Our professional tour guide will greet you outside the customs/passport control building with a signboard with your name on it. Then your guide will take you to your private transport, and your Private tour starts.
During the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, Jesus entrusted his mother to his apostle St. John in his last words, since Jerusalem was not safe for his mother Virgin Mary anymore. John placed Mary on the top of Bulbul Mountain near Ephesus, which he considered as a safe place. It is believed that the Virgin Mary spent her last years in this house and died. The House of the Virgin Mary is now officially registered as a place of pilgrimage, with the visits of Pope Paul VI in 1967, Pope John Paul II in 1979, and Pope Benedict XVI in 2006.
Ephesus Ancient City is one of the most important highlights of our private Ephesus tours. Ephesus was the third largest city of the Roman Empire with a population of approximately 250000 in the Roman period. It was also the capital and commercial center of Asia Minor. You will have a chance to see the Library of Celsus (the third biggest library of the ancient world), the Great Theater of Ephesus (the biggest in Anatolia), latrines, the Temple of Hadrian, and more...
Terrace Houses (optional), also known as the Houses of the Rich, are located within the ancient city of Ephesus. This complex of six luxury villas offers remarkable insight into family life during the Roman period. Featuring their own heating systems and adorned with impressive Roman mosaics and frescoes, the oldest of these houses dates back to the 1st century. Please note that the Terrace Houses contain many steep stairs, are not wheelchair accessible, and may not be suitable for elderly visitors or those with mobility difficulties.
The Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was built in the 6th century BC. The temple took its final form in the 2nd century. With its size, it was the largest pagan belief center of the period. Although we can only see the basic structure and a single column and a few ruins today, it can be visited even to experience the current atmosphere.
The Kusadasi Castle, also known as Pigeon Island, is situated nearby to the port of Kusadasi. It is visible from your cruise ship, or you can opt to explore it independently after your tour.
We will pass by the Kusadasi Shopping Center, which is conveniently located a mere 5-minute walk from the port. After the tour, you will have free time to explore on your own. Your guide will indicate the shopping area for you to enjoy at your leisure post-tour.
We will pass by the Caravanserai, situated close to the port, merely a 5-minute walk away. Following the tour, you will have the opportunity to explore the area on your own.
End of the tour. We will return to the Kusadasi port where your ship is docked.
Great experience! Aysel was a wonderful guide and a wealth of knowledge. We booked direct through the website and everything went so smoothly making such a great memory of our time in Ephesus. Thank you!
Polat was friendly, knowledgeable and engaging with our group. He made our day visit very enjoyable. Lunch was fantastic
Busra was wonderful! She shared interesting information about the sites and Turkey. Busra was also flexible to our needs. I would highly recommend this tour.
We had the best tour with Aysel from start to finish. Aysel arrived early in a clean and luxurious vehicle and was very friendly and professional from the start. Aysel’s english is brilliant and as soon as we started towards Ephesus Aysel shared very interesting facts about the area and Ephesus. We visited Ephesus, House of Mary and Temple or Artemis - where Aysel shared such interesting information in such an engaging way and was patient in allowing us to explore elements by ourselves. Getting a tour with Aysel is much better than just an audio guide because she has so much information and she brings the stories to life and you can ask questions- she knew everything! Then we went to a lovely ceramics place and had lunch in a fantastic place where they made rugs and had peacocks. Aysel took care to ensure our 10 year old was also engaged - by asking about interests and knowledge at the start. We had a wonderful time, thank you very much Aysel.
We had an absolutely amazing private tour of Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary. Everything was perfectly organised, and the experience exceeded our expectations. A special thank you to Aysel, our wonderful tour guide, who was knowledgeable, friendly, professional, and passionate about history. She brought the ancient city of Ephesus to life with fascinating stories and explanations, making the experience enjoyable for the whole family. Aysel also took us to a lovely restaurant for lunch, which was a wonderful addition to the day. She really went the extra mile to make sure we had a fantastic experience. The tour was well organised, relaxed, and never felt rushed. We learned so much and created wonderful family memories. Thank you, Aysel, for making our visit so special and memorable. We highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Kuşadası and Ephesus. If you’re looking for an excellent guide and an unforgettable experience, this is the tour to choose!
