Tours of Ephesus tour is private and licensed. Here is what that means in practice.
Yes, every guide holds a Ministry of Culture and Tourism professional guide licence, and our agency is TÜRSAB-registered (licence #2290). We do not subcontract to unlicensed guides. The licence appears on the guide's badge; ask to see it if you want.
English is our primary tour language and what this site is built for. We also have guides who work in Spanish, German, French, Italian, Russian and Polish, flag the request when you book and we match accordingly.
Most of Ephesus is uneven marble on a gentle downhill grade. There are no stairs and no climb back. We brief in advance, can shorten the route, and can arrange a wheelchair-accessible vehicle on request.
Yes, that is our standard half-day tour: pickup at the port, a private guided walk through Ephesus, and drop-off back at the ship, about four hours in total. No lunch stop, no shopping stop, no padding; lunch only enters the day as an optional add-on when your port call is long enough for it.
Only if you want to. On the standard half-day route there are no shopping stops. On the 'Ephesus + Shopping' tour the workshops are optional and pressure-free; many guests skip them entirely.
Every tour is private to your party. You are not joining strangers. The maximum vehicle capacity is 15 guests; the typical cruise booking is two to six.
On the day
What to bring, what to wear, what to expect.
Comfortable closed-toe shoes (essential, Ephesus is uneven marble). Layers in shoulder season; light cotton in summer. If you are visiting the House of the Virgin Mary, modest dress is appreciated (shoulders covered).
July and August can reach 35°C / 95°F on the Ephesus marble with no shade. We bring bottled water; you should bring a hat, sunscreen, and a refillable bottle. Morning tours are noticeably cooler.
On half-day tours, no, guests usually want to be back on the ship. On full-day itineraries, lunch is included at a local family restaurant (vegetarian and gluten-free options always available).
Drones are not permitted inside the Ephesus archaeological site. Outside the site fence (the parking area, the Temple of Artemis) there is no restriction.
Yes, Ephesus has clean facilities at both the Upper and Lower Gates and one set near the Library of Celsus. There is no restroom on the road between sites; we pause when needed.
Cancellation & changes
Our cancellation policy is short.
Send a WhatsApp message or email at any time before the tour. There is no fee; nothing has been charged. We appreciate as much notice as you can give so we can re-allocate the guide and vehicle.
No charge from our side. We move your booking to a future date or simply close it out, whichever you prefer.
Tours run rain or shine, Ephesus is open. The marble streets can be slippery after heavy rain, so we slow the pace and your guide adjusts the route; if your ship cannot dock at all, you owe nothing.
Still not answered
Ask the team directly.
Most questions get a WhatsApp answer in under ten minutes during cruise port hours.