All Inclusive With Lunch : Private Ephesus, Virgin Mary, Artemis

This was an all day inclusive tour of Virgin Mary’s house, the ancient city of Ephesus, Ephesus Experience Museum, Turkish lunch, rug making and pottery making demonstrations and Temple of Artemis. Ugurcan was our private tour guide for the 3 of us in our party. He was super-personable, spoke excellent English and had a tremendous amount of knowledge about the sites visited, the history of Turkey in addition to helping us understand the customs and current culture of Turkey. Meet up at the port was very easy. Our transportation was in a very comfortable custom minivan. We were able to spend an adequate amount of time to explore each site. We return to the port in plenty of time to board the ship. I highly recommend Ugurcan as an excellent guide and highly recommend this tour for a nice overview of Ephesus and nearby sites!

Fantastic experience. Olgu (Emma) our guide was so informative and such a lovely young lady. Our group learnt so much. Everything was perfect from our pick up point and the entire tour. Highly recommend this company.

We had a wonderful experience in Ephesus! We were traveling on Princess Cruises and booked directly with Curio Travel for a day trip. Our guide was so knowledgeable and we had our own van with just our group. We were able to go at our pace even with the kids! Lunch was delicious and included in the cost. We will definitely book with Curio Travel if we go back to Turkey!

We visited in June for a private, all-inclusive tour of Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary, and the Temple of Artemis, and it was fantastic from start to finish. Our guide, Nej, did a wonderful job , knowledgeable, friendly, and clearly passionate about the history of the sites. Lunch was included at the Turkish Rug facility and the whole day felt relaxed and well-paced without ever feeling rushed. We did add on a visit to a winery at the end which was also very nice. Highly recommend this tour, and especially ask for Nej if you can!

On time pickup. Professional driver and guide Alex! Air conditioned Mercedes van. We saw the historic sites but then had an awesome lunch and he took us to fun shops. Helped us know when bathrooms and water where available group of 7 ages 14 to 73 all enjoyed!

Kusadasi is such a beautiful city in Turkey. I came with my mom and daughter and we felt so moved with the tours, especially the Virgin Mary house. Our tour guide Yavuz was so knowledgeable. He catered our tour to our needs. He has a vast range of history which was so cool for my 11yr old to hear as well. This was so worth the private tour.

Great tour. Gonca is amazing and showed us the beauty of Turkey, Ephesus, Temple of Artemis, delicious food, and so much more. Very comfortable van to take our family around. Highly recommend Gonca as your tour guide and Curio for any tour.

Our guide was Yavus and he was excellent, very informative. He took us to see all the highlights of Ephesus and explained everything. We went with friends and family.

Yavuz was our tour guide and he was very informative. He gave lots of different choices to customize our day. He was able to answer all our questions and provide interesting tidbits. This was a great way to spend our day off the cruise ship. Highly recommend! The driver, Umit, was very professional, ams I felt very safe with him.

Yavuz was an excellent guide and the trip was good on all aspects. It was not super crowded and there was plenty of time to look around the different stops.

Yavuz was incredible. He is very well spoken, gives great advice for photo spots, and is very knowledgeable. 10/10 guide.

Had a great experience with Yavuz!!

Since we booked with Ephesus Shuttle the first time a few years ago, booking with them is a must for us. Always reliable, always high quality - always a joy. Our guide Füsun managed to pass on her immense knowledge to us with infectious enthusiasm. The included lunch was amazing as well. In a nutshell - we had a fantastic day.

Absolutely Awesome! Pinar and Adnon were amazing.

Our family immensely enjoyed this half day tour to Ephesus, Mary’s House and the Temple of Artemis. The guide - Burak - was highly knowledgeable and genuinely accommodating during our visit. The tour was paired with a lovely traditional Turkish lunch in a shaded grotto near the town of Seljuk. We would openly recommend this tour to anyone spending a day in Kusadasi and advise requesting Burak for an optimal experience.

I can honestly say that all the positive reviews of the Ephesus Shuttle/Curio Travel are true. We booked a private tour that included three stops: Ephesus, Virgin Mary House, and the Artemis Temple. It was a truly wonderful experience. I can’t say enough good things about our guide, Selenay. She was so knowledgeable on both the historical and religious aspects of all the sites. She took the time to answer any questions we had and to provide many insights that we would have otherwise not been aware of. We also made three voluntary shopping stops: a carpet co-op, a leather, and a pottery store (for lack of a better word. They produce all the beautiful ceramics & pottery in this store). Note there was no pressure at all to make these stops. We were looking to purchase a carpet, and it was interesting to see how they are actually produced. We also had time to break for a delicious local lunch that featured Turkish mezze along with local beer & wine. Selenay was very cognizant of the time and made sure we were in no danger of missing our boarding time for our cruise ship. A wonderful day and if I hopefully return to Türkiye I will be sure to book another private tour with the Ephesus shuttle.

