The nearest railway station is in the nearby town of Selçuk, 18 km northeast of Kuşadası, with connections to Izmir, Izmir Airport, Söke and Denizli (for Pamukkale).

There are Dolmuşes (minibuses) between Selçuk and Kuşadası every half hour (see below). Journey time around 30 minutes.

See the train timetable for trains to and from Izmir, Selçuk, Söke and Denizli:

How to get to Selçuk

Trains between Izmir (with a station at Izmir Airport), Selçuk, Söke, Aydin and Denizli are fast and cheap, but relatively infrequent. Buses to and from Izmir leave every hour, but the Izmir bus station is 8 km from the centre and difficult to get to (see below).

Fast, cheap, comfortable and frequent buses connect Kuşadası with long-distance destinations such as Izmir (see below).

Kuşadası central bus station

The Kuşadası central bus station (Otogar, also known locally as "Garaj"), for long distance and local destinations (Aydin, Güzelçamlı, Davutlar, Kadinlar Denizi, Seferihisar, Soğucak, Sahil Site, Selçuk/Ephseus, Söke, Şehiriçi, see below), is just over 1 kilometre south of the centre, on the main highway D515 between Selçuk (to the north) and Söke (to the southwest). If you follow the Kahramanlar Caddesi out of town (and uphill) to its end, the bus station is at the large junction with the highway.

There are toilets (1 TL) and a small café at the otogar, and grocery shops nearby.

"Centrum" dolmuş station in the town

The local dolmuş station in the town, known as "Centrum", is around a kilometre south of the centre. Following the Adhan Menderes Bulvari towards the main Selçuk to Söke road, it is on the right after the roundabout on the junction with Candan Tarhan Bulvari. Locals still call this area simply Friday Market, despite a large sign declaring the junction's official name as Şevki Hasirci Meydani. You will see the dolmuşes parked at the side of road.

There are bus stops for various destinations, and usually somebody around you can ask for information. It all seems very informal, but there is always a controller (no uniform or badge) on duty for queries and complaints. Some drivers and controllers speak either English, German or French.

Dolmuşes start at the Otogar, and getting on there usually guarantees you a seat, but they then go to the central dolmuş station (less than 5 minutes walk), where they stop for 5-10 minutes to fill up with passengers. Similarly, dolmuşes coming into town stop at the dolmuş station before proceeding to the otogar.

Selçuk and Ephesus

Dolmuşes to Selçuk (18 km northeast) and Ephesus run every half hour.
Journey time around 30 minutes.

After leaving Kuşadası the minibuses turn off the main highway (D515) to pick up passengers from hotels and beaches along the old coast road. Drivers will usually stop for you just about anywhere if you wave at them.

Then, rejoining the highway, crossing the mouth of the Küçük Menderes river and passing the tiny Selçuk-Efes Airport (see above), the buses turn right for the road to Selçuk. You can see the enormous Great Theatre of Ephesus rising behind the airport.

Shortly after this turn-off (3 km, 5 minutes before Selçuk) is the stop
for the Ephesus Archaeological site.

Be sure to tell the driver if you want to get off at Ephesus.

Söke

Dolmuşes to the inland town of Söke (pronounce Suké), 20 km southeast of Kuşadası, every half hour. Journey time around 40 minutes.

The route follows the coastal highway south of Kuşadası, stopping at the many beach hotels along the way, then heads inland at the major junction a few kilometres north of Güzelçamlı.

At Söke Otogar you can change for southbound dolmuşes to the archaeological sites of Priene (40 km), Miletus (55 km) and Didyma (the furthest site, 80 km from Kuşadası) and beach resorts such as Altinkum.

Miletus (55 km) is the most difficult site to reach from Kuşadası or Selçuk as it is on the old road south of Söke to Akköy, 5 km south of Miletus. Most dolmuşes now travel on the new highway. There aren't even any taxis in Akköy.

There are a few dolmuşes a day between Söke and Akköy along the old road, passing Miletus. I know, I have travelled on them. But schedules are impossible to find - even on location. You can ask at your hotel, a local travel agent or at Söke Otogar.

Davutla and Güzelçamlı

There are dolmuşes every 20-30 minutes to Davutla (15 km) and Güzelçamlı (23 km), major beach resorts south of Kuşadası with acres of self-catering apartments. The route is south along the coastal highway, with stops at the beach hotels along the way.

