Celestyal Journey Sundays: Yellow Taxi Stop Orders Compared

Celestyal Journey calls on Sundays, 08:00 to 18:00, from October 2026 into 2027. Three yellow taxi stop orders for all four sights, compared.

Every Celestyal Journey call in the port schedule we follow falls on a Sunday, from October 2026 right through the 2027 season, and every one runs from 08:00 to 18:00. Ten hours alongside, with a return to the port by 17:00, is the kind of day where all four sights around Ephesus fit: Ephesus itself, the House of the Virgin Mary, the Temple of Artemis and the village of Şirince.

With that much room, the useful question is no longer whether they fit but in which order. Because the yellow taxi is yours for the day, you settle that with the driver at the port exit, not with a group leader. Here are three orders that work, and what each one gives up.

Three ways to order a Sunday around Ephesus

All three plans assume you are in the taxi at about 08:30, after roughly 15-30 minutes getting off the ship and through the port exit. All four stops take about 7.5 to 8.5 hours port to port at a comfortable pace, and the clock times below are on the brisk side of that. If you like to linger, move each time later: there is room until 17:00.

Order 1: Ephesus first while it is cool

• about 09:00 upper gate of Ephesus; walk down Curetes Street to the Library of Celsus and the Great Theatre
• about 11:15 lower gate; the driver takes you back up into the hills
• about 11:45 House of the Virgin Mary, 30-45 minutes
• about 12:50 Temple of Artemis, a 10-20 minute stop
• about 13:25 Şirince for lunch, 1 to 1.5 hours
• about 15:35 back at the port

Why choose it: the long, shadeless walk through Ephesus happens in the cooler part of the morning, and lunch comes when you are ready for it. What it gives up: plenty of other visitors have the same idea, and the drive from the lower gate back up to the House of the Virgin Mary doubles back on itself.

Order 2: the House of the Virgin Mary, then downhill to Ephesus

• about 09:15 House of the Virgin Mary
• about 10:10 upper gate of Ephesus, about 15 minutes down the hill; start the walk
• about 12:20 lower gate, then the Temple of Artemis
• about 13:05 Şirince for lunch
• about 15:15 back at the port

Why choose it: it follows the lie of the land. The House sits on the hill above the upper gate, so the route flows one way with no backtracking, and it leaves the most spare time of the three. What it gives up: you walk Ephesus late in the morning, which tends to be warmer and busier.

Order 3: Şirince early while the lanes are quiet

• about 09:10 Şirince, before the village fills up; an hour among the stone houses
• about 10:30 Temple of Artemis on the way down through Selçuk
• about 11:10 House of the Virgin Mary
• about 12:05 upper gate of Ephesus
• about 14:15 lower gate, back at the port around 14:40

Why choose it: Şirince's steep cobbled lanes are pleasant before the day's visitors arrive, and photos are easier. What it gives up: Ephesus lands in the middle of the day with the least shade, lunch becomes late or a snack, and some village shops may still be opening when you get there.

Picking the order that suits your group

If heat worries you, take Order 1. If you want the smoothest driving and the most time in hand, take Order 2. If the village is the part you are most looking forward to, take Order 3. You can also change your mind in the car: tell the driver at the start and the route is reworked on the spot.

Celestyal Journey Sundays in Kuşadası

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

Our Celestyal Journey page explains the port pickup for this ship. Whichever order you choose, be back at the port by 17:00, an hour before departure. If the all-aboard time printed on board is earlier, follow that instead.

Sunday details worth knowing before you go

• Opening hours at all four places change by season, so check current opening hours before your day.
• Cash only in the taxi: you pay the driver in cash; there is no card machine.
• Not included: entrance fees, food and drinks. In Şirince you will find fruit-wine tasting shops and olive-oil soaps if you want to take something home.
• At the House of the Virgin Mary: modest dress, quiet inside, and no photos inside the house.
• Booking: message us the ship name, the date, the number of people and the order you prefer. Our cruise transfer page explains how pick-up at the port works.

One thing to settle when you book: the basic ride is port to Ephesus and back, and the House of the Virgin Mary, the Temple of Artemis and Şirince are added at an extra charge. All three orders above include them, so name the stops you want in your message.