Celebrity Infinity in Kuşadası: A Long Day by Yellow Taxi

Celebrity Infinity stays in Kuşadası ten to twelve hours on most calls in 2026 and 2027: room for all four stops by yellow taxi and a slow lunch in Selçuk.

Celebrity Infinity gives you some of the longest port days we see in Kuşadası. In the port schedule we follow, from October 2026 through the 2027 season, most calls run from 08:00 to 18:00, a few start at 07:00, and some stay until 19:00 or 20:00. That leaves room for something most cruise days here cannot fit: all four classic stops around Ephesus and a lunch you do not have to rush.

A licensed yellow taxi meets you at the port exit, you talk the day through with the driver and choose the order of stops. The driver waits while you visit and brings you back to the ship.

When Celebrity Infinity is in port

These times come from the port schedule we follow, and the cruise line can still move them, so compare them with your own cruise documents. Aim to be back at the port at least 60 minutes before departure: by 17:00 on an 18:00 day, by 19:00 on a 20:00 day. If the all-aboard time printed on board is earlier, that earlier time is the one to work to.

A long day ashore: four stops, a long lunch and Selçuk as your base

With this much time, the question is pacing. Treat Selçuk, the small town beside Ephesus, as the middle of your day: most stops are a few minutes' drive from it, so the taxi does the short hops and you save your legs for the sites.

Morning: the hills, then Ephesus downhill

Head up to the House of the Virgin Mary first. This small stone house on Bülbüldağı, in the hills above Ephesus, is a pilgrimage place for Catholics and is respected by Muslims as well. Popes Paul VI (1967), John Paul II (1979) and Benedict XVI (2006) all came here. Inside it is quiet, photos are not allowed and modest dress is expected. Below the house are the wishing wall, where visitors tie notes, and taps of spring water. Allow 30 to 45 minutes.

From there it is about 15 minutes down to the upper gate of Ephesus. Your driver drops you at the top and waits at the lower gate, so you walk mostly downhill along Curetes Street, past the Temple of Hadrian, to the Library of Celsus and the Great Theatre. Give it two to two and a half hours. The Terrace Houses, a covered excavation inside the site, need a separate ticket if you want to see them.

Midday: a proper lunch in Selçuk

After a shadeless morning in Ephesus, a sit-down meal feels earned. Selçuk is roughly five to ten minutes from the lower gate, and on a call this long nobody hurries you. Afterwards, several sights sit close together:

• Temple of Artemis: one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, today a single re-erected column in a low, often marshy field on the edge of town. Plan 10 to 20 minutes; it is a photo stop more than a visit.
• Basilica of St John on Ayasuluk Hill: an optional extra if you enjoy ruins with a view over the town.
• İsa Bey Mosque, just below the hill: easy to add on the way back to the car.
• Ephesus Museum: finds from the ancient city, including Artemis statues, for context on what you walked through in the morning.

Pick the extras that interest you, tell the driver, and check current opening hours first.

Late afternoon: Şirince at an easy pace

Finish in Şirince, a hillside village about 8 km above Selçuk. Its old stone houses, fruit-wine tasting shops, olive-oil soaps and the Church of St John the Baptist suit the slower end of a long day. Expect steep cobbles underfoot, and eat here if you skipped lunch in Selçuk.

How a long day can run

On a 20:00 departure, one way to shape it; drive times are approximate and traffic-dependent.

• 08:00–08:45: off the ship and through the port exit to your taxi (allow longer when the port is busy)
• 08:45–09:30: drive up to the House of the Virgin Mary
• 09:30–10:15: House of the Virgin Mary
• 10:30–13:00: Ephesus, upper gate to lower gate
• 13:10–14:30: lunch in Selçuk
• 14:30–15:45: Temple of Artemis plus any Selçuk extras you picked
• 16:05–17:35: Şirince
• about 18:15: back at the port, ahead of the 19:00 cut-off

On the more common 18:00 departures your cut-off moves to 17:00. Drop the Selçuk extras or leave Şirince a little earlier and the same outline still works.

Before you step off Celebrity Infinity

• Keep cash handy for the driver, as cards cannot be used in the car.
• Entrance fees, food and drinks are not included and are paid at each place.
• Opening hours and entry fees change with the season, so look them up close to your date.
• When you get in touch, send the ship name, your date, how many of you there are and what you most want to see.

Port pickup for this ship is covered on our Celebrity Infinity page, and the port round trip itself is on the Ephesus taxi from the cruise port page. On the day, your driver waits with a name sign at the cruise port exit.

Keep in mind that the basic ride is the port to Ephesus and back; the House of the Virgin Mary, the Temple of Artemis, Şirince and the Selçuk extras cost extra. Name them when you book so the day is agreed in full.