We almost did not book this one.

It was a shore excursion through Celebrity Cruise Lines on the Celebrity Infinity — a port stop in Kusadasi — and we had heard mixed things about accessibility in Turkey. We had actually signed up to visit the House of the Virgin Mary, a pilgrimage site in the hills above Ephesus that we had been looking forward to. But when the excursion got underway, our group was taken to the İsa Bey Mosque and the Basilica of St. John instead.

Not what we planned. Not what we were told to expect.

That said — the sites themselves were genuinely impressive, and the accessibility at ground level was better than we anticipated. We are sharing what we found, along with an honest account of what went wrong with the booking.

Important note for cruise passengers: The Celebrity Infinity uses a tender boat to transfer passengers from ship to the Kusadasi port. Tender boats have strict weight limits — powerchairs and heavy electric wheelchairs cannot board. We strongly recommend this excursion for manual wheelchair users only. If you use a powerchair, check with the cruise line before booking — you may not be able to disembark at this port.

What Is Selçuk?

Selçuk is a small town in western Turkey, about 20 minutes inland from the cruise port at Kusadasi, that sits at the crossroads of several thousand years of history. Within a single square kilometer, you have:

• The Basilica of St. John — a ruined 6th-century Byzantine basilica built over the tomb of the apostle John
• The İsa Bey Mosque — a stunning 14th-century Seljuk mosque commissioned by İsa Bey, ruler of the Aydınoğulları Principality, completed in 1375
• The Temple of Artemis — one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (mostly ruins now, but still remarkable)
• The entrance to Ephesus Ancient City — just 3km down the road

The town itself is compact, flat, and easy to navigate. That last part matters a lot to us.

The İsa Bey Mosque

This was the highlight of the day.

The İsa Bey Mosque is one of the finest examples of early Anatolian Turkish architecture in existence, and it is in remarkably good condition for a building that is over 650 years old. The ornate portal — a cascade of geometric stonework and muqarnas carving — is breathtaking. We stood in front of it for a long time.

The portal of İsa Bey Mosque. The geometric carving and muqarnas detail are extraordinary — and you can get right up to it.

The courtyard is fully accessible. Flat stone paving, wide open space, no steps to the main prayer hall entrance. The informational plaques at the base of the İsa Bey statue outside are in Turkish, English, and German — well-maintained and easy to read from a seated position.

The mosque entrance sign. The İsa Bey Mosque is an active place of worship as well as a historic site — visitors are welcome.

The plaques describe İsa Bey as the leader of the Aydınoğulları Principality from 1360–1390, who commissioned the mosque in 1375. History you can read from your chair.

The Basilica of St. John

The Basilica sits on Ayasuluk Hill, just above the mosque. The ruins are extensive — this was once one of the largest churches in the world — and the site is connected by paved paths with clear directional signage throughout.

The Basilica of St. John — a ruined 6th-century Byzantine basilica built over the tomb of the apostle John. The minaret-like tower is the site's most recognizable feature.

The signage was genuinely impressive. Signs pointing to the Basilica (270m), Ayasuluk Castle (680m), Ephesus Ancient City (3040m), and the Temple of Artemis (880m) are posted throughout the historic district. We never felt lost, and we never had to ask for directions.

Clear, multilingual directional signs throughout the historic district. Independent navigation is genuinely easy here.

A note on the terrain: the main paths through the Basilica ruins are paved and manageable. The stone pavement is flat and well-maintained — we rolled through without any issues on the main route.

The paved paths at the Basilica complex. Flat, wide, and easy to navigate on wheels.

There are some areas with rubble and uneven ground if you venture off the main route, and there are metal stairs at certain elevated viewpoints within the complex.

Some elevated viewpoints have metal stairs — not accessible, but the main paths give you excellent sightlines without them.

The good news: you do not need to climb anything to have a full experience of the site. The main paved route takes you through the heart of the ruins with clear views of the columns, arches, and the minaret-like tower that has become the Basilica's most recognizable feature.

A Note on Booking Through Celebrity Infinity

We want to be straightforward here: this was not the tour we booked.

Our excursion was listed as a visit to the House of the Virgin Mary — a meaningful pilgrimage site in the hills above Ephesus that many in our group had specifically chosen this sailing to see. When we arrived in Kusadasi, we were taken to the İsa Bey Mosque and the Basilica of St. John instead, with no explanation given at the time.

The sites we visited are historically significant and more accessible than we expected. But that does not change the fact that we were not taken where we were told we were going. If visiting the House of the Virgin Mary matters to you, confirm your itinerary directly with Celebrity before you board — and again on the day of the excursion.

For wheelchair users and powerchair users considering any Kusadasi excursion: the transfer from the port to the historic district is short — about 20 minutes — and the excursion bus had enough room for our equipment. But given our experience, we would encourage you to verify every detail of your excursion directly with Celebrity, and to let them know your specific equipment needs well in advance.

Getting Around Selçuk

The historic district is compact enough that we covered all three main sites — the mosque, the Basilica, and the Temple of Artemis — in a single morning without backtracking. The streets connecting them are paved and relatively flat.

For Ephesus Ancient City, which is 3km down the road, you will want transport. The main street through Ephesus is paved marble — beautiful but can be slippery — and the site is large enough that a full visit takes several hours. We will cover Ephesus in detail in a separate post.

Our Rating: ♿♿♿♿ Four Wheelchairs

Selçuk earns four wheelchairs for the sites themselves. The İsa Bey Mosque and Basilica of St. John are both highly accessible at ground level, the signage is excellent, and the town is easy to navigate. We docked one wheelchair for the metal stairs at certain viewpoints and the uneven terrain in parts of the Basilica ruins.

For the excursion experience overall: we cannot recommend booking through Celebrity Infinity without serious caution. We were taken to a different destination than the one we paid for. If you are sailing through Kusadasi, the sites in Selçuk are worth visiting — but book with full knowledge of what happened to our group, verify your itinerary in writing, and be prepared for the possibility that plans may change without notice.

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This is from Trip #2: Celebrity Infinity Mediterranean cruise, August 2026. More stories from this sailing are coming soon.