Things to Do in Kuşadası: Ephesus, Şirince, Beaches and Day Trips

The best things to do in Kuşadası are a day at Ephesus, about 19 km away, an afternoon in the hill village of Şirince, a walk out to Pigeon Island and through the old quarter, a swim at Ladies Beach or in the Dilek Peninsula national park, and a day trip south to Priene, Miletus and Didyma. Most visitors need three to four days to cover the essentials without rushing. For the one day almost everyone plans first, our private Ephesus tour with guide and van costs from $300 per person.

Kuşadası is a resort town and a cruise port on the Aegean coast, and it is the closest large base to Ephesus. The town itself is small enough to walk, so the list below starts in the centre and moves outwards, with realistic distances and the time each thing takes.

Kuşadası at a glance: what is where

Road distances measured on OpenStreetMap routing from the harbour area.

In town: Pigeon Island, the old quarter and the harbour

Pigeon Island (Güvercinada). A small rocky island joined to the mainland by a causeway at the southern end of the harbour, with the walls of a small fortress on top. The walk out takes ten minutes from the cruise port. Come in the early evening, when the light is soft and you can see the whole bay with the town on the hills behind. The name Kuşadası means "bird island", after this rock.

Kaleiçi. The old quarter rises behind the harbour, with narrow lanes, old stone and timber houses, small mosques and courtyard cafés. It is quieter than the seafront and gives a sense of the town before the hotels arrived. Wear comfortable shoes; some lanes are steep.

The caravanserai. Near the harbour stands the 17th-century caravanserai of Öküz Mehmet Paşa, a stone inn built for traders, with heavy walls and an inner courtyard. Even from the outside it shows how important the port was in Ottoman times.

The seafront and Bar Street. The promenade along the bay is the town's evening walk, with fish restaurants and ice-cream shops. Barlar Sokağı, Bar Street, is where the nightlife is in summer.

Ephesus, the reason most people come

Ephesus is the best-preserved Roman city in the eastern Mediterranean, and Kuşadası is about 19 km from the lower gate. Plan two and a half to three hours inside the site, more if you visit the Terrace Houses, the covered excavation of Roman town houses with wall paintings and mosaics.

The site is open every day from 08:00 to 18:00, with the ticket office closing at 17:30, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The entrance fee for foreign visitors is €40 until 31 March 2027 and €45 from 1 April 2027, and the Terrace Houses cost €15 now and €16 from April. Our Ephesus entrance fees page lists every ticket and combined pass.

Two tips from our guides. First, go early or late: cruise passengers fill the square in front of the Library of Celsus in the late morning. Second, enter at the upper gate and leave at the lower one, so you walk downhill the whole way. That needs a driver waiting at the bottom, which is one reason many visitors book a private tour. Our private Ephesus tour from Kuşadası and Selçuk page explains how the day works.

Selçuk: the museum, St John's and the Temple of Artemis

Selçuk is the small town right next to Ephesus, and it has three stops that fit well into the same day as the ruins:

• The Ephesus Archaeological Museum. The two marble statues of Artemis, the finds from the Terrace Houses and a room of everyday objects. About an hour. €11 from April 2027.
• St John's Basilica on Ayasuluk Hill. The ruins of the great church built over the traditional tomb of St John the Apostle, with views over the plain. About 45 minutes. €7 from April 2027.
• The Temple of Artemis. Once one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, now a single re-erected column in a field. A ten-minute stop.

On the hill above Ephesus is the House of the Virgin Mary, a small stone chapel in the woods that is a place of pilgrimage for Christians and Muslims. It is about 6 km by road from the upper gate of Ephesus and charges its own entrance fee at the gate.

Şirince: lunch in the hills

Şirince is a village about 8 km uphill from Selçuk, among olive groves and orchards. Its stone houses, steep lanes and shops selling fruit wine, olive oil soap and local preserves make it the most popular lunch stop after Ephesus. Try the fruit wines in a tasting shop before you buy a bottle, and walk up past the old church for the view over the rooftops.

