Cruising The Holy Land: Ephesus, Turkey

From our series, Cruising The Holy Land: The Top 10 destinations for historical interest, lovely landscapes, super shopping, spectacular cities and village life experiences.

Turkey’s Ephesus, a crossroads at a critical time in the early development of both the Roman empire and the Christian religion, is one of those travel destinations that manages to live up to all the hype. In the early years of the Roman empire, Ephesus was second in importance only to Rome, and at the same time, the city hosted Paul and other early Christians who contributed books to the Holy Bible. As a result, the once-splendid Ephesus, which had a population approaching 500,000 in the year 100, contains probably the largest collection of Roman ruins at the eastern end of the Mediterranean, which is why the archeological site is a favorite attraction for international travelers as well as locals.

Cruise passengers disembark in Kusadasi to get to Ephesus, and once they’ve had their fill of ruins, Kusadasi offers several entertaining possibilities. A small fishing village up to the recent growth of Ephesus tourism, the town has numerous cafes where travelers can enjoy the sea view and sip either coffee and wine. The shopping opportunities for rugs, leather products and jewelry, especially in the shops in the old town, where you will find busy markets and traditional Turkish baths – and a few vendors trying to sell rugs.

Who cruises there? Azamara, Celebrity, Cunard, Holland America, P&O, Oceania, Princess, Regent Seven Seas, Royal Caribbean, Silversea.