EPHESUS

[stew]

I know we are the wrong part of Turkey but i wondered if any one knew if it was posible to do a trip to Ephesus in a day from Fethie[?].I have seen it as part of a 2 day package with Pamukkale.We would be prepared to hire a car if neccessary but don`t know how long it takes to drive there and if you would have enough time to spend there to be worth all the trouble.
Stew

[legless]

In short no, We did the trip form Altinkum a few years ago and by the time we got there it was time to come home.We travelled over 300 miles in the blistering heat.

Ephesus is such a fantastic place you really do need to stay overnight to see the beauty of the area.

Ron

[valentine]

I agree with Ron, it would be a terrible shame to rush your visit, it takes nearly all day to walk round Ephesus itself, and the surrounding area is beautiful. It's such a unique place that an overnight stay would be worth it.

Val

[jantaylor]

We went on a trip to Ephesus from Marmaris a few years back, and that was a day trip. We left at the crack of dawn and had plenty of stops for drinks, fag breaks, loo trips.  We got there at about 11.30 and therefore walked around Ephesus in the heat of the midday sun. I would have killed for a parasol! However it was brilliant, it amazed me that very little was blocked off- you walked over Roman tiles and could touch everything! My grandson even sat on a Roman loo! [No he didn't use it]  We were also taken to Selcuk to the House of the Virgin Mary and returned back to the hotel, shattered but very happy, late that night.  All the meals were provided in the cost of the tour, which was ridiculously cheap!
Jan

[Peter]

I have to agree with previous comments, that a combined trip that takes in Ephesus and Mother Mary's house in the first day, followed by a visit to Pamukale after an overnight stop is probably the best way to see these famous places.

Ephesus is the most amazing and complete Roman city that I have ever seen. With very little imagination it is easy to take yourself back 2,000 years and be standing in a vibrant metropolis inhabited by soldiers, sentators and citizens, going about their daily lives. It is well worth visiting and being part of a tour that can afford the luxury of time to see as much as possible.

Peter

[colin]

even though
ephesus is a brilliant place to visit it does tend to be to commercialised . there are so many other sites that might be worth looking at .
if you really want to see ephesus i would suggest visiting the area for two or three days .
you have the temple of apollo , priene and many more .
these are still quite breath taking and tend to be more casual
colin

ps i didnt mention the a word boss

[stew]

many thanks we will probably take at least a 2 day tour but considering the comments about the heat we will probably leave it for our visit in sept/Oct.
Stew

[CMC]

Hi Stew, we took a 2 day trip to Pamukale and Ephasus last August from Hisaronu. It was worth every penny of the £50 each it cost which included all meals, entrance fees, tour guide, overnight hotel in Kusadasi etc. we even visited a carpet factory!
However I would not do it again in August in that heat. I found myself just looking for shade at Ephasus which spoilt it a little. I would recommend anyone to take a sun brolley and lots of water!
Christine

[Carpete]

We also took a tour years ago like you Christine but the heat was a problem  then too also we found that the guide rather "rushed" us through. We went back at leisure and spent 2 nights in a hotel, booked independantly, used the aircon coach from Marmaris (about £4! return) and enjoyed wandering around at leisure with a guide book. It is a truly a unique and facinating area.
Carol

[lindacarl]

We did Ephesus from Kusadasi last October. Unfortunately we booked the half day one, we didn't realise this at the time. Expected to see the Virgin Mary's house & the museum but we didn't get to see these. As it was the day before we returned home we were a bit gutted that we didn't get to see everything.

It was still hot in October. I remember people going from Altinkum in June one year & nearly all of them ended up dehydrating with heatstoke. Off season you'll see more as there will be less tourists & it'll also be a great deal more comfortable.

We intend going again as it was so fascinating & there is still so much we missed. We'll probably go by city dolmus from Fethiye like Carol. The temple of Apollo just above Altinkum is also worth a visit as many of the TV shows on Ephesus use the carvings from there (of Medusa etc.) to show how Ephesus would have looked - many of the Ephesus carvings are not in such excellent condition as the ones at the Temple of Apollo. (Although that was about 10 years ago - when there was NO entrance fee & you could just get off the dolmus & wander the temple at will). You can just imagine the magnificence to those arriving by sea into Altinkum as it's white marble & still looks stunning set on the hillside. It must have been truly awe inspring for many centuries.

Give yourself plenty of time to really appreciate it.

Linda