Seven Seas Navigator: a January Ephesus shore day by private car

Published 4 October 2026

Seven Seas Navigator comes to Kusadasi in January and at no other time of year. The published schedule (checked in October 2026) lists three calls within sixteen days: Saturday 2 January, Tuesday 12 January and Sunday 17 January 2027. Arrival and departure times have not been announced yet for any of them.

So this is a winter plan from start to finish. Here is how to shape a private-car day to Ephesus around it.

Three dates, two neighbours

• Saturday 2 January 2027: Navigator is the only ship listed. The first call of the new year.
• Tuesday 12 January 2027: one other ship in port, Viking Saturn.
• Sunday 17 January 2027: one other ship in port, Viking Vesta.

None of the three days has three or more ships. Even on the shared dates, the Ephesus gates should be far calmer than on a spring or summer morning, when several ships send their passengers to the same site at the same hour. If you would still rather avoid the other ship’s groups on 12 or 17 January, a private car lets you change the order and visit the House of the Virgin Mary first.

The January factor

January brings short days and a fair chance of rain. Tickets are not included, so buy Ephesus and Terrace Houses tickets ahead on our museum tickets page. Two consequences for planning:

• Put the ticketed sites (Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary) early in the day, and keep Sirince, a village with shops and lanes rather than a gated site, for the end.
• Build in some slack. A sudden shower can slow you down on wet marble and cobbles.

If your ship stays 6, 8 or 10 hours

6 hours: Ephesus with one extra at most. In January the House of the Virgin Mary is tight at this length, so the realistic add-on is a short photo stop at the Temple of Artemis.

8 hours: Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary and the Temple of Artemis. Sirince is better left out.

10 hours: all four, Sirince included, provided it is not pouring.

In winter as in summer, keep a full hour between your return to the port and the published departure. Navigator’s daily programme will also give an all-aboard time, usually ahead of departure.

A long January day, step by step (hypothetical 08:30 to 18:30)

The hours below are assumed for this example only:

1. 09:00 Meet your driver at the cruise port exit.
2. 09:30 Ephesus. Enter at the upper gate and walk downhill past the Odeon, Curetes Street and the Library of Celsus to the Great Theatre, about 2 to 2.5 hours. In the rain, spend part of that time in the covered Terrace Houses.
3. 11:45 Collected at the lower gate; up the mountain road to the House of the Virgin Mary, roughly 15 to 20 minutes, then about 45 minutes there.
4. 13:10 Temple of Artemis, a 15 to 20 minute stop.
5. 13:50 Sirince for an hour or a little more.
6. about 15:40 Back at the port, with plenty of time before an 18:30 departure.

On a shorter real call, cut from the end of the list: Sirince first, then the Temple of Artemis.

Places worth knowing about in January

Ephesus. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2015 and one of the great Roman cities of the Mediterranean. The main route is roughly 1.5 to 2 km on uneven marble and stone, slippery when wet.

Terrace Houses. Inside the Ephesus site, under a roof: Roman houses with wall paintings and mosaics. Separate ticket, about 45 to 60 minutes. On a grey January day they are a strong addition.

House of the Virgin Mary. On wooded Nightingale Mountain above Ephesus, and colder than the valley in winter. Popes Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI all came here. The path from the car park is short.

Temple of Artemis. Expect a single column rebuilt in a low field, often waterlogged in winter. The site once held one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Sirince. Up a hill road from Selcuk, roughly 15 to 20 minutes. The restored Church of St John the Baptist is the village’s landmark, and the soap and olive oil shops make light souvenirs for a suitcase.

Booking your transfer

For any of the three January dates, book the Kusadasi–Ephesus private transfer. It is a private car with driver for your group only, up to 8 passengers. The driver meets you at the cruise port exit, waits while you visit and brings you back to the port. Tell us your extra stops 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; cash or card. If you are still weighing up other options, the cruise day planner is a good place to start.

Planning the visit? See our Ephesus walking guide and when to visit Ephesus.