Şirince Village from Kuşadası: 28 km, Fruit Wine and Ephesus

Şirince is about 28 km from Kuşadası cruise port by road, roughly half an hour by car without traffic, and about 8 km uphill from the town of Selçuk. Because it sits only a short drive above Ephesus, many visitors see the ancient city in the morning and then come up to the village for a walk through the old lanes, a glass of local fruit wine and lunch. Our Ephesus and Şirince shore excursion from Kuşadası port follows that order, Ephesus first and then the village, in 9 to 10 hours, from $300 per person.

How far is Şirince from Kuşadası, Selçuk and Ephesus?

Şirince is in the hills east of Selçuk, in İzmir province. Kuşadası is in neighbouring Aydın province, on the coast to the south-west. The road from Kuşadası runs through Selçuk and then climbs a winding hill road to the village.

Road distances and times are from OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM); real times can be longer on busy days, when the narrow road into the village fills up.

From Kuşadası port, Ephesus itself is about 19.5 km away, so a day that covers both places involves well under two hours of driving in total. That is why Şirince pairs so easily with an Ephesus visit. For the bigger picture of the region, see our Ephesus and Kuşadası destination guide.

Getting there: private car, minibus or taxi

By private car with a driver. This is the simplest option from Kuşadası, and the most practical one for cruise passengers on a fixed schedule. You are picked up at the port or your hotel, taken to Ephesus, driven up to Şirince and dropped back. Our private Ephesus tour from Kuşadası and Selçuk page explains how a private day works.

By public minibus from Selçuk. Minibuses to Şirince leave from the Selçuk bus station (otogar). According to the independent Turkey Travel Planner guide, they run about every 30 minutes from April to October, about every 20 minutes on busy summer weekends, and less often from November to mid-March. That guide was last updated in 2021, so treat the frequency as a rough idea and ask at the otogar about the last minibus back down. Kuşadası has its own minibuses to Selçuk, which makes a two-leg public trip possible from the resort.

By taxi. Taxis are available in Selçuk and Kuşadası. Agree the fare, and the waiting time in the village, before you set off.

Driving yourself. Possible, but parking near the village entrance can be tight on busy days, and the inner lanes are cobbled, narrow and steep. The cobbles get slippery after rain, which a Hürriyet Daily News visitor's report also warned about.

What you will find when you arrive

Our Şirince village guide covers the village's history in depth. The short version: Şirince is a well-preserved 19th-century Greek hill village, once called Kırkınca or Çirkince. Its Greek villagers left in the Greek–Turkish population exchange agreed at Lausanne in 1923, and Turkish families from Thessaloniki and Kavala were settled in the village from 1924, according to a 2012 Dokuz Eylül University study. In 1926 it was renamed Şirince, meaning "pleasant". Today it has only a few hundred residents: Wikipedia gives 456 for 2022.

What that means for a visit:

• Expect slopes. Rows of whitewashed houses with wooden shutters and tiled roofs sit on parallel terraces on a steep valley side, about 350 to 400 metres above sea level, depending on the source. Every walk is up or down.
• Start at the squares. The centre, in the valley bottom, is made up of two squares, Çınarlı Meydan and Çeşme Meydanı, joined by a lane of shops and cafés. This is where many of the cafés and wine shops are.
• It is a living village. Many old houses are now guesthouses or shops selling local produce, but people still farm olives and fruit on the slopes around. Be respectful with cameras at people's doors.

In 2023 the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) named Şirince one of the year's Best Tourism Villages, according to Türkiye's official tourism portal.

The churches of St Demetrius and St John the Baptist

Şirince has two old Greek churches, and a walk between them takes you through the most interesting part of the village.

St Demetrius (the Lower Church). This is the first building you notice as you arrive: a church on a rise, shaded by a large pine. Opposite it stands the old village school, a 19th-century neoclassical building now used as a restaurant. From the school there is a view across the whole village.

St John the Baptist (the Upper Church). A lane links St Demetrius to the second church, known locally as the Yukarı Kilise, the Upper Church. In the past this lane was the village market, lined with houses that had shops on the ground floor, and the same study describes it as the route most visitors use. We could not confirm current opening times for the interior, so check on the day; the setting at the top of the village is reason enough to walk up.

Neither church is on the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's list of paid sites, and there is no fee to enter the village.

