Celebrity Ascent is in Kuşadası 08:00 to 18:00 on every call in 2026 and 2027. Build a yellow taxi day around Ephesus with Şirince as your lunch stop.
Celebrity Ascent calls at Kuşadası in October 2026 and again from May to September 2027 in the port schedule we follow, and every time the window is the same: in at 08:00, out at 18:00. Ten hours is enough for Ephesus and the sights around it, with one stop that most short calls have to skip. That stop is Şirince, and on this ship's timetable it fits neatly in the middle of the afternoon. You pick up a licensed yellow taxi at the port exit, agree the order of stops with your driver, and the car waits for you at each one.
Celebrity Ascent dates
- गुरु, 22 अक्टू॰ · 08:00–18:00
- शनि, 8 मई · 08:00–18:00
- गुरु, 27 मई · 08:00–18:00
- शनि, 19 जून · 08:00–18:00
- गुरु, 8 जुल॰ · 08:00–18:00
- गुरु, 19 अग॰ · 08:00–18:00
- शनि, 11 सित॰ · 08:00–18:00
- गुरु, 30 सित॰ · 08:00–18:00
We take these times from the port schedule we follow. Cruise lines sometimes change them, so the times in your own cruise documents are the ones that count. Our rule is to have you back at the port at least 60 minutes before the ship leaves, which on a normal Ascent day means 17:00. Should your all-aboard time on board be earlier, we plan backwards from that.
Şirince up close: why it makes the best lunch stop
Şirince is a village on the hillside about 8 km above Selçuk, roughly 15 to 20 minutes' drive from the Selçuk side of Ephesus. After a morning on hot, open marble, the change is noticeable: narrow lanes, old stone houses and the feeling of a lived-in place rather than an archaeological site.
What you can do in an hour or so
- Taste fruit wines. Tasting shops line the main lanes and offer local fruit wines to try before you buy.
- Look for olive-oil soaps. They are one of the village's typical products and pack easily in a suitcase.
- Visit the Church of St John the Baptist. It belongs to the old village and is worth the short walk.
- Sit down for lunch. This is the stop where a meal makes most sense on an Ascent day, rather than eating in a rush near Ephesus.
Plan on one to one and a half hours here. That is long enough to walk the lanes, have a tasting and eat without watching the clock.
Shoes and the cobbles
The streets of Şirince are steep and paved with uneven cobbles. Wear shoes with a real grip, the same pair that will already have done Ephesus that morning. If anyone in your party finds slopes hard, tell the driver: they can set you down as close to the centre as the road allows, and you can keep your walk to the flatter lanes.
Where Şirince sits in the day
Because the village is on the far side of Selçuk from the port, it works best as the last stop. The drive back down to the ship is about 35 to 40 minutes, so you leave Şirince with the return already in mind.
Your 08:00 to 18:00 day, clock by clock
All four stops take about 7.5 to 8.5 hours from port to port. Starting around 08:30 and finishing by 17:00 gives you eight and a half hours, so the full set fits, with lunch in Şirince. These timings are approximate and traffic can stretch them.
- 08:00–08:30: leave the ship and find the taxi at the port exit
- 08:30–09:15: drive into the hills to the House of the Virgin Mary
- 09:15–09:55: the House of the Virgin Mary, a small stone house on Bülbüldağı and a place of pilgrimage; keep quiet inside and leave the camera off there
- 10:10–12:30: Ephesus, entering at the upper gate and leaving through the lower one, where the driver is waiting
- 12:40–13:00: Temple of Artemis, now a lone column in a field at the edge of Selçuk
- 13:20–15:15: Şirince, with lunch
- about 15:55: back at the port, with roughly an hour in hand before 17:00
If your group would rather skip Şirince, Ephesus with the House of the Virgin Mary and the Temple of Artemis takes about 5 to 5.5 hours, and you are back on board by early afternoon. Inside Ephesus, the Terrace Houses are an extra with their own ticket.
Cash, tickets and your first message
Bring cash for the driver, since the taxi takes no cards. Entrance tickets, lunch and the wine you taste in Şirince are your own to pay on the spot. Opening hours and entrance fees move with the season, so check current hours shortly before your call.
To reserve, send us the ship name, the date, the size of your party and anything you especially want, such as a longer lunch or a must-see. Our Celebrity Ascent page covers the port pickup for this ship and read how the pickup works on the cruise transfer page.
Şirince, the House of the Virgin Mary and the Temple of Artemis sit outside the basic port-Ephesus-port ride and are charged extra. Mention them in your first message so the whole day is booked together.