Viking Star is listed at Kuşadası in November and December 2026, times not announced. What the Temple of Artemis really looks like and how it fits your day.
Viking Star is listed at Kuşadası on four November dates and one December date in 2026 in the port schedule we follow, and for now every one of them reads the same way: times not announced. That leaves you free to think about what you want from the day before you know how long it will be. If the words Seven Wonders of the Ancient World are part of why Kuşadası caught your eye, this page is for you, because the Temple of Artemis is the stop where expectations and reality differ most.
The Temple of Artemis as you will find it
The Artemision was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. That is the reputation that travels. What you will actually see, on the edge of Selçuk, is a single re-erected column standing in a low field that is often marshy. There is no rebuilt temple, no roof and no hall to walk through. The column and the open ground around it are the site.
Knowing that in advance changes the visit for the better. If you expect a grand monument, you may feel let down. If you arrive knowing you will see one column marking where a wonder once stood, it can be quietly moving, and it makes a good photograph against the sky. Plan on about 10 to 20 minutes. It is a photo stop more than a long visit, and there is nothing to gain by staying an hour.
Where it sits on your route
The temple field is about 5 to 10 minutes by car from Ephesus, on the Selçuk side. That short hop is why it fits so easily between the two other stops most people want. You come out of Ephesus at the lower gate, your driver is waiting, and a few minutes later you are standing by the column. From there, Selçuk town is right beside you, and Şirince is about 15 to 20 minutes up the hill if your day is long enough.
If you want more than one column
The finds that explain what the temple meant are not in the field. The Ephesus Museum in Selçuk holds objects from the excavations, including statues of Artemis. On a long call you can add it as an optional extra and see the goddess the temple was built for. Check current opening hours before you count on it.
When to drop it
If your Viking Star call turns out to be short, the temple is the first stop to let go. Ephesus deserves its full 2 to 2.5 hours, and 15 minutes saved here can be the margin that gets you back to the ship without hurrying. Your driver can tell you on the day whether there is time for a quick look on the way back.
Shaping the day when Viking confirms the hours
Once the arrival and departure are published, count back from the departure. You want to be at the port at least 60 minutes before it, or earlier if the all-aboard time printed on board says so. Leaving the ship and reaching your taxi at the port exit takes roughly 15 to 30 minutes.
A stay that leaves you about 4 hours of real time is an Ephesus morning, with the Temple of Artemis only if the clock is kind. If you have about 5 to 5.5 hours port to port, the natural line is Ephesus, then the House of the Virgin Mary in the hills above the upper gate, then the column on the edge of Selçuk. A day that allows about 7.5 to 8.5 hours port to port takes all four, with Şirince as the lunch stop and roughly 35 to 40 minutes for the drive back. Send us the times for your date when you have them and we will say plainly which of these fits.
Viking Star dates on our list
- गुरु, 5 नव॰ · समय घोषित नहीं हुआ
- बुध, 11 नव॰ · समय घोषित नहीं हुआ
- मंगल, 17 नव॰ · समय घोषित नहीं हुआ
- सोम, 23 नव॰ · समय घोषित नहीं हुआ
- गुरु, 17 दिस॰ · समय घोषित नहीं हुआ
We take these dates from the port schedule we follow. Lines can change times or calls, so check your own cruise documents. The Viking Star ship page covers the port pickup for this ship.
Paying the driver and the rest
Your licensed yellow taxi waits at the port exit, you agree the stop order with the driver, and the car stays with you until you are back at the ship. Payment is in cash to the driver, as there is no card in the taxi. Your entrance tickets, lunch and drinks are separate, paid at each site or café as you go. When you write to us, give the ship name, your date, your party size and anything you want to see or skip. More on how the service works is on our cruise transfer page.
The basic ride is the port to Ephesus and back; the Temple of Artemis, the House of the Virgin Mary and Şirince are extra-charge stops. A short photo stop at the column still counts as one, so include it when you book.