Fruit wines, olive oil and what to buy

Şirince is best known for sweet fruit wines. Türkiye's official tourism portal describes them as being made from nearly every fruit grown in the area. A Hürriyet Daily News visitor listed strawberry, raspberry, orange, kiwi, banana and apple, and shop owners usually let you taste before you buy. Most of them are sweet; the village also has a tradition of grape growing and winemaking, so ask for grape wines if you prefer something drier.

Other things worth buying:

• Olive oil. The village and the valley around it produce Aegean olive oil, and the harvest falls in autumn.
• Jams and sherbets made from the same garden fruit.
• Lunch. Village restaurants and the old school building serve home-style Aegean food.

If wine is the main point of your day, our private wine tasting tour from Kuşadası visits two wineries and the ancient city of Teos in 8 to 9 hours, from $300 per person. It does not go to Şirince; it suits people who would rather taste grape wines at the wineries. All our wine days are on the wine tours page.

Combining Şirince with Ephesus in one day

Şirince on its own is a half-day at most. Combined with Ephesus, it makes a full and easy day. A typical order from Kuşadası:

1. Morning: Ephesus. The site opens at 08:00 every day and closes at 18:00, with the ticket office closing at 17:30, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's muze.gov.tr page in November 2026; hours can change with the season. Going early means cooler air and fewer people. The main ticket is €45 for foreign visitors from 1 April 2027 under the ministry's new tariff; our Ephesus entrance fees page has every current and 2027 price.
2. Optional stop: the Terrace Houses. The covered Roman houses on the slope above Curetes Street need a separate ticket, €16 from 1 April 2027. Read our Terrace Houses guide to decide.
3. Midday: the House of the Virgin Mary or Selçuk. Some guests add the House of the Virgin Mary on the hill above Ephesus, or the Ephesus Archaeological Museum (€11 from April 2027) and St John's Basilica on Ayasuluk Hill (€7 from April 2027) in Selçuk.
4. Afternoon: Şirince. Lunch in the village, a walk up to the churches and a wine tasting, then back down to Kuşadası.

St John's Basilica in Selçuk is often confused with the Şirince church because of the name. The basilica on Ayasuluk Hill is the large ruined church traditionally linked to the tomb of St John the Apostle and is a paid ministry site. The church in Şirince is dedicated to John the Baptist and is a small village church.

Timing for cruise passengers

Is there time for both Ephesus and Şirince before the ship leaves? Usually yes, if the ship is in port for a full day, but the order and the buffer matter more than the distance.

• Work back from all-aboard time. The drive from Şirince to Kuşadası port is about half an hour, but leave a generous margin for the winding hill road, traffic in Selçuk and a crowded village car park.
• Do Ephesus first. If time gets short, it is Şirince you cut, not Ephesus.
• Avoid the late-morning rush at Ephesus when several ships are in. Entering at opening time or after lunch usually means smaller crowds on Curetes Street.
• Check your cruise line's rules on alcohol before you buy bottles to take back on board.

Our Kuşadası cruise port to Ephesus page covers the port itself, and the Kuşadası shore excursions page compares the main days out from the ship, including Pamukkale and Pergamon. For a quieter day of ancient sites, see Priene, Miletus and Didyma.

When to go and how long to stay

Summer afternoons in this part of the Aegean are hot. Long-term averages from the Turkish State Meteorological Service put the average July high at 33.3°C in İzmir. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons for walking the steep lanes.

Plan on about two hours in the village: lunch, a slow walk up to St John the Baptist, a tasting and some shopping. Weekends are usually busier with day visitors than weekdays. If you are staying in the area rather than arriving by ship, our Kuşadası hotels for Ephesus page and our list of things to do in Kuşadası help you plan the rest of your stay. Those coming from İzmir can read Ephesus tour from İzmir.

Tours that cover this

• Ephesus shore excursion from Kuşadası: Şirince village with private guide: 9 to 10 hours, from $300 per person.
• Ephesus day tour from Kuşadası and Selçuk with lunch and guide: from $127 per person.
• Private Ephesus tour: full day with guide and van: 6 to 8 hours, from $300 per person.
• Ephesus shore excursion from Kuşadası port, private with on-time return: 6 to 8 hours, from $300 per person.

All our departures in the region are on the Ephesus and Kuşadası tours page, and our Şirince village guide has more on the village itself.

Frequently Asked Questions