Marella Discovery with Kids: Yellow Taxi to Ephesus

Marella Discovery leaves Kuşadası at 18:00 on both October 2026 calls. A family plan by yellow taxi: child seats, shade and water, and a kinder stop order.

Marella Discovery calls at Kuşadası twice in October 2026 in the port schedule we follow, on a Sunday and a Saturday, and both days end with an 18:00 departure. If you are travelling with children, plan around that 18:00 more than the arrival time. Tired children and a hard deadline do not mix well, so this plan leaves slack.

Two October calls

Both calls come from the port schedule we follow, and Marella can change times, so check your cruise documents. Be back at the port at least 60 minutes before departure, which means by 17:00. If the all-aboard time printed on board is earlier, go by that instead.

Seeing Ephesus with children

Ephesus is the reason most families leave the ship here. It is also the part of the day that asks the most of small legs. With a private taxi you set the pace, and you can turn back early without holding anyone up.

Tell us ages; ask for a child seat

When you book, tell us how many children are coming and how old they are. If you need a child seat, ask for it in the booking. It is arranged on request, so the driver needs to know beforehand rather than at the port exit.

Shade, water, hats and snacks

The walk through Ephesus is long and has very little shade. The marble paving has been polished smooth over the centuries, and it can be slippery. Before you leave the ship, pack the following:

• Water for everyone, more than you think you need
• Sun hats and sunscreen, even in October
• Snacks the children already like, for the long walk between the gates
• Trainers or sandals with real grip, not smooth soles
• A carrier for toddlers; the ground is uneven for a pushchair

A stop order that is easier on children

Do Ephesus first, while everyone is fresh and the morning is cooler. The driver drops you at the upper gate, and you walk mostly downhill along Curetes Street to the Library of Celsus and the Great Theatre. The driver waits at the lower gate, so nobody has to climb back up. The Great Theatre is a good place to let children sit on the steps and rest for a while.

Next comes the Temple of Artemis, about 5 to 10 minutes away. It is a single column standing in a field, so it is quick: a photo, a story about one of the Seven Wonders, and back in the car. After that, choose one: the quiet House of the Virgin Mary in the hills, where visitors keep silent and dress modestly, or the village of Şirince, where children can wander the cobbled lanes and you can stop for lunch.

Why four stops is too much with a family here

All four places together take about 7.5 to 8.5 hours port to port. On 11 October you would leave the port at about 09:30 and need to be back by 17:00, which leaves no slack at all. On 17 October it only just fits on paper. With children, that is a day spent hurrying, so we suggest three stops.

Family clock plans for both calls

11 October (09:00 arrival)

• About 09:30: off the ship and out to the taxi (allow 15 to 30 minutes)
• About 10:00 to 12:15: Ephesus, upper gate to lower gate, at a child's pace
• About 12:25: Temple of Artemis, a short stop
• About 13:10 to 13:50: House of the Virgin Mary, or go straight back to the port
• About 14:35: back at the port, more than two hours before the 17:00 cut-off

17 October (08:00 arrival)

• About 08:30: off the ship and out to the taxi
• About 09:00 to 11:15: Ephesus, before the day warms up
• About 11:25: Temple of Artemis
• About 12:05 to 13:30: Şirince for lunch and a wander
• About 14:10: back at the port

Check current opening hours at each site before an early start, since they change by season.

Before the family leaves the ship

• The driver is paid in cash; the taxi takes no cards.
• Entrance fees, food and drinks are not included and are paid at the sites. Ask at each ticket desk about children's entry.
• Send us the ship name, the date, how many adults and children are coming, the children's ages, any child seat you need, and the stops you have chosen.

Port pickup for this ship is described on our Marella Discovery page. For a simple run from the port to Ephesus and back, book the cruise port Ephesus taxi.

The basic ride is the port to Ephesus and back. The Temple of Artemis, the House of the Virgin Mary and Şirince in the plans above are extra-charge stops; tell us which ones the family wants.