We had an absolutely amazing time with Gonca! She was so knowledgeable, funny, kind, and welcoming!! We sincerely loved our time together and learned so much about Turkey and its culture and history. From touring the major historical and religious sites to visiting local stores and artists- this was such a memorable trip. I am so grateful to Gonca for her incredible work and for facilitating the best time in Ephesus. Sercan was also an amazing driver and waited on us at each stop. We felt very safe in his car!

We had an amazing experience at Ephesus during our visit. Our guide Selenay was very knowledgeable and made the experience very special for us. We had our own private van which helped us avoid the crowds from the bus tours. Also Selenay took us for a delicious Turkish lunch, carpet making demonstration, a leather shop and a pottery store to highlight local Turkish goods. I would definitely recommend this tour our guide Selenay to anyone visiting Ephesus!

Cenk is a true gem, a true professional at the Doctorate level of knowledge. You will learn so much from this man, no matter your background or knowledge of the area. He takes the time to listen, impart much important context, even when you have no clue at all. Tour is no pressure, full throttle immersion into the area and time that was so long ago.

We had a fantastic stop in Ephesus, Turkey. Our van was very nice, clean, and comfortable, and our guide was extremely knowledgeable throughout the entire tour. We learned so much without ever feeling rushed. The day was very well organized and efficient, allowing us to see and experience a lot while still enjoying the pace. Lunch was wonderful and added a great local touch to the experience. Our guide did an excellent job keeping everything moving smoothly while still giving us plenty of time to take it all in. Overall, this was one of the highlights of our trip. Highly recommend this tour for anyone visiting Ephesus!

Our day with Gonca was the highlight of our Celebrity Infinity visit to Kusadasi/Ephesus. After an on-time meeting at the port, we were escorted to our comfortable and nicely appointed transportation for the excursion. Throughout our visits to the House of the Virgin Mary and the ancient city of Ephesus, she was a wealth of knowledge and information. Early in the excursion we informed her that we were not interested in a visit to a carpet factory, so she arranged (with our assent) alternative visits to the local 14th century mosque, the remains of the Temple of Artemis, and Lotus Ceramics Garden in Selçuk, where we acquired a beautifully decorated vase that will be treasured for years. This was followed by an expansive and delicious lunch at the nearby Agora restaurant. Our skilled and expert driver returned us to the port in a timely manner. Thank you for such an amazing and memorable experience!

Better than amazing!!! This was our 4th visit to Ephesus and we decided to take a private tour. Best decision we ever made!!! The private tour allowed us to see and visit so much more than we ever would have on regular tours plus our guide Gonca, was awesome! She was totally dedicated to us as we also had a driver. She was the best guide we’ve ever had in all our years of traveling around the world. She was very knowledgeable and customized our tour to our preferences. We learned the most from her on this trip than from all other trips before. Highly recommend this company and ask for Gonca, you will not regret it!!

This was a small group of friends on a cruise. All info before was superb. Pickup was well organised. Great driver and guide both friendly annd helpful we saw far more than the cruise company tour and it was organised around our wishes. Good lunch in a small restaurant. Paid on the day. Superb and I’m looking to use them again next year.

Excellent and knowledgeable guide, only 2 of us so really learnt a lot. Van clean and cool dropped us at great locations.

Cem was a great guide. Very knowledgeable, patient and kind. My only negative is that I wish he had told us (or knew) that the only place to buy Ephesus gifts/souvenirs was actually at Ephesus - yes, it's a tourist trap, but we're tourists! He told us there would be other places to find these things that was less "touristy" so we ran out of there but ultimately there wasn't anywhere else that we saw these things.

We had a wonderful time with our guide Selenay. She was knowledgeable, professional, timely and personable. We highly recommend requesting her for your tour.

The best tour guide! Very knowledgeable and nice! Definitely recommend this company for the Ephesus visit. Lunch which was included was also tasty

Great tour with very knowledgeable guide (Ms. Emma). Very honest vendor. My wife got sick on the ship and wasn’t sure if she could join. Vendor allowed me to wait till morning of tour to see if she recovered. She didn’t and vendor issued refund for her without any problems. Emma was very pleasant and did a wonderful tour for us. Lunch at the carpet weaving factory was simple and informal, just like a family picnic. Good food. Worthwhile tour to book.

Highly recommend this tour. We were lucky to have amazing tour guide Orkan! He made the experience so much more with his knowledge and humour. We had a delicious lunch which was included too. This is a great day out!

