Viking Neptune in Kusadasi: Ephesus by private car in every season

Published 4 October 2026

Viking Neptune turns up in Kusadasi in almost every season. The published schedule (checked in October 2026) shows 13 calls between 22 October 2026 and 28 September 2027, spread over October, December, January, May, July, August and September. A December morning at Ephesus and an August morning there are two very different days out.

What Viking Neptune’s Kusadasi calls look like

• Times: arrival and departure times have not been announced yet for any of the 13 calls. Use the scenarios below until they are.
• Weekdays: no fixed rhythm, though Tuesdays and Sundays come up three times each.
• Holiday dates: the December calls include Friday 25 December and Thursday 31 December 2026. Entrance tickets are not included in the transfer, so buy Ephesus and Terrace Houses tickets ahead on our museum tickets page.
• Other ships: seven calls have the port to themselves, including every December and January visit. On six days other ships are in as well, and four of those bring three or more ships, for example Thursday 22 October 2026 and Tuesday 3 August 2027.

Two very different kinds of Neptune day

The quiet winter calls

Six calls fall in December and January, and on all of them Viking Neptune is the only ship in port. Fewer groups at the gates is the reward; short daylight, possible rain and shorter opening hours are the trade-off. Wet marble is slippery, so shoes with grip matter more than sun cream.

The shared summer and autumn calls

From May onwards Neptune often has company: Celestyal Discovery three times, Odyssey of the Seas twice, and many groups head for Ephesus at the same hour. A private car lets you turn the order around: go up to the House of the Virgin Mary first and reach Ephesus once the first wave has moved on.

How much fits: three scenarios until times are published

• If your ship stays about 6 hours: Ephesus plus one extra, either the House of the Virgin Mary or the Temple of Artemis. Sirince does not fit; do not try.
• If it stays about 8 hours: Ephesus, Mary’s House and the Temple of Artemis at a steady pace. Leave Sirince for another trip.
• If it stays 10 hours or more: all four places are realistic, Sirince included.

Our one fixed rule: whichever scenario turns out to be yours, your driver gets you to the port no later than an hour before the published departure. All-aboard usually comes earlier still, so look it up in the ship’s app.

A sample day (hypothetical 08:00 to 18:00 call)

An illustration only, assuming a 10-hour stay:

1. About 08:30 meet your driver at the cruise port exit, after allowing time to get off the ship.
2. About 09:00 start at the upper gate of Ephesus and walk downhill to the lower gate, where the car picks you up. Plan roughly 2 to 2.5 hours; the Terrace Houses add 45 to 60 minutes.
3. About 11:30 drive the winding road up to the House of the Virgin Mary, roughly 15 to 20 minutes, and spend about 45 minutes there.
4. About 12:50 short photo stop at the Temple of Artemis on the edge of Selcuk.
5. About 13:30 Sirince for roughly an hour to an hour and a half.
6. About 15:40 back at the port, well over 60 minutes before an 18:00 departure.

The four stops, briefly

Ephesus. On the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2015. Curetes Street runs downhill to the Library of Celsus; ask to be dropped at one gate and collected at the other.

House of the Virgin Mary. A small stone house in the woods on Nightingale Mountain. On the July and August calls the shade of the trees makes it the coolest stop of the day.

Temple of Artemis. One of the Seven Wonders, now a single re-erected column in a low field. Come for the story and the view across to Ayasuluk Hill.

Sirince. A hillside village of stone and timber houses, Greek until the 1920s. Known for fruit wines; if you buy a bottle, check your ship’s rules on bringing alcohol on board.

Heat and crowd notes for this ship

Only two calls fall in high summer, Wednesday 28 July and Tuesday 3 August 2027, and the second is a four-ship day. On both, midday at Ephesus is often well above 30 °C with very little shade: bring water and a hat, and start early or visit Mary’s House first.

Booking your car

Book the Kusadasi–Ephesus private transfer: a private car with driver that meets you at the cruise port exit, waits while you visit and brings you back to the ship. One vehicle carries up to 8 passengers. Tell us which extra stops you want when you book, or on WhatsApp, and we confirm the plan with you before the day. Entrance tickets are not included. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before; pay cash or card.

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