Kusadasi Bazaar

What should you do in Kusadasi if you do not want to go to Ephesus? We were recently faced with this question - not only was it a rainy, cold day, but we had both been fortunate enough to see the ruins in Ephesus before. So we decided to explore the port of Kusadasi with our day in Turkey. We were both pleasantly surprised!

Evil eyes in the sidewalk

Though there were a few ruins, museums, and other traditional sights, we focused our time on the bazaar since our cruise did not stop at any other Turkish destinations. Don't be fooled by the vendors in the port building - that is not the bazaar. The real Kusadasi bazaar (complete with bazaar prices) is just a 10 minute walk from the dock. At first we were skeptical: it appeared as though the bazaar was just one short arcade of traditional Turkish vendors. But as we neared the end, we could see that there was actually a network of several bazaars linked together. Though some were nicer than the others, we found scarves, rugs, pottery, Turkish delights, jewelry, and pretty much everything else you can imagine one would find at a street market (i.e. Counterfeit products of all shapes and sizes). 

True to tradition, everything is negotiable. The vendors are pushy, yet courteous, and speak perfect English. I was focused on the gorgeous, ornate Turkish pottery pieces. I held out until the end when we stumbled upon a pottery factory with the best variety in the bazaar - the Hacivat Ceramic Shop. Needless to say, we came home with a few treasures. If you check this store out, don't miss the room in the back that contains pieces with glow-in-the-dark detailing. It was a pretty neat sight to be surrounded by intricate designs on pottery pieces from floor to ceiling. Though they said they did not negotiate, of course they did; however, either my skills are a little rusty or they are less willing to come down on the price than the other vendors.

Though the bazaar is not a reason to go to Kusadasi alone, it does offer a great alternative to the Ephesus ruins. The prices and variety were slightly poorer than the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul; however, it was a more manageable size and there were practically no other tourists around, despite the three large ships docked that day. If you have even an extra 30 minutes in port, it is absolutely worth the trip!