Oceania Ephesus Morning: Upper Gate to Lower Gate, Experience Museum and Artemis
A private half day for Oceania guests at Kuşadası, back at the ship by 12:30. It is the morning an Australian couple off Oceania Sirena booked with us on 25 August 2026: Ephesus walked downhill, the Ephesus Experience Museum, then the Temple of Artemis, and no lunch stop, so the afternoon is yours.
It suits a couple best, and it suits any Oceania call, including the ships that sail at 16:00. For a longer call there is the full day with lunch and Şirince; all three Oceania programmes are on our Oceania Cruises shore excursions page.
The Oceania Ephesus Morning, in one paragraph
The Oceania Ephesus Morning is a private half day from Kuşadası cruise port by Tours of Ephesus, running private tours since 1999: meet 08:30 at Starbucks in the port plaza, Ephesus from the Upper to the Lower Gate, the Experience Museum, the Temple of Artemis, back at the ship 12:30. In 2027: USD 132 per person for 2 to 4 guests, entrance fees included, paid after the tour.
- Written by
- Volkan Yırtımcı, Founder, Tours of Ephesus
- Last reviewed
- October 2026
Oceania’s 2027 dates and hours come from Oceania’s own voyage pages. The programmes are the days Oceania guests booked with us in 2026.
The morning, hour by hour
- 08:30Meet at Starbucks, Kuşadası port plazaTwo minutes on foot from the ship, on a flat path.
- 09:00Ephesus, Upper Gate to Lower GateDownhill and one way; your driver waits at the Lower Gate.
- 11:15Ephesus Experience MuseumInside the Ephesus ticket.
- 12:00Temple of ArtemisNo entrance fee.
- 12:30Back at the ship
No shopping stops unless you want them.
2027 price per person
| Your party | Per person |
|---|---|
| 2 to 4 guests | USD 132 |
| 5 to 8 guests | USD 112 |
| 9 to 12 guests | USD 103 |
| 13 to 20 guests | USD 96 |
| 21 to 29 guests | USD 89 |
2027 rate update for Oceania dates. Your vehicle and guide belong to your party alone, so the per-person rate falls as your party grows. The same day is in our catalogue as Private Ephesus and Temple of Artemis.
- Children under 9 free; 9 and over pay the full rate.
- No deposit. You pay at the end of the tour, in cash or by card.
- The Terrace Houses are optional, 16 EUR per person (2027 gate price). The visit climbs six levels of steel walkway, with no step-free alternative.
What the price includes
- A licensed private guide, yours alone for the day
- An air-conditioned private vehicle with a separate driver
- Skip-the-line entrance tickets for every site on the route (Ephesus is 45 EUR from 1 April 2027, the Experience Museum is inside that ticket, and the Temple of Artemis is free)
- Bottled water, parking, road tolls and taxes
Oceania calls in 2027 where the morning is the day to take
On these calls the ship sails before 17:00 or berths late, so the morning is the day we suggest; on a late arrival we meet 30 minutes after the ship berths. It fits every other Oceania call too, and all seven 2027 calls are on the Oceania page.
- Monday, 14 June 2027
Oceania Nautica
In port 07:00 to 16:00, Dubai to Istanbul (NAU270526). We meet at 08:30; the Ephesus Morning is back about 12:30.
Fits the Ephesus Morning; the ship sails before 17:00, too early for the full day.
- Sunday, 20 June 2027
Oceania Nautica
In port 10:00 to 17:00, Istanbul to Rome (NAU270616). We meet at 10:30; the Ephesus Morning is back about 14:30.
Fits the Ephesus Morning; the ship berths too late for the full day.
- Saturday, 23 October 2027
Oceania Sonata
In port 07:00 to 16:00, Istanbul to Trieste (SON271021). We meet at 08:30; the Ephesus Morning is back about 12:30.
Fits the Ephesus Morning; the ship sails before 17:00, too early for the full day.
Cruise schedules can change; we check your ship’s time again before your day.
Source: Oceania Cruises voyage pages (oceaniacruises.com), read 21 October 2026. Where Oceania and CruiseMapper differ, Oceania is used.
Meeting point
We meet in the Starbucks garden in the port plaza, two minutes from the ship on flat ground, with no steps between the gangway and the table. Your guide will already be there, holding a printed sign with the name you give us at booking, so there is no searching a crowded gate for a face you have never met. If you would like a coffee before the drive, there is time; the day begins when you are ready.
The walk from the gangway to the table, step by step, is in our Kuşadası cruise port guide.
Back to your ship on time
Your guide follows the ship’s time from the official schedule and from the ship’s live position all day.
The morning ends at the ship at 12:30, hours before any Oceania departure in the 2027 schedule.
How that works, layer by layer, is in how we track your cruise ship.
The 2026 Oceania day behind this programme
All four Oceania days we ran in 2026 are on our Oceania Cruises shore excursions page.
Tuesday, 25 August 2026
Oceania Sirena, in port 08:00 to 18:00, at Kuşadası
An Australian couple. Ephesus Upper to Lower Gate, the Experience Museum and the Temple of Artemis, no lunch, 08:30 to 12:30.
Payment
Visa and Mastercard are welcome, and the price is the same by card, so pay however suits you. Whichever you choose, it is one payment at the end of the tour: no deposit, and nothing paid before the day itself. Cash is a choice, not a requirement. If your plans change, cancellation is free up to 48 hours before the tour.
Guide languages
Licensed guides in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Italian; German on request.
The Ephesus Morning: your questions
Ask anything else on WhatsApp, +90 532 324 2489, and we answer the same day.
The other two Oceania days
Kuşadası · Full day, about 7 hours 15 minutes, lunch included
Full Day: Ephesus, Terrace Houses, Virgin Mary, Artemis and Şirince, lunch included
Meet 08:30, Ephesus with the optional Terrace Houses, the Temple of Artemis, lunch in Selçuk, then the House of the Virgin Mary and Şirince, back at 15:45.
USD 169 per person for 2 to 4 guests, 2027
See the full day with Şirinceİzmir · About 6 hours 45 minutes, no lunch
Ephesus, House of the Virgin Mary and Artemis from İzmir cruise port
For sailings that dock at İzmir: met at the terminal at 08:00, the House of the Virgin Mary, Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis, back about 14:45.
Price on request
See the day from İzmir
Book the Ephesus Morning
Write to booking@toursofephesus.com, message us on WhatsApp, or use the booking form. Send your ship, your date and the port on your ticket; we check the call against Oceania’s schedule and hold the day for your party alone. Nothing is paid until the tour ends.
Look Closer, Journey Deeper, Travel like an Insider
Tours of Ephesus is an independent local operator and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of Oceania Cruises.