Omer was absolutely wonderful! He was incredibly knowledgeable and passionate. He did a great job explaining the history and was very kind to make suggestions and adjustments to our day based on our group’s interests. It was a fun and educational day!
Omer was a great guide! Incredible historical knowledge combined with a great sense of humor made the day fun. We enjoyed an amazing lunch at a local Turkish rug making facility & stopped at a leather outlet. The van was spacious & comfortable. So much better than the crowded cruise ship excursion! Got us back to the ship in plenty of time. Highly recommend!!
Omer was amazing! Tremendous custom tour. One of the best guides ever.
We enjoyed our day with Aysel. She was patient with us,and knew the ancient history of Turkey. It was a wonderful tour and we appreciated the local Turkish lunch.
Booking this tour was very easy - communication was very quick throughout. Upon arrival, Bürşa was such a great guide! She was very accommodating for our family, from grandparents to baby, and gave a lot of information while we walked through all the sites. Our driver was also lovely and kept us feeling comfortable and safe throughout the journey.
Duygu was exceptional. Her knowledge of all of the places we visited was extensive. She was thoughtful and made sure that our tour was tailored to our interests and made it very special. We had a wonderful time learning about Turkey and Ephesus with her!
We‘ve had a great, impressive and authentic experience with our guide Busra! Thank you for the wonderful day we won‘t forget!
Polat was an exceptional guide for our day in Kusadasi. What we especially appreciated was how flexible and personalized the entire experience was. Rather than following a rigid itinerary, Polat gave us recommendations and options throughout the day, and we were able to choose exactly what interested us and move at whatever pace felt comfortable. We decided to make Ephesus the main focus of our day, and it was absolutely the right choice. Polat’s knowledge of Ephesus and its history was extraordinary, and he had a wonderful way of bringing the ancient city to life. His expertise was obvious — we even happened to run into one of his former students who is now leading tours of his own! Just as importantly, Polat took wonderful care of my father, mother, and uncle, all of whom are seniors with varying degrees of limited mobility. He was patient and attentive, adjusted the pace whenever necessary, and helped us navigate the site so that everyone could enjoy the experience together. We never felt rushed or locked into a schedule. Polat gave us exactly what we wanted from a private tour: tremendous knowledge, great recommendations, and the freedom to make the day our own. He was personable, professional, and genuinely thoughtful about the needs of our family. We would highly recommend him, particularly to anyone looking for a flexible, personalized day in Kusadasi rather than a one-size-fits-all tour.
Duygu was an exceptional tour guide with the upmost knowledge of the city. She answered every question we had, I couldn’t recommend her enough!
It was a very informational and fun tour. Perfect excursion when visiting Ephesus. Ms. Duygu Korkmaz was amazing and would highly recommend her!
We had a wonderful tour experience lead by Busra . She is very knowledgeable and taught us a lot about the ancient city of Ephesus . We also had a wonderful lunch at the Pasha Rugs weaving center.. We would also like to thank our driver
We had a fantastic private tour with our guide, Bursha. Communication before the tour was excellent, and on the day Bursa and our driver met us directly at our hotel. The car was lovely and very comfortable, and our driver was friendly and made the journey really pleasant. Ephesus itself is absolutely incredible, and having Bursa show us around made the experience even better. She was super friendly, patient and very knowledgeable, and we never once felt rushed. We actually spent over 3.5 hours exploring Ephesus, which was exactly what we wanted. We also visited the Experience Museum and then the Temple of Artemis, and the whole day was such a great experience. We’ve usually done larger group excursions in the past, but this time we specifically wanted to avoid a rushed itinerary or being taken to leather factories, shops, etc. that we weren’t interested in. We paid a little more for a private tour, but it was 100% worth the extra money. We could take our time, ask questions and enjoy the sites at our own pace. Bursa was brilliant throughout — knowledgeable, friendly, patient and genuinely lovely company. We had a wonderful day and would absolutely recommend this tour to anyone visiting Ephesus. One of the highlights of our holiday!