Buses Kuşadası - Izmir

There are buses to and from Izmir bus station (Büyük Otogar or Yeni Otogar) every 30 minutes. The journey time is around 1.5 - 2 hours. A single ticket costs 10 TL. Tickets can be purchased at kiosks near the bus bays.

At Izmir buses for Kuşadası arrive and leave from the upper level of the enormous, chaotic bus station which is
8 km to the east of the city centre. This means that if you are arriving fron Izmir Airport you have to travel for at least an hour in the wrong direction to catch a bus to Kuşadası.

We have heard that buses between Izmir and Kuşadası stop at Izmir Airport on the way, but have been unable to confirm this. It may seem logical and reasonable, but things do not always work out that way.

Bus tickets can also be purchased from the various travel agencies opposite Izmir's central Basmane railway station (Basmane Gar). Some of the travel agencies offer free dolmuş transfers to the bus station.

Local Izmir city buses (run by ESHOT) to Izmir Otogar:

To/from the city centre, bus 54 to Konak and bus 191 to Yurtoğlu. Both stop near Basmane railway station. (Ask the driver to let you off at Basmane, if that is where you want to go.) Journey time 20-30 minutes, depending on traffic. Fare 2 Lira.

Bus 204 to Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport (Havalimanı). Journey time 60 minutes, depending on traffic. Fare 4 Lira.

ESHOT website: ww.eshot.gov.tr (in Turkish and English)

www.havas.net    Tel: +90 232 274 22 76

Although Izmir's public transport system is good and cheap, if you are travel-weary, in a hurry or carrying luggage you may prefer to take a taxi. Between the otogar and the city centre a taxi costs around 30 Lira; to the airport 50-60 Lira. Be sure to ask the driver for the price (in Turkish Lira!) before you get in the taxi!

Buses Selçuk and Kuşadası to Istanbul

The bus to Istanbul, operated by the Kamil Koc bus company, runs once a day.

Journey time 11 hours. Fare around 80 TL (38.00 Euro).

Kuşadası to/from Denizli (for Pamukkale)

There are 3 - 6 buses every day between Kuşadası Otogar and Denizli (approx. 200 km), although the trains (see Getting to Selçuk) are faster and more comfortable. The bus takes about 3-5 hours (depending on whose estimate you believe) and costs around 35 TL.

The buses are operated by Pamukkale Turizm. Their website www.pamukkale.com.tr is in Turkish only.

Information in English at:

www.gopamukkale.com/how-to-get-to-pamukkale-from-kusadasi/

according to which there are 5 buses a day for Denizli, leaving Kuşadası Otogar at the following times:

09:00, 11:15, 16:00, 22:00, 23:30

Buses do not go directly to Pamukkale directly, but terminate at Denizli Otogar (Bus Terminal)
which is 20 km from Pamukkale.

Taxis can be an economical and convenient way to travel to places not covered by frequent bus services, particularly for groups of 2-4 people. Many taxi drivers in Izmir, Selçuk and Kuşadası speak either English or German (or both) and even French, and can provide a lot of information about their locality. The best are also entertaining.

In Kuşadası taxis can be hailed on the street or found at various taxi ranks around town, marked on the free maps available from the tourist information and at many hotels.

Ask the taxi driver the price to your destination before accepting his services, and make sure of the price in Turkish Lira, even if you are paying in another currency.

Watch out for this, especially in Izmir: a driver may demand, say 30 Euro (= 60 Lira), rather than 30 Lira at the end of the journey!

For long distance rides, ask if there are any extra charges, for example road tolls.

Sightseeing by taxi

Special prices can be negotiated with taxi drivers for day-trips and visits to local places of interest.

Bicycle

Cycling around the beautiful coastal areas, inland countryside and villages of Ionia is a joy, particularly once you get off the main roads. The topography is varied, with flat river plains and some steep hills.

In Kusadasi itself, the coastal strip is flat, but the streets up to the main highway have a steep gradient, and hills rising steeply to the north, south and inland (east).

South of Söke, towards Priene, Miletus, Didyma and Altinkum there is a good, flattish minor road along the marshy delta of the Büyük Menderes river (Maeander) with little traffic.

Naturally, it can get strenuous in high summer when temperatures rise to 40 degrees Celcius. A good sun-blocker and plenty of water are strongly advised.

Car and motorbike

Roads in Turkey range from the most modern motorways to potholed highways and country roads and unpaved tracks. As in other countries, most drivers are friendly and courteous while some are totally mad. Traffic can be chaotic in larger cities such as Izmir.