Şirince gets busy around midday in summer, when tour groups arrive. Late afternoon is calmer. Our Ephesus and Şirince shore excursion combines both in 9 to 10 hours, from $300 per person.

Beaches and the Dilek Peninsula national park

Kuşadası is a resort town, and the beaches are part of the trip.

• Ladies Beach (Kadınlar Denizi). The town's best-known sandy beach, about 4 km south of the harbour, lined with cafés and sunbeds. Easy by taxi or minibus.
• Pamucak. A long, open sandy beach on the coast west of Selçuk, quieter than the town beaches and convenient after a morning at Ephesus.
• The Dilek Peninsula national park. About 26 km south, near Güzelçamlı. A protected stretch of mountain, forest and clear bays where the Büyük Menderes river meets the sea. The bays inside the park are the cleanest water near Kuşadası, and Zeus Cave at Güzelçamlı, a small cave with a cold, clear pool close to the park entrance, is a cool stop on a hot day. Go on a weekday in summer; Turkish families fill it at weekends.

The swimming season runs from June to September for most people. Air temperatures are high: the long-term average high in nearby İzmir is 30.8°C in June and 33.3°C in July, according to the Turkish State Meteorological Service.

Day trips south: Priene, Miletus and Didyma

If you have already seen Ephesus, the three Ionian sites south of Kuşadası make a strong second day. Priene, about 40 km away, is a small hillside town laid out on a grid, with a theatre and the columns of the Temple of Athena under a cliff. Miletus, about an hour's drive, has one of the largest theatres in Anatolia. Didyma, a little further, has the enormous Temple of Apollo, where a few columns still stand at full height.

Ticket prices are low compared with Ephesus: from 1 April 2027, Priene costs €5, Miletus €7 and Didyma €7 for foreign visitors. Our Priene, Miletos and Didyma day tour from Kuşadası and Selçuk costs from $293 per person.

Longer days out: Pamukkale, Pergamon and the wineries

From Kuşadası you can also reach some of Turkey's best-known sites in a long day:

• Pamukkale and Hierapolis. The white travertine terraces and the Roman spa city above them, about 195 km inland. Our Pamukkale day trip from Kuşadası and Selçuk costs from $117 per person.
• Pergamon. The Acropolis with its steep theatre and the healing sanctuary of the Asclepion, about 200 km north. Our Pergamon tour from Kuşadası port takes 8 to 9 hours, from $600 per person.
• Aegean wineries. Our Kuşadası wine tasting tour visits two wineries and the ancient city of Teos in 8 to 9 hours, from $300 per person. Our wine tours page lists other options.

How many days to spend in Kuşadası

• One day: Ephesus in the morning, the House of the Virgin Mary, lunch in Şirince.
• Two days: add the Selçuk museum and St John's, then an afternoon on the beach.
• Three days: add Priene, Miletus and Didyma, or the Dilek Peninsula.
• Four days or more: add Pamukkale or Pergamon, a winery day, or simply more time by the sea.

For where to stay, see our Kuşadası hotels for Ephesus guide. Arriving by air? Read İzmir Airport to Kuşadası for the transfer options, or, if you are coming by ship, Kuşadası cruise port to Ephesus. Our Ephesus and Kuşadası destination guide covers the whole region.

Tours that cover this

• Private Ephesus tour: full day with guide and van: 6 to 8 hours, from $300 per person.
• Ephesus day tour from Kuşadası and Selçuk with lunch and guide: from $127 per person.
• Priene, Miletos and Didyma day tour from Kuşadası and Selçuk: from $293 per person.
• Pamukkale day trip from Kuşadası and Selçuk with Hierapolis: from $117 per person.

All our tours in the area are on the Ephesus and Kuşadası tours page.

Frequently Asked Questions