Exclusive Ancient Ephesus

Meet your professionally trained guide and drive to Ephesus, approximately 30 minutes from Kusadasi. Famous in antiquity for its Temple of Artemus during the years of the Roman Empire, the Greek port of Ephesus became the greatest city in Asia Minor. You will start your 90 minute Ephesus tour at the upper Magnesia Gate, and work your way down through the city, ending near the ancient Harbor.

Along the way, you will see the Forum, the Odeon, the Library of Celsus, Temple of Artemis, the Thermal Baths of Scolastika, and the Great Theater, built in the Greek era and reconstructed in the Roman period. With your skip-the-line access, you can fully enjoy these sites, which have played host to events as varied as Paul and his sermons to the Ephesians, to concerts by Sting, in part due to their remarkable acoustics.

You will walk along the Arcadian Way, where once Mark Antony and Cleopatra rode in procession. You will hear stories of Alexander the Great, the Virgin Mary, and many other famous visitors who walked the same marble streets that you are walking. As you depart the Ephesus site, you will be able to view the hilltop ruins of the Basilica of St. John in the distance, which was erected over his grave in the 6th century A.D. by Emperor Justinian.

Returning to the town of Kusadasi, guests will have the option to end their Ephesus tour in the shopping area, where they can attend a Turkish carpet explanation and explore the shops filled with jewelry, carpets, leatherware, and copper goods, or both. Turkish salespeople expect you to haggle and quite often you can get 10-15% off the listed price. Treat it as an adventure. The cruise pier is a 5-10 minute walk from the main shopping area.

Guests not wishing to attend the optional carpet shopping should stay on the bus and they will be taken directly back to the pier.

Rhodes Back Country Adventure

Explore more on the island of Knights Rhodes, on a semiprivate premium safari tour for up to 6 people per vehicle. Discover the mountainous northern non-tourist parts of Rhodes Island from West to East, far away from mass tourism and crowded places, through the natural beauty of the mountains whilst enjoying the best panoramic views. Get ready for a day to remember at unique places that only a four-wheel vehicle can approach.

Start your day tour from the Rhodes cruise Port as you head towards the east side of the island. You and your group will navigate on a mixture of on and off-road routes in the peaks of the mountains with panoramic views, wild life and stunning nature. Our adventure day continues by following a German Italian war route with historical points of interest through villages like Archipoli, Eleousa, Profit Ilias, and Embonas.

During the ride the experienced tour guide provides you with lots of local history and information, stories and insights, as we pass through small villages, monasteries, and chapels. The hidden off-road paths through the dense vegetation give us the opportunity to marvel up close to the natural beauty and enjoy the heartfelt hospitality and local knowledge of our escorts. Continuing our day tour from east to west, we reach a small traditional village where our lunch stop takes place. Fully refreshed we continue our tour, following an easy asphalt route back to the cruise ship.

Our escort drivers with the help of the premium off -road vehicles will offer you the most exciting day in Rhodes, allowing you to take in the best panoramic views of Northern, East, and West Rhodes with opportunities to capture every moment, embrace the local hospitality while enjoying the professional yet relaxed service.