Viking Libra in Kusadasi: two December Tuesdays at Ephesus by car

Published 4 October 2026

Viking Libra’s Kusadasi programme is short and easy to remember: two Tuesdays, one week apart. The published schedule (checked in October 2026) lists calls on Tuesday 8 December and Tuesday 15 December 2026, and nothing else in the next twelve months. On both days Libra is the only ship listed in port.

Arrival and departure times have not been announced yet. Everything below is therefore a plan by scenario, which you can fix once your ship’s daily programme gives the hours.

What a December Tuesday means for Ephesus

Two things work in your favour: no other cruise ships, and the cool season, when the lack of shade at Ephesus stops being a problem. Two things work against you: short daylight and the chance of rain. Entrance tickets are not included, so buy Ephesus and Terrace Houses tickets ahead on our museum tickets page.

The simple consequence: start with the open-air site, keep the rest of the day flexible, and choose a car that waits for you rather than a fixed group schedule.

Pick your plan by length of stay

Plan A: around 5 hours ashore

Ephesus on its own. Enter at the upper gate, walk down to the lower gate, and let the car collect you there. If time is left, the Temple of Artemis is a short photo stop on the way back, but do not add more.

Plan B: around 7.5 hours ashore

Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary and the Temple of Artemis. This is the classic December combination. Sirince does not fit.

Plan C: 9 hours or more

All four places, including the village of Sirince, are realistic, as long as the day is dry and the sites are still open when you reach them.

A, B or C, the ending is identical: you are dropped at the port no less than an hour before Libra’s published departure, with a glance at the app for the all-aboard time, which tends to be earlier.

Plan B, hour by hour (hypothetical 09:00 to 16:30)

The window below is invented for illustration only:

• 09:30 Meet your driver at the cruise port exit after leaving the ship.
• 10:00 Ephesus, upper gate. About 2 to 2.5 hours past the Temple of Hadrian, the Library of Celsus and the Great Theatre.
• 12:15 Pick-up at the lower gate; 15 to 20 minutes up the winding road.
• 12:35 House of the Virgin Mary, about 45 minutes.
• 13:40 Temple of Artemis, 15 to 20 minutes.
• about 14:40 Back at the port, nearly two hours before departure.

With that much spare time you could add the Terrace Houses at Ephesus, roughly 45 to 60 minutes, and still keep a safe margin.

Each stop in a few lines

Ephesus. From the upper gate, Curetes Street, a marble street, carries you downhill towards the Library of Celsus. In December, wet marble is the main hazard, so wear shoes with good soles. The whole route is roughly 1.5 to 2 km.

House of the Virgin Mary. A small stone house in the woods on Nightingale Mountain, visited by three popes since 1967. It sits higher than Ephesus, so on a December morning it can feel properly cold; a warm layer helps. Modest clothing is respected inside.

Temple of Artemis. Today a single re-erected column in a low, often marshy field. Go for the idea of one of the Seven Wonders and the view to Ayasuluk Hill with the Basilica of St John and the Isa Bey Mosque.

Sirince. Old stone and timber houses, wine-tasting shops for local fruit wines, olive oil and handmade soap. The lanes are steep and cobbled; skip it if it is raining.

Before the day

• Once the ship’s daily programme is out, note the departure and the all-aboard time, then choose Plan A, B or C.
• Look at the weather forecast the evening before. On a wet day, drop Sirince and keep the Temple of Artemis short.
• Entrance tickets are not included in the transfer; buy Ephesus and Terrace Houses tickets in advance on our museum tickets page.
• If someone in your group has limited mobility, tell us when booking; the House of the Virgin Mary has only a short path from the car park.

Booking

Whichever Tuesday is yours, reserve a private car from the port to Ephesus in advance. Car and driver are for your group only, up to 8 passengers; the driver meets you at the cruise port exit, waits throughout and takes you back to the ship. Tell us which extra stops you want 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; pay by cash or card.

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