Should you bring your kids to Ancient Ephesus? When our cruise stopped in beautifully exotic city of Kusadasi, Turkey, we couldn’t resist a excursion to the ancient Greek city. First settled in the 10th century BC by Greek colonists, Ephesus became one of the most historical and important cities of the ancient Roman Empire. I was determined to see it and we decided to bring the kids along for the ride!
The site has two entrances and typically you start at the upper Magnesia Gate and walk downhill to the lower Harbor Gate. Walk down the marble paved streets and through history. One of the things that makes Ephesus so revered from an archaeological perspective is the fact that much of the ancient city is still buried and well preserved. Experts estimate that just fifteen percent of the city has been uncovered, which gives visitors an idea of just how vast Ephesus was for its time.
One of the most exciting parts of the tour for us was seeing the Great Theater of Ephesus. This magnificent theater is built into the side of a hill and has a seating capacity of 25,000 (mentioned in Acts 19). It was simply overwhelming.
When we visited the fees were as follows:
Ephesus Entrance Fee: 25 Lira (Approximately 12 USD)
Terrace Houses Fee: 15 Lira (Approximately 7 USD)
You will need at least 3 hours to tour the city and see the terrace houses. Plan on half a day, if you can.
In 2013, our tour was €62 for adults and €41 for children (which included admission to Ephesus and the Terrace houses). You NEED to be able to walk on slippery surfaces and strollers would be difficult.
A few tips:
- BRING WATER. We were there in late June and the temps were in the upper 90s. There is no shade, no air conditioning, no fans. You are standing on reflective white stones. Its hot. Really hot. And there is nowhere to buy water once you are inside, so buy more than you need. We ran out about half way down and it was no joke. Water and such is available at both gates.
- WEAR A HAT & SUNGLASSES. And bring sunscreen. See above. Especially sunglasses. You’ll notice we are ALL wearing sunglasses in every picture. The stone is highly reflective, so it is painfully bright.
- NO BATHROOMS. There are no restrooms inside the gates. Plan accordingly. You’ll be drinking a LOT, but sweating… our girls just made it to the lower gate and our 5-year-old son… well… let’s just say he had to find a tree inside…. Younger kids may have a problem with this part!
- HIRE A TOUR GUIDE. Yes, there are signs and labels. But our tour guide showed and told us so much more than we would have ever found out! It was truly fascinating and even the kids were riveted by her stories! Absolutely worth it!
- BOOK EARLY. This tour booked up on our ship, so we were really glad we booked it right away! Its a popular one!
- SPEND TIME. We were on a cruise, so we only had a set amount of time to be in Ephesus. We honestly could have stayed twice as long. There was so much more to see!
- PREPARE THE KIDS. We told our kids upfront. You WILL be hot. You WILL be tired. You WILL get sick of looking at broken rocks. But it WILL be worth it! And even though it was a long day, they agreed! I think it was worth taking them – and would do it again. But I think they were just old enough and wouldn’t go much younger (at least not in summer!).
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