Ephesus Travel Information

​When to travel to Ephesus?

​Coldest time of the year is January and February. Average temperature these days are approximately 10 C /40 F. Almost never have any snow. Rainy season is in  between October and April. It hardly rains in the summer time. The warmest time of the year is July and August. Midday temperature rises up to 43 C/110F. Best time to visit Ephesus is April, May, October, November. This is the time the weather is neither hot, nor cold.

​How to go to Ephesus?

ephesus day trip from istanbul
Ephesus Day Trip from Istanbul
​​How far is Ephesus from Istanbul?
​A lot of travelers who visit Istanbul also would like to pay a visit to Ephesus. Doing an Ephesus Day Trip from Istanbul is possible. Ephesus is located 450 miles south of Istanbul and it is 9 hours bus drive. Our recommendation would be to take a flight from Istanbul to Izmir and drive from Izmir Airport to Ephesus. Ephesus is 45 minutes drive from the airport of Izmir. 

The other way of transportation is to take a bus from Istanbul. We do not recommend it although the bus services are very high in world standards. It takes approximately 9 hours to drive from Istanbul to Ephesus. In the winter time there may not be direct buses, therefore you need to take a bus to Izmir first and then another bus to Ephesus. Izmir to Ephesus is approximately 1 hour drive.
 
Railway system is not very much developed in Turkey. We would say the best way is to take a flight from Istanbul. If you would like to have a private tour. We can arrange you a private Ephesus tour starting from Izmir airport.

Kusadasi/Ephesus is also reachable by ferries from Samos, the Greek island. From 01st April to 31st October everyday there are ferries going back and forth.  Approximate cost of a ferry 30 Euro incl. tax (one way), 35 Euro incl. tax (round trip)

For day trips to Ephesus from Istanbul, below please find the links of  the airlines offering flights.

Pegasus : http://www.flypgs.com/
Turkish Airlines : https://www.turkishairlines.com/en-tr/index.html​

Havas has shuttles from Izmir AIrport to Izmir City Center, Selcuk and Kusadasi. For Havas Shuttle schedules, please visit: http://www.havas.net/en/OurServices/BusServicesAndCarParkingFacilities/ServicePoints/Pages/Izmir.aspx
Izmir Airport to Ephesus Havas Shuttle Times
Izmir Airport to Ephesus Havas Shuttle Times
​We provide private airport transfers to Kusadasi and Selcuk town from Izmir Airport. Selcuk is the modern name for Ephesus. It is a small town having a population of 25 thousand. Selcuk is 55km south of Izmir. It is an hour drive from Izmir Airport. 

Selcuk is also accesible by train from Izmir Airport. The same train also go to Denizli where Pamukkale (Hierapolis) is located.

The Train schedule is as follows: 
Izmir Train Station - Izmir Airport - Selcuk (Ephesus) Train Schedule
Izmir Train Station - Izmir Airport - Selcuk (Ephesus) Train Schedule
Selcuk > Izmir Airport Train Schedule
Selcuk (Ephesus) - Izmir Airport - Izmir Train Schedule
For more information, visit: 
Izmir, Izmir Airport - Selcuk Town (Ephesus) Train Schedules

Where to stay in Ephesus?

​There are sevaral options for visitors. 
Staying in Izmir is not recommended, since Izmir city does not offer much for the travellers. Izmir is a big city having a population of almost 4 million. It has many hotels. But preferred more by business travelers. Izmir during rush hour has quite a lot of traffic.
Village of Sirince can be a good choice but going there is a liitle bit difficult. In Sirince Village, there are small hotels. One overnight could be interesting. More than one overnight could be boring.
Selcuk town is nice and very close to Ephesus but some of the hotels are not in high standards.

Our recommendation is to stay in Kusadasi and do the tour of Ephesus out of Kusadasi. Kusadasi has several beaches, nice restaurants and good hotels that you may enjoy. Kusadasi is a small coast town which has a great location. Kusadasi is 1 hour drive from Izmir Airport, 25 minutes drive to Ephesus and 3 hours drive to Pamukkale. It is a very safe town that you can enjoy couple of days. Kusadasi offers the most compared to Izmir, Selcuk and Sirince. We recommend to spend 2 nights / 3 days in Kusadasi. On the first day you can do a Full Day Tour to Ephesus, on the second day you can do a Full Day Tour to Pamukkale and on the 3rd day you can enjoy strolling in the streets of Kusadasi and enjoy the beaches. You should definitely stay in Kusadasi.
​Cruises calling to Kusadasi & Izmir Ports
Kusadasi Port
Kusadasi Port
Majority of the people who visit Ephesus come with cruise ships either
to  the Port of Kusadasi or Port of Izmir. Below please find a list of some of
the  cruise ships calling to both of these ports. 

Cruise ships that calls to Kusadasi Port:
Izmir, is located at the western part of Turkey. It is the 3rd largest city of Turkey having population over 2.5 million people. The largest export port of Turkey. Known as Smyrna in the ancient times. First settlement dates back to 3000 BC. Since the modern settlement was made on top of the old one there is not much to see in down town Izmir. Higlight of the area is Ephesus. Ephesus is located 65 miles south of Izmir, an hour drive. 

​Cruise ships that calls to Izmir Port: 
  • MS Europa of Hapag Lloyd
  • Seven Seas Voyager of Regent Seven Seas Cruises
  • Nautica of Oceania Cruise
  • Carnival Pride of Carnival Cruises
  • Costa Diadema of Costa Cruises
  • Celestyal Crystal of Celestyal Cruises
 
Kusadasi Port Cruise Timetables
Izmir Port Cruise Timetables
For more Ephesus travel information and questions, contact us.
Ephesus Tour from Kusadasi Port

Ephesus Travel Guide by TransBalkan Tours is a fully licenced tour operator and a member of TURSAB. License: A 776.