Star Legend in Kuşadası: A Split Day by Yellow Taxi

Star Legend sails from Kuşadası at 23:00 on every call in 2026 and 2027. Use the long day for Ephesus in the morning, a rest on board, then Şirince later.

Every Star Legend call in the port schedule we follow ends the same way: the ship sails at 23:00. The calls run in October 2026, then in spring and September 2027, and the mornings are what differ: some arrive at 10:00, some at 09:00 and some at 08:00. A late sailing like that lets you split the day in two, with a quiet break on board in the middle, and that is what this page plans around.

One late sailing, three arrival times

These times come from the port schedule we follow, and Windstar can change them, so check your own cruise documents. Our rule is simple: be back at the port at least 60 minutes before departure, which on a 23:00 sailing means by 22:00. An earlier all-aboard time printed on board overrides this.

The split day: Ephesus first, Şirince or town later

Ephesus means open marble streets with very little shade, and midday is the hardest time to be there. On most port days you have no choice. On a Star Legend day you do. See the ancient city in the morning, come back to the ship for lunch and a rest, then go out again when the light softens.

Morning leg: Ephesus, plus the Temple of Artemis if you like

Your driver waits at the port exit with a name sign. You talk the route through, and the driver drops you at the upper gate of Ephesus, about 25 to 30 minutes away. From there you walk mostly downhill along Curetes Street, past the Temple of Hadrian, to the Library of Celsus and the Great Theatre. The driver waits at the lower gate, so you never walk back uphill. A good visit takes about 2 to 2.5 hours.

The Temple of Artemis is about 5 to 10 minutes from Ephesus. Today it is a single re-erected column in a low, often marshy field, once one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Treat it as a short photo stop of 10 to 20 minutes on the way back.

Midday: lunch and a rest on board

The taxi brings you back to the port, and the afternoon heat happens while you are in the shade with your feet up.

Late leg: Şirince, or simply Kuşadası town

For a second ride, Şirince works well late in the day. It is a hillside village above Selçuk, roughly 35 to 40 minutes from the port, with old stone houses, shops offering fruit-wine tastings, olive-oil soaps and the Church of St John the Baptist. The lanes are steep and cobbled. An hour to an hour and a half is enough, and it makes a relaxed early dinner stop.

If one ride is enough for you, skip the second leg and spend the evening in Kuşadası itself, which sits right around the port.

The House of the Virgin Mary fits into the morning leg. It sits in the hills about 15 minutes above the upper gate, so the driver can take you there first and then drop you at Ephesus. Plan 30 to 45 minutes; dress modestly, and keep in mind that photos are not allowed inside the house.

Clock plans for each Star Legend arrival

10:00 arrivals

• About 10:30: off the ship and through the port exit (allow 15 to 30 minutes)
• About 11:00 to 13:15: Ephesus, upper gate to lower gate
• About 13:25: short stop at the Temple of Artemis
• About 14:05: back at the port, lunch and rest on board
• About 16:00: second pickup for Şirince, arriving around 16:40
• About 18:00: leave Şirince, back at the port around 18:40, well before 22:00

09:00 arrivals

The extra hour makes room for the House of the Virgin Mary in the morning leg. Off the ship around 09:30, at the house by about 10:15, at the Ephesus upper gate around 11:15, and out of the lower gate by about 13:30. After a quick look at the Temple of Artemis, you are back at the port by roughly 14:15. The afternoon then runs as above.

08:00 arrivals

With the earliest arrival you can drop the split and do all four stops in one ride. That takes about 7.5 to 8.5 hours port to port. Leave the port around 08:30 and you are back at roughly 16:30 to 17:00, with the whole evening in Kuşadası ahead of you. Or keep the split and enjoy a longer break between the two legs.

Before you step off Star Legend

• Payment is cash to the driver; there is no card machine in the taxi.
• Tickets, meals and drinks are on you: entrance fees are paid at each site and, like opening hours, change by season, so check current opening hours.
• The driver waits at the cruise port exit holding a sign with your name.
• When you book, send the ship name, the date, your party size, and if you want one ride or a split day with two pickup times.

See how pickup works on our Star Legend page, or book the straightforward port-Ephesus-port run on the Ephesus taxi from the cruise port page.

The basic booking covers the port, Ephesus and back. The Temple of Artemis, the House of the Virgin Mary and the Şirince ride in the afternoon come at an extra charge, so list them when you write to us.