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Ritz-Carlton Evrima Shore Excursions from Kuşadası Port

Evrima’s calls at Kuşadası are long ones, in with the morning and out in the evening, and that single fact changes what a day ashore can be. Ephesus is a 20-25 minute drive from Kuşadası cruise port, where Evrima docks. The big ships that share the port empty toward midday, which leaves the opening hours and the late afternoon calm for anyone whose schedule can use them.

This page exists because we have already run both of the days below, and afterwards we wrote them down: the stops, the timings, the prices as totals, and the details guests asked about. What follows is that record, kept plain so you can decide at your own speed.

Evrima shore excursions from Kuşadası, in one paragraph

Tours of Ephesus runs private Ephesus days for Ritz-Carlton Evrima guests calling at Kuşadası, with a licensed guide and a private air-conditioned vehicle. Ephesus is a 20-25 minute drive from the port. The half day runs 08:00 to 13:00 at USD 258 total for two; the full day runs 08:30 to 15:45 at USD 335 total for two. Nothing is paid in advance; the tour is settled at the end.

Written by
Tours of Ephesus operations team
Last reviewed
August 2026

Written from two Evrima days we have already run, not from a brochure.

Two programmes

Two ways to spend the day.

Each is a private Evrima shore excursion we have already run this season, built from real bookings.

Half day · Morning

The half day, morning ashore

This is the classic private Ephesus tour from Kuşadası port, walked gently downhill from the Upper Gate to the Lower Gate, then the House of the Virgin Mary, and finally the Temple of Artemis, which is part of the standard programme and carries no entry fee. It is the day for guests who want the site in its earliest hours and the afternoon on the ship.

  1. 01Ephesus Ancient City, Upper Gate to Lower Gate, downhill
  2. 02House of the Virgin Mary
  3. 03Temple of Artemis
Meet
08:00
Back on board
13:00
Total for twoUSD 258

Everything in the standard private day is included; the full list is below.

Read more about the private Ephesus and Temple of Artemis half day.

Full day · Biblical Ephesus

The full day, the biblical route

The day begins at the House of the Virgin Mary and continues into Ephesus, where your licensed, Bible-focused guide tells the events of Acts 19 in the Great Theatre where they took place. From there it carries on to the Temple of Artemis and the Basilica of St. John, with a traditional lunch at a family-run restaurant near Selçuk between the sites.

  1. 01House of the Virgin Mary
  2. 02Ephesus Ancient City, Acts 19 told in the Great Theatre
  3. 03Temple of Artemis
  4. 04Basilica of St. John
  5. 05Traditional lunch near Selçuk

OptionalThe Terrace Houses inside Ephesus can be added at about USD 17 per person. An honest word on them: the visit climbs six flights of steel walkway, and there is no step-free alternative. See where the Terrace Houses sit on our Ephesus map.

Meet
08:30
At the port
15:45
Total for twoUSD 335

Everything in the standard private day is included; the full list is below.

Read more about the private biblical Ephesus tour.

A private Ephesus half day for two Evrima guests is USD 258 in total, meeting at 08:00 and back on board by 13:00; the full day is USD 335 in total, back at the port by 15:45.

Why the timing matters on a small ship

Ephesus for small ship passengers is a different site: it opens quiet, the coach groups land toward midday, and a 298-guest ship leaves you free to plan around both. Both days are built on that reading of the port. An 08:00 meeting puts you through the Upper Gate ahead of the crowds; by the time the site fills you are already near the Lower Gate, and by 13:00 you are back on board with the whole afternoon to yourself. For guests who think of the ship as part of the holiday rather than transport to it, that quiet afternoon on board is the argument for the half day.

The full day reads the same clock the other way. Because the ship stays into the evening there is room for the House of the Virgin Mary, for lunch taken slowly, and for the Basilica of St. John, and a 15:45 return still leaves a wide margin before all-aboard. Neither choice needs defending: the honest question is simply where you want the afternoon, on board or ashore, and either answer makes a good day.

2026 calls

Evrima’s calls at Kuşadası.

Ritz-Carlton Evrima calls at Kuşadası twice in 2026: Monday 21 September, 08:00 to 19:00, and Friday 2 October, 08:00 to 20:00.
The Ritz-Carlton yacht Evrima at berth, her navy hull and tiered white decks in full profile
Evrima carries 298 guests, and her Kuşadası calls run from morning into the evening.

Evrima at Katajanokka Terminal, Helsinki, photo by Ilkka Simomaa via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. Resized and optimized for web use.

