Sightseeing in Kuşadası

Kuşadası sits twenty kilometres from Ephesus, and that decides everything: the town works as a port and as a base for reaching one of the most completely preserved ancient cities in the Mediterranean. Cruise ships dock here precisely for it, and some programmes are sold exactly that way — from the port, built around the few hours between arrival and departure.

Within Ephesus the centrepiece is the Library of Celsus, a two-storey facade of the second century built as a tomb: Celsus lies buried directly beneath it, in a sarcophagus in the vault. Further along the marble Curetes street stands the Great Theatre seating twenty-five thousand, and under a shelter on the slope the Terrace Houses are open — residential blocks with mosaics and frescoes, entered on a separate ticket.

The second point on the route is the House of the Virgin Mary on Mount Bülbüldağı, where tradition holds she moved after the crucifixion; the site is recognised by the Catholic church and serves as a place of pilgrimage. The third is the Temple of Artemis at Selçuk, another of the seven wonders, of which one re-erected column stands in a field. Practical note: Ephesus offers almost no shade and plenty of marble underfoot, so in summer go from opening time.