Celestyal Discovery at Kuşadası: A Short-Call Yellow Taxi Plan

Celestyal Discovery stays five or six hours at Kuşadası, twice a week. A yellow taxi plan that fits Ephesus, plus the rare longer calls with room for more.

Celestyal Discovery comes into Kuşadası twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, in the port schedule we follow from October 2026 through the 2027 season, and almost always at 07:00. The catch is the departure: 13:00 on most calls, but 12:00 from late October 2026 through March 2027. Once you take off the hour you need to be back before sailing, that leaves four or five hours, or roughly 3.5 to 4.5 hours in the taxi once you are off the ship.

That is enough for one thing done properly. This page shows how to do that one thing well with a licensed yellow taxi, and it is straight about what does not fit.

What fits in five hours, and what does not

Ephesus fits. Şirince and the House of the Virgin Mary do not fit alongside it. Ephesus on its own takes about 3.5 to 4 hours port to port: roughly 25-30 minutes to the upper gate, about 2 to 2.5 hours on foot through the site, and 20-25 minutes back from the lower gate. Adding the House of the Virgin Mary pushes the day to about 4.5 to 5 hours, which leaves no safe margin on a 12:00 or 13:00 departure. Şirince needs an hour or more on its own plus the hill road, so it is out on these calls.

The one extra that sometimes fits is the Temple of Artemis on the edge of Selçuk, about 5-10 minutes from Ephesus. Today it is a single re-erected column in a low field, so a 5-10 minute photo stop is all it needs. Take it only if the clock says yes when you come out of the lower gate.

The fast route the driver uses

• Upper gate drop-off. The driver leaves you at the upper gate by the State Agora, so your walk runs mostly downhill.
• Curetes Street to the Library of Celsus. You pass the Temple of Hadrian on the way down, then reach the library and the Great Theatre.
• Lower gate pick-up. The driver is already waiting at the lower gate, so nobody climbs back uphill and no time is lost looking for the car.
• Straight back to the port, with the Artemis photo stop slotted in only if you are ahead of time.

Nobody waits for a group. The Terrace Houses inside Ephesus need a separate ticket and extra time; on a five-hour call, leave them out.

Clock times for a 07:00 arrival

Opening hours at Ephesus change by season, so check current opening hours before your day. If the gate opens later than you reach it, your walking time shrinks and the Artemis stop is the first thing to go.

Calls leaving at 13:00: back at the port by 12:00

• 07:00 ship arrives; by about 07:30 you are through the port exit and in the taxi
• about 08:00 upper gate of Ephesus
• 08:00-10:15 walk down to the Library of Celsus and the Great Theatre
• about 10:20 lower gate, then an optional Temple of Artemis photo stop
• about 11:05 back at the port, nearly an hour before your latest return

Calls leaving at 12:00: back at the port by 11:00

• about 07:30 in the taxi
• about 08:00 upper gate
• 08:00-10:00 a slightly quicker walk along the main street
• about 10:05 lower gate, straight to the port
• about 10:30 back at the port; skip Artemis unless you are clearly ahead

If the all-aboard time printed on board is earlier than your departure minus one hour, that time wins and every step moves forward.

The rare longer calls: 08:00 to 15:00 and 07:00 to 17:00

Two calls in our data break the pattern. Saturday 28 November 2026 runs from 08:00 to 15:00, seven hours with a return to the port by 14:00. Saturday 9 January 2027 is listed from 07:00 to 17:00, which leaves even more room. On either of these, Ephesus plus the House of the Virgin Mary becomes realistic. The plan below is for the 28 November call; on the January call, start half an hour earlier and keep the extra time in hand.

• about 08:30 in the taxi
• about 09:15 House of the Virgin Mary, in the hills above the upper gate; 30-45 minutes, quiet inside, modest dress
• about 10:10 upper gate of Ephesus, about 15 minutes down the hill
• 10:10-12:30 walk down to the lower gate
• about 12:40 Temple of Artemis photo stop if you want it
• about 13:20 back at the port, with time in hand

Şirince still does not fit on this day without rushing everything else.

Celestyal Discovery calls in Kuşadası

These dates come from the port schedule we follow. The line can change times, so check your own cruise documents.

How the port pickup works for this ship is on our Celestyal Discovery page.

Before you step off the ship

• Payment is in cash to the driver; there is no card machine in the taxi.
• Entrance fees, food and drinks are not included. You pay fees at the site, so check current prices and opening hours before you go.
• Sun and footing: Ephesus has very little shade and the polished marble can be slippery. Bring water, a hat and shoes with grip.
• To book, send us the ship name, the date, how many of you there are and what you want to see. The port to Ephesus and back booking page is set up for exactly this kind of short day.

On the short calls the basic port-Ephesus-port ride is all you need. If you add the House of the Virgin Mary or the Temple of Artemis on a longer call, those stops cost extra, so mention them when you book.