Welcome to the Kuşadası cruise port guide. You will find Kuşadası in between the rolling hills of Turkey and clear blue sea. It represents one of the nicest areas of the country. The town is well developed, has great facilities, yet its not spoiled by the big resorts. Kuşadası is easy to explore by foot, but just be prepared: This is all about shopping. Kuşadası has quite the reputation for its Turkish carpets, custom made leather jackets and genuine fake watches. Basically the whole town is one gigantic bazaar and souvenir market. Find all kind of souvenirs and clothing shops around here. It might not always be the best quality, but the price will always make up for it. Aside from shopping Kuşadası is also the stepping stone to the world famous sights of Ephesus, Didyma and many more. Therefore we highly recommend to start in the early, cool morning to visit the historic sights and save your afternoon for shopping and refreshments in town.
The Kusadasi cruise port is a large facility which can accommodate several ships at the same time.
This is the cruise dock in Kusadasi. The city centre is a few hundred yard walk from here. The men on the right hand side in the picture also offer a service to bring you there with their rickshaw for a few dollar.
This is the cruise terminal of Kusadasi. It has some shops and port security inside. Behind it is a large shopping facility including restaurants and bars that have wi-fi.
This is a photo of the shopping facility at the cruise port that you have to walk through to exit the port. There are shops, cafes and restaurants, but also tour operators offering their excursions to Ephesus (see windows above the shops).
You will find the taxis of Kusadasi at the exit of the port. Negotiate a price before getting in. Also know these taxis might be more expensive than those you can find in town or around the corner.
Cruise Port Guide Kuşadası – Turkey: docked
The Kuşadası cruise terminal, also known as Scala Nuova, is right in front of the centre of town. It is a huge facility where you will find all kind of services. At the port you will find tourist information, duty-free souvenir shops, wi-fi, cafe’s, tour operators and taxis. Once you exit the cruise terminal and port you are right in front of the city centre, which is best to be explored by foot.
Shuttle service
The cruise terminal is a small walk to the city centre. Alternatively you can find rickshaws on the cruise dock that can take you to the city centre for +/- 2 euro.
Taxis of Kuşadası
There are taxis available at the exit of the port. There are usually regular size and vans available. You will recognise the official taxis by their yellow colour and taxi sign. Find the approximate taxi prices underneath: Didyma: 70 euro Aphrodisias: 140 euro Ephesus: 45 euro one way. Anybody going to Ephesus gets dropped off at the entrance. You walk through the historical sight and you get picked up at the other end. Try to arrange this with your taxi as well.
Public Transport to Ephesus
There is a public bus service from Kuşadası to Ephesus. Take into mind that the public transport system here is somewhat different than it might be back home: be flexible. The Turks call this public bus the Dolmus. They are 15-seat minivans. They depart from the bus terminal Sueyman Demirel Boulevard. See map above for its exact location. It is roughly a 20 minute walk from the cruise terminal, through the city centre to the bus station. There are several services per hour throughout the day, but their might be less during 12noon and 3 pm. Check this while you are there. The ride takes about 15 minutes. Most services stop at the end of the entry road to Ephesus. From here it is roughly about 10 minutes walk to Ephesus.
Excursions to Ephesus
Ephesus can be reached by public transport or taxi and visited independently, but keep in mind that it might be worth your while to take an excursion to this sight. If you arrive and you are looking at rocks it is hard to imagine what is actually was. Therefore going by excursion might be worth while because your guide is able to make this ruin come to life with the stories and knowledge that he has. Usually the ships price isn’t that bad. You can also book the excursion the cruise terminal (see photo to the left) starting at 40 euro per person.
Beaches
There are no beaches in the city centre of Kusadasi. Taxis and the Dolmus (public transport busses) are able to bring you to the beaches just out of town. Ladies beach is 2 miles north of Kusadasi. Reach this beach by Dolmus or taxi. This beach has sun beds, umbrellas etc. Pamucak is 7 miles north of Kusadasi. Reach this beach by Dolmus or taxi. Find all kinds of high end resorts here.
Distance from port:
City centre = 1/2 km south
Pigeon island = 1 km west
Ataturk = 1,5 km uphill, west
Ephesus = 20 km north east
House of Virgin Mary = 27 km north east
Didyma = 76 km south