Ritz-Carlton Evrima calls at Kuşadası cruise port in 2026: date, day of week, arrival and departure times
DateDayArrivalDeparture
21 September 2026Monday08:0019:00
2 October 2026Friday08:0020:00

The 2027 Aegean dates on CruiseMapper, 15 May, 31 July and 7 August 2027, belong to Evrima’s sister ship Ilma; CruiseMapper lists no 2027 Kuşadası calls for Evrima herself.

Source: CruiseMapper Kuşadası port schedule, retrieved 14 August 2026. Schedules change by sailing; we reconfirm your exact call at booking.

What is included in every private day

The price is the whole price; both days include the same seven things.

  • A licensed private guideYours alone for the day.
  • An air-conditioned private vehicleWith a separate professional driver, so your guide guides.
  • Skip-the-line entry ticketsPre-purchased and pre-paid, carried as QR codes.
  • Bottled waterIn the vehicle throughout the day.
  • ParkingAt every site on the route.
  • Road tollsThe whole route, no roadside surprises.
  • TaxesThe price you see is the whole price.

How we get you back to your ship on time

Every day we run is planned backwards from your ship’s schedule, and it ends with you at the port at least ninety minutes before all-aboard. The margin is deliberate and comfortable: Ephesus is a 20-25 minute drive from the berth, and behind the margin sit four separate confirmations of the ship’s schedule, the official port list the evening before, the ship’s live position from first light, our own contacts inside the port through the morning, and your guide reading the times posted at the gangway itself.

How the whole system works, layer by layer, is written up in full in how we track your cruise ship.

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.

Tours of Ephesus guide Fulya Tamer waiting with a printed name sign on the Starbucks terrace at Kuşadası cruise port
The Starbucks gardenOur guide Fulya Tamer with a printed name sign on the Starbucks terrace, two minutes from the gangway at Kuşadası port.
Pay after your tour

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.

Frequently asked

The questions Evrima guests ask

Anything not covered here gets a same-day answer on WhatsApp, +90 532 324 2489.

Yes. Ephesus is a 20-25 minute drive from Kuşadası cruise port, and the day is planned so guests are back at the port at least ninety minutes before all-aboard. Tours of Ephesus follows each ship’s call with a four-layer tracking system and reconfirms the exact schedule at booking, so the return time is set against the sailing you are actually on.

Ephesus is walked from the Upper Gate down to the Lower Gate, so the route runs downhill rather than uphill, over uneven marble on a gentle grade; comfortable closed shoes matter more than fitness. The tour is fully private, so the pace is your own. The meeting point at the port, the Starbucks garden in the port plaza, is flat ground with no steps, two minutes from the ship.

The Terrace Houses are optional, at about USD 17 per person on top of the tour price. Inside, the visit follows six flights of steel walkway, and there is no step-free alternative. If stairs are a concern, the section is simply left out: the main Ephesus route still runs downhill from the Upper Gate to the Lower Gate, and skipping the Terrace Houses takes nothing else off the day.

Lunch on the full-day biblical programme is a traditional meal at a family-run restaurant near Selçuk. It is not in Şirince. The meal is part of the day’s USD 335 total for two, alongside the House of the Virgin Mary, Ephesus, the Temple of Artemis and the Basilica of St. John. The half-day morning programme returns guests on board by 13:00 and does not include lunch.

Yes. The vehicle is an air-conditioned private vehicle used by your party alone, with a separate driver, so the licensed guide guides rather than drives. No other guests are added and the day is not shared with another group. Your guide waits at the Starbucks garden in the port plaza, two minutes from the ship, holding a printed name sign.

No. There is no deposit and no prepayment; the tour is settled with one payment at the end of the day. Visa and Mastercard are welcome at the same price, so the USD 258 half-day and USD 335 full-day totals for two are identical whether you pay by card or in cash. Cash is a choice, not a requirement, and cancellation is free up to 48 hours before the tour.

To book either day

Tell us your date and the day you have in mind.

Write to booking@toursofephesus.com or message us on WhatsApp. We confirm your ship’s call against the published schedule, hold the day for your party alone, and take no payment until the tour is over.

  • The full names of your party
  • The text you want on the welcome sign
  • A WhatsApp number we can reach on the day
WhatsApp +90 532 324 2489

How booking works

From your ship to Ephesus, in three steps.

  1. Step 1

    Pick a tour, or just message us

    Choose from the tours below or send your ship name and date on WhatsApp. No deposit, no card details.

  2. Step 2

    Meet your guide at the port

    Your licensed guide waits at the Starbucks inside the Kuşadası port plaza, holding a sign with your name.

  3. Step 3

    Pay after your tour

    Cash or card, at the end of the day, once you are happy. Free cancellation up to 48 hours before.

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