Oosterdam in Kusadasi 2026-27: Taxi Plan for Ephesus & Şirince

Holland America's Oosterdam is listed for nine Kusadasi calls in the next twelve months, and five of them fall on a Friday. Only the two October 2026 calls have published times: 9 October (08:00-17:00, nine hours) and 20 October (07:00-19:00, twelve hours). Both are long enough for a full private taxi loop, but they leave different amounts of slack.

Good to know: our standard cruise port taxi is the round trip to Ephesus. The House of the Virgin Mary, the Temple of Artemis and Şirince are not part of the Ephesus transfer; they can be added as extra stops for an additional charge. Tell us which ones you want when you book.

Nine hours versus twelve

Our planning estimate for the complete loop (port, House of the Virgin Mary, Ephesus upper gate to lower gate, Temple of Artemis, Şirince, back to the port) is about six and a half hours, with roughly 30 minutes more to get off the ship. Add our rule of being back at the port at least 60 minutes before departure (earlier if Holland America's all-aboard time is earlier) and the full loop needs about eight hours alongside.

9 October, 08:00-17:00. All four stops fit, with little to spare. Keep the visits close to the planning times: 45-60 minutes at the House of the Virgin Mary, about two hours walking Ephesus downhill, a short 15-20 minute stop at the Temple of Artemis and about an hour in Şirince. If you want the Terrace Houses at Ephesus (separate ticket, another 30-45 minutes), trade them for Şirince. Silver Nova is the only other ship in port that day.

20 October, 07:00-19:00. Twelve hours means you can take the Terrace Houses and still give Şirince an unhurried 90 minutes. An early 07:00 arrival also means you can reach the House of the Virgin Mary before most groups. Celestyal Discovery is in port the same day.

Traffic and queues vary, so treat every number here as an estimate rather than a timetable.

The 2027 Fridays

From May to September 2027 Oosterdam calls on 3 May (Monday), 5 May (Wednesday), 28 September (Tuesday) and on five Fridays: 11 June, 2 and 23 July, and 3 September. No times are announced yet. When they are, use this guide:

• 8 hours or more: all four stops.
• Around 6.5 hours: House of the Virgin Mary, Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis.
• Around 5 hours: Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis.
• Under 4.5 hours: a round trip to Ephesus is not safe.

For the three summer calls (11 June, 2 and 23 July) go to Ephesus as early as you can: the ancient street has very little shade and the valley around Selçuk gets hot. Sun Princess is in port on both July Fridays. The fuller days are 5 May (with Aurora and MSC Splendida), 3 September (Enchanted Princess and Norwegian Viva) and 28 September (Celestyal Discovery and Viking Neptune). On 3 May and 11 June Oosterdam is the only ship listed.

Oosterdam call schedule at Kusadasi

Date	Day	Arrives	Departs	Also in port that day
9 Oct 2026	Fri	08:00	17:00	Silver Nova
20 Oct 2026	Tue	07:00	19:00	Celestyal Discovery
3 May 2027	Mon	not announced	not announced	none listed
5 May 2027	Wed	not announced	not announced	Aurora, MSC Splendida
11 Jun 2027	Fri	not announced	not announced	none listed
2 Jul 2027	Fri	not announced	not announced	Sun Princess
23 Jul 2027	Fri	not announced	not announced	Sun Princess
3 Sep 2027	Fri	not announced	not announced	Enchanted Princess, Norwegian Viva
28 Sep 2027	Tue	not announced	not announced	Celestyal Discovery, Viking Neptune

Source: public port schedule data, checked 4 October 2026. Cruise lines change schedules; check your own cruise documents.

How an Oosterdam Kusadasi taxi works with us

Families and small groups travelling together are the usual case: one private car carries up to 8 passengers, and child seats are provided free when you give us the children's ages. Your driver waits at the port exit with a name sign, stays with the car at every stop and collects you at the Ephesus lower gate after dropping you at the upper one.

Two things are not part of the service: entrance tickets, which you buy at each site, and guiding, because this is transport only. There is no prepayment; you pay the driver in cash (EUR, USD or TL) at the end of the day. We are a local, D2-licensed transfer company.

Check seasonal opening hours for Ephesus on the official museums site, muze.gov.tr, before you sail.

Booking: send the call date, times, passenger numbers and children's ages via the cruise port taxi booking form. Our older Oosterdam shore day article covers what to look at inside Ephesus; see also Oosterdam at Kusadasi and the House of the Virgin Mary by taxi from the port.