This was a great tour! Alex was so knowledgeable and helpful. He truly made the tour a delight! Ancient Ephesus was so incredible. The food at the restaurant, Green Farm, was delicious. Finally, we enjoyed learning about how Turkish rugs were carefully and beautifully made. We highly recommend this trip!

Nil was amazing and very informative. Virgin Mary’s house as well as the ruins very very moving. We had a great time on our first trip to Turkey.

Our guide Fusun made the tour amazing. She was so knowledge and spent so much time describing the history which made us feel like we were actually in ancient times. She also educated us current comparisons of Türkiye

Selda was an excellent, very knowledgeable and patient guide. The trip was impeccably organized with a fantastic driver, a super comfortable van and a delicious lunch. Best of all, the sites included are world class and utterly breathtaking!

The experience was amazing, it is so beautiful! The history of the place is unbelievable. Olgu was very knowledgeable, patient, and so nice. It was an absolute pleasure to explore with him and get to learn some of his culture. The lunch was delicious! Highly highly recommended!

Amazing private tour where our guide, Olgu explained the history and background of each site. We also chatted about modern Turkey and the historical influences, which was fascinating.

Gurkan was an amazing tour guide. All of the stops were awesome and the lunch was very tasty at a local restaurant. Would highly recommend.

Yazuz is an amazing guide with lots of expirience and very good english. My bf and i had an amazing tour with him. It was an memorable expirience

Selanay was a great tour guide. She was very knowledgeable and very informative. I would highly recommend her to anybody. Selanay was very kind and such a sweet heart.

Great private tour for less than the cruise ship charges for a group tour; it included more stops, all tickets and a very good lunch. Or tour guide (Dudo) spoke very good (clear) English. We were able to learn more about her culture than just what you get on a group tour. She was very knowledgeable about the places we went. We also had the options of changing the itinerary at any time. One of the best tours of our 56 days on the Mediterranean.

This was a wonderful experience. Our guide was so informative and enjoyed her service to us. This was very enjoyable.

We really enjoyed our tour. Our tour guide made sure that we had a great experience at each stop. He had a lot of information about Ephesus and made sure that we had a great time there. He also made sure that we were comfortable at lunch and had a table in the shade which we appreciated since it was a warm day.

Selnay was an excellent guide. Her English was perfect, very professional, history was told in stories, she was concerned about our needs, made good suggestions and the day very enjoyable. Absolutely would ask for her guidance again. Thank you Selnay!!

Arzu was a wonderful guide. She was very knowledgeable, a local, and spoke good English. Having a separate driver meant that she could focus on the tour. Ephesus was beautiful!

Selanay was a fabulous tour guide. She was very informative, knowledgeable and helpful. I highly recommend this tour and Selanay as your tour guide. The lunch that she took us to was fantastic and delicious. We saw handmade pottery being crafted & handmade Turkish rungs be woven. What priceless souvenirs we will bring home from the beautiful country of Turkey. Our driver, Volkan, was excellent as well. Please enjoy the experience of Turkey & its rich culture and food. We felt very safe and comfortable throughout the entire tour. We would definitely take this tour again. Sincerely Aleta & George Texas, USA

Selanay was a fabulous tour guide she was very informative, knowledgeable and helpful. I highly recommend this tour and Selanay as your tour guide. The lunch that she took us to was fantastic and delicious. We saw handmade pottery being crafted & handmade Turkish rungs be woven. What priceless souvenirs we will bring home from the beautiful country of Turkey. Our driver, Volkan, was excellent as well. Please enjoy the experience of Turkey & its rich culture and food. We felt very safe and comfortable throughout the entire tour Sincerely Aleta & George Texas, USA

Very comfortable accommodations for driving around. Ersan was a fantastic tour guide and very knowledgeable about the sights we went to. We didn’t have to wait in the long lines and He guided us to the best locations to see everything.

Very fun, the transportation was great it was the 4 of us and we had a nice van all to our selves. Alenya was awesome, she was very sweet and very very informative. We had a great time!!

Our Guide was very Welcoming and knowledgeable, she accommodated to the changes that needed to be made, which allowed for a wonderful tour… I wished we had an option to shop in a marketplace… I loved the tour, the lunch was Great! I would absolutely do it again! Thanks Selda you were Fantastic!

I cannot recommend this tour enough!! We were a group of 8 from Iowa and Colorado, celebrating our parents 50th wedding anniversary) Tez was THE BEST tour guide we could’ve asked for. He was charming, professional, intelligent, and so proud of his country and culture. The Ephesus ruins were more incredible than we could’ve imagined, and then we stopped for a delicious lunch with Tez, where he told us more stories about his culture and his family. We enjoyed it thoroughly and I would absolutely tour with this company in the future.