Hello,

I saw another post where Doug_Stallings was helpful on this topic, but our situation is a little different. I am hopeful he, and other Fodorites will be helpful as usual.

Our cruise, operated by Louis Cruises, will dock in Kusadasi, Turkey and offers a tour of Ephesus. We have NOT yet booked the tour and are considering hiring a taxi and doing our own tour.

We emailed Louis Cruises and asked them if we needed a Turkish visa and they replied that we do not since we are going Pireas to Pireas. Does anyone know if this applies only if we take the cruise line sponsored tour? Or would it still apply if we hired our own taxi?

Many thanks.

When we arrived at Kusadasi, the only ID required was our cruise cards. We had Turkish Visas which we acquired when we arrived in Istanbul, but it was not clear that all the other cruise ships in harbor had been to other Turkish Ports before arriving at Kusadasi.

If you need a Turkish Visa, you need only take your passport with you when you leave the ship and be prepared to pay for the visa in the currency of the country that issued the passport. E.g., hand over the U.S. passport with $20; they will put the stamp in the passport and return it to you.

We have been very happy with taking tours with Samelyi Travel. http://www.ephesustours.org/. The guides are knowledgeable and the prices are very reasonable. If you book with them, I'm certain they will let you know about visa requirements.

We have been to Kusadasi twice off of cruise ships. On our own both times. Never needed a visa. It is my understanding that you only need a visa IF you overnight in Turkey. Not required going and coming from cruise ship.

Thank you Jeff801 and fmpden for your responses. We are leaning on doing our own thing since we find the cruise excursions to be pricey and the reviews indicate that we would get steered into carpet shops and souvenir shops after a quick visit to the points of interest.

Thanks again.

Not sure you can avoid the carpet shops. On our first visit we hired a private guide and vehicle for a tour and still ended at a carpet farm. The guide was terrific and spent as much time at Kusadasi as we wanted. On the way back into town, stopped at "cousin's" farm for a little tea -- AND CARPETS. Have to admit it was kind of interesting and a very pleasant break from the heat. The tea and desserts were good. All part of the package I guess.

I was sort of under the impression that most cruise ports do not require Visas for the cruise pasengers. It is their way of simplifying the immigration requirements for the sake of tourism. A transit visa is required though, if you are going to stay longer than just the port visit, i.e. going to the airport post cruise or coming in pre-cruise.

Hi mf,

Holland America Lines ship’s services says a Visa is not necessary as we are in transit.
However, in case they are wrong, visas for turkey are available at the point of entry for $20 (us cash only) for people on a US passport.

For a visit to Ephesus, you might want to consider
http://www.kusadasitours.com/excursi...sus_shore.html

We haven't been on a tour with them, but they have been very professional and helpful.

Thanks again everyone for your responses.

ira and Jeff801, I have looked at both the sites you suggested and we may contact them to inquire further.

ira, I am amused at the tour description provided by the one you suggested:
"1- Meeting with your tour guide at the Port of Kusadasi.
Your tour guide will be holding a board your name written on it.
2- After a short walk through the shops in modern looking Kusadasi Harbour, Departing with our private van to Ephesus direction."

At least they are very up-front about the walk through the shops. I also like that they quote prices for groups starting with only two people. It seems we can save $24 per person by going with the private tour versus the ship's tour.

Does anyone know of any reason why the ship's tour may be preferable to a private tour, especially considering the additional cost?

Thanks.

You have to walk through the shops going to and from the ship. No choice. The only advantage to a ship tour is that the ship waits for their tours if the tour is delayed. If you are delayed on your private tour the ship will wait exactly 15 seconds. So plan accordingly.

Note: we did not cruise to Turkey, but toured on our own a couple of years ago. So some suggestions.

Ephesus is incredible, but it's best to get a private guide. There is a gentleman whose name is Nail (Na-eel) who is an archeologist. If you can find him (ask around when you get there), you will not be disappointed. He will bring the place to life.

If you want to buy a carpet, in Selcuk, which is the town where Ephesus is located, go to Black Sheep Carpets. The owner is a young man, Aiden, who has spent a lot of time in the States. We met in Selcuk and he has visited me in the US. I would trust Aiden more than others. He's very kind and has good quality.

If you have time, go up to the village of Sirince, which is about a 10-15 minute drive up the mountain. It's a very quaint Turkish village where we stayed upon our arrival in Turkey.

Also, go to the Virgin Mary's house and to St. John's Basilica.

It's all so amazing there. If you have a full day there, you can hit all these places.

We used to services of Mr.Semih for our Kusadasi shore excursion on last year. It was excellent and very nice tour. If you want contact with he, you can use to [email protected] We liked their services. Have a nice excursions!