Motorway tolls

The Otoyols (expressways or motorways) and some large road bridges (such as the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul) charge expensive tolls.

You can not pay these tolls by cash or credit card.

The only way to pay the tolls is with a "HGS" electronic-chip sticker or a toll transponder (small plastic device), which you can buy at post offices and participating Shell fuel stations.

HGS stands for Hızlı Geçiş Sistemi (Fast Transit System), an electronic toll-payment sytem designed to speed up traffic flow. You buy credit for your transponder or chip card, which is affixed to the windscreen, and the toll is deducted electronically as you pass a toll booth.

You will need your vehicle registration documents and passport to register with the HGS system and pay a minimum of 30 TL to charge the first credit onto your HGS account.

If you hire a vehicle in Turkey it should already be fitted with a HGS transponder.

You can not buy a HGS device on the internet. Any website offering to sell these devices is bogus.

The HGS system may improve traffic flow, but it also reduces the number of staff required at toll points and increases the government's ability to track the movements of citizens and visitors.

Often there are alternative, though slower, non-toll routes for those not in a hurry.

The Website of the Republic of Turkey General Directorate of Highways www.kgm.gov.tr publishes information in Turkish and English about the country's road sytem, as well as downloadable road maps.

The toll system:

www.kgm.gov.tr/Sayfalar/KGM/SiteEng/Root/Tolls.aspx

Izmir province road map (2014):

Regular ferries cross the short distance between Kuşadası and the Greek island of Samos.

It is possible to visit Kuşadası and Ephesus from Samos (or vice versa) in one day, and organized excursions are available. However, you may find it less strenuous and more enjoyable to stay at least one night in Kuşadası.

Most of the shops and businesses on Samos close for their siesta in the afternoon (13:00-17:00). Banks are open Monday to Friday 8:30 - 14:30. The archaeological museum in the main town of Vathy (also known as Samos town) remains open and is well worth visiting. Open Tuesday-Sunday 09:00-16:00 (winter 8:00-15:00), Monday closed. Entrance 3 Euro.

The Heraion, the archaeological site of the Sanctuary of Hera on Samos, is 6 km west of Pythagorio, on the southeast coast of the island (same opening times as the archaeological museum in Vathy). Unless you are on a guided tour or have your own transport, you have to take one of the infrequent buses from Vathy to Pythagorio, then a local bus or taxi to the site. We do not recommend attempting this on a one day trip from Kuşadası.

There is no central or comprehensive source of information for fares and schedules for the ferries, and the websites of the various travel agencies and ferry operators publish information in different ways. You have to ask at the travel agencies around the harbours of Kuşadası and Samos to get the best deal.

The Kuşadası authorities charges an enormous port tax of 10 Euro for each passenger. Some ticket sellers include this tax, others do not. The Samos port tax is usually included in the ticket price.

Generally, infants 0-5 years old travel free, children 6-12 years old pay 50% of the adult fare.

Between Kuşadası and Vathy (Samos town)

From 1 April to 31 October there are two daily departures from each of the ports,
at 8.30 am and 5 pm.

In winter there is only one ferry from each port, departing at 8.30 am and returning
at 4.30 pm.

The journey time is around 1.5 hours.

Kuşadası to Vathy

Departure 8:30 every day
One way: 35 €
Same Day Return: 40 €
Open return: 55 €

Vathy to Kuşadası

Departure 8:30 every day except Monday, Wednesday and Friday
One way: 45 €
Same Day Return: 55 €
Open return: 65 €

Passengers must book at least one day in advance. Passport details are required for the booking.
Embarkation 1 hour before departure.
The ferries are quite small, typically taking only 120 passengers.

Between Kuşadası and Pythagorion, Samos

In summer there are also daily ferries to Pythagorion, the ancient capital of Samos, but reliable information about schedules is difficult to find. Fares are about the same as for Vathy.

17:00 hrs from Kuşadası to Pythagorion, Samos
One Way Ticket 40 Euro, including Kusadasi port tax
Open Return Ticket 60 Euro, including Kusadasi port tax

Summer (1 April - 31 October): Tuesday-Sunday 09:00-16:00. Monday closed.

Winter (1 November - 30 April): Tuesday-Sunday 08:00-15:00. Monday closed.

Admission 3 Euro; reduced tickets 2 Euro.

Tel: 0030 22730 27469

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