All Inclusive Private Ephesus, Terrace Houses Tour With Lunch

We learned a lot about the area in Turkey, not only emphasis, but also about how Turkish rugs are made in very interesting to learn about the soil worms.

Our guide was Nejdet who was fantastic. Kept a perfect pace and was easy to understand. Extremely knowledgeable about the sites and the tour of the terrace houses was awesome. Had a very nice lunch and a no pressure rug making tour at the end. Much better than the cruise offerings for the three of us on a private tour.

We are so glad we booked this private tour instead of the excursion our cruise offered. Booking was easy, and the company answered all of our questions quickly and clearly before the trip, so we knew exactly what to expect when we arrived. When we stepped off the ship we found our driver waiting with our name on a sign. We then rode in a comfortable, new, air-conditioned van, which made a long port day much easier. Alex was fantastic. He knows his history and brought ancient Ephesus to life. The best part was that he didn’t rush us. He gave us room to explore the Terrace Houses on our own, which were a highlight of the whole trip. The tour covered the ancient city, the Terrace Houses and the Temple of Artemis, and everything was included: entrance fees, lunch, and port pickup and drop-off. There were no surprise costs. As it was just our group, Alex tailored the day to our interests, and he also took us to places we never would have thought to ask for, like the incredible Lotus pottery shop. We spent over an hour there and never felt hurried. We later spent another hour at a leather store, again with no pressure. Lunch was delicious and, like everything else on this tour, perfect. We were also back at the port with plenty of time to spare, so we never worried about the ship leaving. If you’re debating between the cruise line’s excursion or doing these ruins on your own and this private tour, book this one! It’s well worth it for the flexibility, the personal attention and the pace. Ask for Alex!

Very informative tour in Ephesus. With visits to a rug and ceramic shop afterwards. No pressure to buy.

Cem was a great tour guide, very knowledgeable and accommodating to what we wanted to do The rug makers were kind with no pressure to buy

Dudu our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. It felt as if we were getting to know the place with a long time friend.

Amazing experience, Dudu was great. Super kowledgable and friendly. We will be back in Turkey thanks to the great time we had.

This tour was excellent and worth the money. Our guide Aleyna was a very professional and kind person. The Turkish lunch was really tasty, and they noticed my special diet. Also, the carpet presentation was impressive.

Aleyna was our tour guide and was amazing! She was very knowledgeable, pleasant, and open to all of our questions! We were able to customize our tour easily!

Wonderful excursion with Gem via Viator. His knowledge of history, culture, cuisine added so much to the experience. We really enjoyed seeing all of the historical sights of Ephesus. Definitely a must when in Turkey.

Cem was the BEST tour guide! He was so knowledgeable and had a great personality. He was also so patient with my husband who walked with a cane. Thanks to Cem we had an awesome experience in Turkey!

Cem was fantastic your guide. He was well informed on Turkish culture, history, cuisine. We enjoyed our time with him. He was also very patient and accommodating as we had one member with walking challenges.

Great guide, Orkan was friendly, well versed in his knowledge, and a delight to chat with! Adjusted to get us out of traffic but still showed us everything. Driver was great, vehicle was clean and spacious.

We took the All inclusive private Ephesus, Terrace houses tour with Curio Travels. Our guide NEJDET KAHRAMAN was very knowledgeable and informative, and we had a wonderful time. I would recommend this tour company.

The driver got us to and from Ephesus safely, so I'll give two stars for that. Otherwise, I wish we hadn't booked this tour. The tour's itinerary is clear and touches only on historical areas, which is the reason we booked this specific Ephesus tour. Our guide told us that the stop for lunch was to be at a "quiet cooperative" because regular cafes are "too busy." Apparently, this is code for stopping for lunch inside a notorious tourist trap rug store. The guide herself shared the fairy tale about government sponsored rug-making to preserve Turkish culture and support women. She even begged us not to turn down the refreshments they offered us because it would be "inhospitable," when that's clearly just designed to make tourists feel obligated to buy. Once we got through the elaborate rug sales pitch -- over 30 minutes I can never get back -- and gave a firm 'no' on purchasing a rug, we were thankfully released to lunch and then back to the van. Then, our guide immediately tells us that the next stop is a pottery making facility -- another tourist trap not on the itinerary. When we told our guide that we didn't want to go there and would prefer to move along with our scheduled itinerary to the temple of Artemis, I was shocked at how she shut down. After seeing the Temple from afar, we took the 30 minute drive back to the port town. For those 30 minutes, our guide was on her phone the entire time, even while she was sitting in a van essentially face to face with us. At one point, she made an actual phone call and talked on the phone. I've never been on a tour where the guide didn't maximize even the transportation time by telling us interesting information about what we were seeing or the area in general. We resorted to looking up the information about the area around us on Google maps and asking Gemini. Otherwise, in Ephesis, our guide recited a well-prepared speech about the historical sights. Unfortunately, her actual knowledge of the history seemed limited. She seemed to struggle to answer questions, especially when the question touched on other related historical events. I wish my family had saved money and just taken a taxi to Ephesis and done the historical site on our own.

