Scarlet Lady in Kusadasi: a private car day to Ephesus and beyond

Published 4 October 2026

Scarlet Lady visits Kusadasi only five times in 2027, and never on a quiet day. The published schedule (checked in October 2026) lists calls on Wed 19 May, Sat 12 June, Wed 7 July, Mon 26 July and Fri 17 September. Another cruise ship is in port every time, and on four of the five dates there are at least three ships in all. Arrival and departure times have not been announced yet.

With so few calls, your date matters more than a general rule. Here is what each one looks like, and how to fit Ephesus and its neighbours around it.

The five dates at a glance

• Wed 19 May: the busiest of the five, with Odyssey of the Seas, AIDAblu and Viking Sea listed. Four ships, late spring.
• Sat 12 June: the lightest, shared only with Celestyal Discovery.
• Wed 7 July: with Odyssey of the Seas and MSC Splendida.
• Mon 26 July: with MSC Divina and Azura.
• Fri 17 September: four ships again, with Silver Nova, Sun Princess and MSC Splendida.

There is no August call, so the hottest weeks of the year largely pass this ship by. July still brings two calls, though, and both are three-ship days.

Stops that fit the time you have

Each suggestion includes 60 minutes at the port before the published departure. Look up the all-aboard time in the ship’s app, as it usually comes first.

If the ship is in port about 6 hours: Ephesus plus one more. On a crowded day, the House of the Virgin Mary is a good choice because you can visit it while the main wave of groups is at Ephesus.

If it stays about 8.5 hours: Ephesus with the Terrace Houses, Mary’s House and the Temple of Artemis. A full day that still leaves Sirince aside.

If it stays 9 hours or more: add Sirince, but drop the Terrace Houses unless the call is longer still.

Example route for a four-ship day (hypothetical: 08:00 to 16:30)

These times are not Scarlet Lady’s; they are an invented 8.5-hour window to show the order that works best when the port is full.

1. 08:30 Meet your driver at the cruise port exit. Leave yourself a little extra time to get off the ship on a busy morning.
2. 09:10 to 09:55 House of the Virgin Mary first, while the groups head for Ephesus.
3. 10:15 to 13:15 Ephesus from the upper gate, including the Terrace Houses.
4. 13:30 to 13:50 Temple of Artemis.
5. 14:25 Back at the port, two hours before a 16:30 departure.

On 12 June, with just one other ship, you can safely flip steps 2 and 3.

A few words on each place

Ephesus. Walk it top to bottom: Curetes Street, the Temple of Hadrian, the Library of Celsus, then the Great Theatre. The Terrace Houses, under a roof halfway down, are the most detailed part of the site, with mosaics and painted walls.

House of the Virgin Mary. A small stone house on Nightingale Mountain, a place of quiet reflection for Christian and Muslim visitors. Paths are short, and the trees keep it cooler than the valley.

Temple of Artemis. One column, one field, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Fifteen to twenty minutes is right.

Sirince. A hill village above Selcuk that was Greek until the 1920s, now known for fruit wines, olive oil and handmade soaps. Steep cobbles: wear flat, firm shoes.

Weather and walking by month

May and September are pleasant months for a long walk on stone, and both of those calls are four-ship days, so crowds rather than heat are the main issue. The two July calls are the reverse: on summer middays the thermometer often climbs well past 30 °C, and the ruins have almost no shade. On a July date, start early, carry water, and if Ephesus is busy at opening, make the shaded House of the Virgin Mary your first stop. The main route at Ephesus covers roughly 1.5 to 2 km; if anyone in your group walks with difficulty, tell us when you book.

Your car for the day

Book the Kusadasi–Ephesus private transfer for your date. Your driver meets you at the cruise port exit, waits while you visit and brings you back to the ship. Up to 8 passengers travel in one vehicle. Tell us your extra stops and preferred order when you book, and we confirm the plan with you before the day. Entrance tickets are not included. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

Tickets are not included; buy Ephesus and Terrace Houses tickets in advance on our museum tickets page. Planning the visit? See our Ephesus walking guide and when to visit Ephesus.