Ah Trini Travelogue Trinidad & Tobago's most travelled blogger through 99 countries. Create and Re-Engineer your life for travel.
You’ll need a taxi to Ephesus from Kusadasi, if you’re there on a cruise. If you’ve come here from my 10 steps for DIY visit to Ephesus post – you’ll still need to get that taxi.
The one thing in this part of the world, is that you’ll have to haggle and negotiate everything. I have no issues battling it out with some touts but once you’re docked at Kusadasi – you will have to negotiate if you’re going to get to Ephesus. As for the Kusadasi itself, it’s quite walkable from the port, but when you arrive, nothing will be open at 7am. When you come off the boat, you’ll be swarmed by touts saying “Ephesus” – just ask their first price, shake your head and move on – you need the first price to understand the high limit of the game (hopefully, you would have researched the taxi price online anyway). Be busy about your negotiations, while people are posing for pictures. You’re on a mission!
When playing the game … any price you get from a taxi driver, half that number, and then start your shopping around. Remember, you will not get a local price … that’s a terrible expectation. You make waaaay more money than these poor taxi drivers – the goal here is not be taken for a fool either. You want to negotiate a price that is fair to you, the driver and your fellow travellers. (When you’re a shitty negotiator, you send up the price for everyone else … always remember that!)
As for getting to the site from your cruise ship (if you’re on a day trip excursion), by walking in either direction from the cruise ship terminal … about 200 meters, you’ll see tons of taxis looking for business. I would offer them 40$USD to get you to Ephesus and it doesn’t matter whether you’re 2, 3 or 4 people in your party .. the price will be the same to get you there and for them to wait for you for four hours. Be firm and negotiate wisely … you’ll get what you want. Another quirky thing, is that you’ll meet lots of guys in shades coming up, but try using an older driver. The young guys are crazy … and you’ll want to check on seat belts.
Once you pack into a taxi, you’ll driving along breathtaking rolling hills with tons of prickly looking brush with round olive trees dotting the landscape. It’s super pretty and you’ll have a great view of the harbour when you come back. Maybe because it made the small pockets of lush, trees that actually produced shade more rare, or maybe because it was a sight that you don’t often see, either with your own eyes … all on your taxi to Ephesus from Kusadasi.
