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Daily ferries cross the short distance between the Greek island of Samos and Kuşadası.
See How to get to Kuşadası for further details. from Kuşadası half-hourly dolmuş minibuses travel to Selçuk and Ephesus (see below).

It is possible to visit 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 Selçuk or Kuşadası.

There also ferries between the Greek island of Chios and the Turkish resort of Çeşme, around 1.5 hours by road northwest of Selçuk. We have not yet been able to confirm information about a direct route by public transport between the two towns. There are regular buses from Çeşme to Izmir (1.5 hours in the opposite direction!), from where there are regular trains and buses to Selçuk. See details of buses to/from Çeşme below.

Selçuk railway station is in the town centre, about 10 minutes walk from the bus station (otogar).

Train Selçuk-Denizli
(for Panukkale)

Journey time 3 hours.

One way adult ticket: 18.75 TL
Return ticket: 30 TL
One way youth ticket: 15 TL

From Denizli station you can take a dolmuş (minibus) or taxi to Pamukkale. Distance 20 km. Journey time 20-30 minutes.

See:

www.tcdd.gov.tr

www.seat61.com/Turkey2.htm

www.trainsofturkey.com

Selçuk to/from
Söke - Priene, Miletus, Didyma and Altınkum

To reach the archaeological sites of Priene (40 km), Miletus (62 km) and Didyma (81 km), as well as as other destinations south of Selçuk, such as the beach resort of Altinkum (85 km), you must travel by dolmuş to the town of Söke (around 1 hour south) and change there.

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

A special tour bus to Priene-Miletus-Didyma-Altınkum leaves Selçuk Otogar at 9 am every morning in summer. After a stop at each of the archaeological sites and a beach stop at Altınkum, the bus to Selçuk by 5 pm.

Miletus (62 km) is the most difficult site to reach from Selçuk or Kuşadası 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.

Selçuk and Kuşadası to Çeşme

We have heard that the Ege Koop bus company operate a direct bus service from Çeşme to Selçuk and Kuşadası, but have been unable to confirm this.

It appears the company does not have a website, but from other sources it seems there are two buses a day, leaving Çeşme at 10:00 and 17:00. Journey time around 1 hour 30 minutes.

According to the Selçuk bus station website, the Ege Koop bus company run services between Çeşme, Selçuk, Kuşadası, Bodrum, İstanbul and Ankara.

Telephone numbers for Ege Koop bus company:

EGE KOOP, Selçuk Otogar: 0232 892 61 81

EGE KOOP, İzmir
Çeşme Otogar: 0232 712 13 16 - 17
Çeşme Merkez: 712 90 98 and 712 98 32
Ilıca Otogar: 723 48 11
Gsm: 0532 436 25 30

If you have any further information about this service, please get in contact.

The other alternative, if you want to travel by bus from Çeşme (ferries from the Greek island of Chios) to Selçuk or Kuşadası, is via Izmir, 1.5 hours in the opposite direction!

Çeşme - Izmir buses every 4 hours (more frequent in summer),
journey time 1 hour 35 minutes, fare 25 TL.

Some buses between Çeşme and Izmir terminate at the Izmir's main bus station (Büyük Otogar, see above), but many leave and arrive at the smaller Uçkuyular Bus Terminal in a southwestern suburb of Izmir, which means spending another hour getting to the main bus station or railway station by taxi or local bus.

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).

Departs from Kuşadası / Selçuk 21:30.

Selçuk to/from Pamukkale / Denizli

There are 3 - 6 buses every day between Selçuk Otogar and Denizli/Pamukkale Town (approx. 200 km), although the trains (see above) 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.

Website: www.pamukkale.com.tr (in Turkish only)

Information in English at:

www.gopamukkale.com/how-to-get-to-pamukkale-from-selcuk-ephesus/,

according to which there are 3 buses a day for Pamukkale,
leaving Selçuk Otogar at the following times:

11:45, 16:30 (directly to Pamukkale), 23:59

It also quotes a single ticket price of 22 TL.

Not all buses go directly to Pamukkale directly, but terminate at
Denizli Otogar (Bus Terminal) which is 20 km from Pamukkale.

Selçuk and Kuşadası to/from Bodrum

Buses between Çeşme and Bodrum, also operated by the Pamukkale Turizm bus company, stop in Selçuk and Kuşadası otogars.

Journey time from Selçuk to Bodrum (150 km) is around 3 hours.
The fare is around 30 TL.

From Selçuk to Çeşme (155 km) takes around 2.5 hours.

The Pamukkale Turizm website www.pamukkale.com.tr is in Turkish only.

Information in English at:

www.ticketlineturkey.com/index.php/buses-from-ephesus.html,

according to which buses for Bodrum leave Selçuk / Kuşadası otogar at the following times:

07:30, 08:30, 16:30, 19:00, 20:30.

This is all a bit confusing, as Selçuk is 30 minutes north of Kuşadası. Presumably, the bus stops at Selçuk first, continues to Kuşadası and then to Söke.

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 Selçuk taxis can be found easily in front of the railway station and at the bus station (otogar), and at both upper and lower entrances ot the Ephesus archaeological site.

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, such as Ephesus, the Cave of the Seven Sleepers, the House of the Virgin Mary (Meryemana) and the village of Şirince.

The open horse-drawn carriages which whisk tourists around Ephesus are known here as faytons, after Phaeton (or Phaethon, Φαέθων, the Shining One), son of the sun god Helios (or son of Apollo), who nearly set the world in flames when he lost control of his father's chariot of the sun. Zeus prevented the disaster by stopping the chariot with one of his thunderbolts which also killed Phaeton. The moral of the story: never borrow your dad's chariot.

The name phaeton was given to sporty horse-drawn carriages in the early 19th century.

Fayton drivers tout for business at several key places around Selçuk and Ephesus, and will offer visitors a tour around the Ephesus countryside, including a visit to the nearby Cave of the Seven Sleepers, located along a small farm road between the two entrances. Tour options also include the Meryemana (House of the Virgin Mary, entrance 15 Turkish Lira, around 7 Euros), on a wooded hill 5 km south of Ephesus (see Ionian spring part 1 at The Cheshire Cat Blog).

At time of writing (May 2013), a ride between the upper and lower entrances costs 40 Turkish Lira, and between Ephesus and Selçuk 30 Turkish Lira. The faytons seat four passengers.

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.

The area around Selçuk and Ephesus is flattish, with hills rising steeply to the north, south and inland (east). There are some good climbs, for example up to the House of the Virgin Mary (Meryemana), to Kusadasi and from the coast up to Söke.

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.

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 toll system:

Izmir province road map (2014):

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