Cem (pronounced “gem”) was an excellent tour guide! He was friendly and knowledgeable. We visited Ephesus and toured the ancient city and terrace houses, which should not be missed! We added a stop at the House of the Virgin Mary, and Cem and the tour company were easy to work with in making the change to the itinerary. We also stopped at the Temple of Artemis and had lunch and a rug tour which was fascinating! We would definitely highly recommend this tour and specifically Cem!

Cem was outstanding in telling stories and explaining the many wonderful sites of Ephesus. The program was long and intense but not at all too much. Also, the private tour through Viator was less expensive than the group tours from the ship that covered many less items. The terrace houses are great and are not to be missed.

Everything from start to finish exceeded our expectations. Pickup was right on time and everyone we had contact with was friendly and helpful. Emre, our guide was so knowledgeable and shared a lot of history and personal stories. Our lunch stop was fantastic and such a lovely outdoor venue. Highly recommend this tour!

This was a highlight of the trip. The private car with driver was great. The tour guide Aleyna was excellent, both kind and very knowledgeable. She arranged the tour according to our preferences, letting us spend more time at Ephesus, and then following this with a stop by the Temple of Artemis, then a rug weaving institute (the salespeople were a little pushy here, but reasonable if you were firm), a truly exceptional lunch featuring Turkish mezze and mains, and a ceramics studio that felt more comfortable than the rug place. This excursion was absolutely worth the cost. I would strongly recommend it, and I would definitely consider booking Aleyna again for her longer tours.

Excellent ! Educational and informative. Great information and the Terrace Houses were really cool. It was a fabulous day. Great guide.

Very well organized, friendly tour guide who's very knowledgeable with the history. We were picked up promptly and the tour around the ancient city was excellent. Such an amazing site. We then visited a local family owned/run handmade pottery place and was given a walk-through of how each piece is made. The handmade pottery are extremely gorgeous. We also visited a carpet weaving place and had scrumptious lunch. Then it was back at the port. 100% recommend this tour!

Great guide. Ephesus and the Terrace Houses were interesting and beautiful. Lunch was excellent. The stop at the rug company was interesting and the people were helpful, friendly and respectful. The leather company was interesting but the sales team was pushy and did not give up. They were like US car salesmen- that is not a compliment.

Great overall experience- we had a wonderful time and our guide customized our experience to exactly what we wanted - saw everythingin the base tour and added in the House of Virgin Mary and a very cool carpet-making tour and a really great local ceramic making shop (very unique). His local experience and friendly personality made it a fabulous day!!

Uneven terrain. Numerous steep steps in tbs terrace houses. Well worth the effort but I do not advise if balance is an issue.

Loved seeing Ephesus and the Terrance house! Ozer was a great tour guide. Picked us up right at the port.

We had an amazing time with your tour guide Tugba! We learned so much about Ephesus and had the most delicious food afterwards. It was a much more manageable experience than being apart of a larger group.

Outstanding tour. Our guide Nejdet Kahraman made it a memorable day with his knowledge and hospitality. Could not fault anything from the air conditioned well appointed van to the unrushed and informative tour. Was like he was one of our group. Definitely the best way to tour. The lunch under shaded trees at the rug store was great as well. A truely lovely day

The sights of Ephesus and the terrace houses are a wonder. To be able to walk the streets where Roman’s did more than two thousand years ago is something special The history of the area is brought to life before your eyes I do wish our tour included more stories and detailed description of the history. Of Ephesus. I felt rushed and as though we skipped parts of the site. The lunch stop was disappointing.

We enjoyed our visit to Ephesus with our experienced and knowledgeable guide who was helpful during the walk that was uneven and at times difficult to navigate.

This tour was well planned and took you to places other tours don’t. Our guide Aleyna was very knowledgeable and easy to organise the order of the tour.

Our guide and driver were outstanding as per usual of out Viator experiences. We will continue using Viator when the circumstances, suitability and price consideration is factored in vs. the typical cruise ship packages.

Fusun was an excellent guide and ensured this visit to Ephesus was the highlight of our trip! Ephesus is an awesome sight, not to be missed. But Fusun went out of her way to find out what our particular interests were then specifically pointed out things pertaining to them. Kusadasi Tours and Fusun made this visit very special and the tour was worth every penny!

Fusun was our guide, and Barrack was our driver. This was a tour for just my wife and me. Fusun was wonderful, met us near the ship pier, and provided a wealth of information from that point on. She has over 25 years of experience as a tour guide, and this was obvious throughout our tour of Ephesus and the surrounding area of Kusadesi. She always jumped in to ask us what else we wanted to see and had the driver take us to out-of-the-way places to see sights we were interested in. I would highly recommend this tour. We were on a Viking cruise and had the opportunity to do the free tour with Viking of Ephesus, which did not include the terrace house, which we did want to see. It was well worth it from our experience, after talking to others on the ship who had taken the Viking excursion, which had about 40 people with earbuds. We were delighted that we had decided on the private tour, and it was cheaper than the special terrace house tour that Viking offered. We felt we got much more for our money than what it would have cost with Viking, and it was a private car with a driver and a free lunch. Fusun was wonderful!!

Excellent knowledgeable guide with great information. Terrace Homes definitely worth viewing. Very strenuous walking for people with mobility challenges. Lunch was delicious and delightful under the trees. The carpet presentation was low-key and appropriate to our interest. Lots of good information was given. We would recommend this tour.

The tour had covered all entrance fee, really no hidden cost. Ephesus is a very historical place, Terrace house must go to see. Lunch was fantastic . The tour also brought you to see leather jackets show, carpet production. If you are not interested in those places, they will send you back to the ship port. No hard feeling.

Our guide Aleyna was fantastic, and so knowledgeable. She kept us informed on all the sites we visited. We also had great Turkish lunch.

Cem did a fantastic job, I would highly recommend him. Both knowledgeable and friendly, he did a really great job showing my family around Ephesus with the added regional knowledge of the Kusadasi area that I enjoy.

Cem was a wonderful tour guide. Lighthearted but very knowledgeable about Turkish culture and history. Really enjoyed the tour of Ephasus, and the Turkish lunch was delicious! Highly recommend.

Incredible experience! Cem was fantastic, super energetic and had so much knowledge of ephasus. Would definitely recommend.

This was a tour that should not be missed. Our tour guide Melih was very knowledgeable about the history of Ephesus throughout the centuries. The terrace houses opulence was amazing. The advanced technology of the Romans was fascinating. Our lunch was delicious. It was a great day!

The whole tour of Ephesus was great!! Amazing ruins and stories to tell. Tour guide Maria was right on point. The rug factory visit turned out to be a little too good. $$$

Excellent organisation and easy booking with good price. We received clearer reminders, instructions and confirmation when the booking date approached. When we got out from our cruise and saw, we could see our names on the board. Then someone immediately introduced us with our tour guide and led us to the car. Our tour unguided, Nil, was very friendly, flexible and knowledgeable. She respected our ideas and concerns and adjusted our trip accordingly.

Our tour was wonderful. Selim was an excellent, knowledgeable guide. Our lunch was delicious. I would highly recommend this to anyone.

We toured the ancient city of Ephesus and the Terrace Houses with Nejdet and had a great day. Nejdet was very knowledgeable, friendly, and funny. He was flexible and attentive to our needs. We learned so much about Turkiye. We also had a delicious authentic Turkish lunch and then learned how rugs were made. I know some people have said they were pressured to buy, but they didn't pressure us at all. We didn't end up buying.

We had a wonderful day. Tugba, our guide, was very knowledgeable, friendly and made the day very interesting and fun. Ephesus was incredible

Inan was very knowledgeable of the area and passionate about the country and his people and culture. He tailored our tour to meet our needs and took us to lunch with the locals and shops not crowded with other tourists. We felt very priveliged and special. Would highly recommend him and Curio Travel.

Wonderful experience. Private tour with three friends and myself. We had a nice, comfortable van to ourselves. Our guide, Emray was fantastic. Taught us many things that we never knew before. Ephesus was breathtaking and he made great choices for us to dodge the crowds. The Terrace Houses are NOT to be missed. A highlight! We thankfully chose to skip House of Virgin Mary because we had zero interest. Lunch was really good. Very tasty. Had to go to the obligatory rug shop. Demonstration of rug creation was great. Sales pitch that followed was less so, and a little higher pressure than I would prefer, but we made it out unscathed. BOOK THIS TOUR if you’re visiting Ephesus. You’ll be glad you did.

Our guide was fabulous Pilar Sezer. She was kind, flexible and knowledgeable. We saw so much in a very small period of time. Lunch was very good and the rug and people were not pushy but kind as well. This is the way to see Ephesus!

This is an excellent alternative to the excursions offered on your cruise ship. It is just your party and a guide and a driver. The van was well air conditioned and comfortable. Nejdet was an excellent tour guide. He was mindful of our needs and desires, even ensuring that we actually wanted to visit the carpet making factory and thoroughly explaining the process in advance for example. We experienced no high pressure sales at the factory, even when we didn’t buy, and had fun with the whole process. The tour through Ephesus was very informative and at exactly our pace. Nej asked often to ensure he was meeting our expectations. He even showed up an hour earlier than the agreed time and was ready to go when we walked out of the port. This got us well ahead of the masses of people coming off the three ships in port at the same time. This by itself was worth the price of admission. This tour also includes access to the terrace houses, which our ship wanted to charge more than double what we paid for this whole tour to include. Don’t miss these houses, they are spectacular! All in all, this was well worth the price paid and met every expectation!