Our guide was personable, engaging, and wonderfully knowledgeable. She brought Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis to life with vivid context, and the weaving‑center visit felt genuinely authentic. The traditional Turkish lunch was excellent, and the whole experience was smoothly tailored to our interests—an unforgettable day.
We LOVED this tour! Aysel was amazing. She knew so much and was very willing to answer all of our questions! We were easily able to understand Aysel’s English which made it so much easier for us learn and understand everything she told us about the rich history and culture of this area. Our driver, Mehmet, was also wonderful! We always felt safe in his very comfortable van. This tour included: Ephesus Ancient City Terrace Houses, Mary’s House, Basilica of St. John, and a stop to see how Turkish rugs are made. I recommend you book this tour if you are visiting Kusadasi!
We had a fantastic time touring Ephesus with our guide, Omer! He was extremely knowledgeable and catered to our interests. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for a tour of Ephesus. Additionally, meeting point and time was very clear and made our morning easy.
Aysel was the best tour guide that I have had, she was very informative and helpful with times, places and information. I would recommend her always
Omer was our guide and did a fantastic job. He was very thoughtful discussing the various sights that were available to us and curated a series of site visits that were very interesting to us. He is very knowledgeable, but didn’t inundate us with a list of facts. He had the unique ability to sense what we were interested in and made his comments very focused and relatable for us. Probably one of the better guides and experiences that we’ve had in our years of traveling. He exceeded our high expectations!
It was nice to have Bursa with us, she was someone friendly to show us around and explain to us the culture of the area. Definitely a very flexible tour with no need to rush through anything we wanted to see.
Our guide Bursa was wonderful and very well educated. She got us to all our destinations efficiently and got us back to the port with plenty of time to spare. Our transportation was clean and the drive made us feel safe.
Büşra Şahin is one of the best tour guides I have ever encountered and I travel alot. Firstly, Büşra is a very nice person who thinks constantly about the customer and their interests. Along the way our conversations were about the land, agriculture, the geography, and changes to that caused by nature. She is very knowledgeable on the religious influences in the area: Greek and Roman Paganism, The First Christions, The Jews and their influence and the Muslims from the Ottoman Period to the present day. We had conversations that looked to the unity seen among religions, especially Judaism, Christianity and Islam. She allowed me to set my pace as I looked, read and photographed the awesome sites in Ephesus. Buşra explained how, due to earthquakes, the Sea receded. During the 1st Century A.D. it was probable that The Blessed Mother and St John arrived by boat as they escaped the Roman persecutions of Christians. My trip was quite moving as I prayed the Holy Rosary for family and friends in the House where The Blessed Mother lived, walked, cleaned, cooked, prayed and slept. It was so personal. The other moving highlight for me was praying at the tomb of St. John the Apostle of Jesus Christ. I learned so much from this exquisite young lady whose knowledge of Ephesus ( and I am sure other areas of the World) is non pariel!
Our guide was very considerate of us being a slow-moving couple. She was knowledgeable, engaging and offered alternatives to high impact touring. Aysel was a wonderful guide.
Bursa is the best. Her knowledge and ability to deliver a lot of information in a very consumable level really added to our experience. I tend to “tune out” due to information overload. Bursa attention to detail and ability to story tell made this excursion to Ephesus one of the best days of our vacation.
Busra was wonderful. She took us everywhere we wanted to and was so patient when we took more time than was normal. The luncheon spot was great. Off the beaten path. She conveyed information in a pleasant and digestible way.
Knowledgeable guide who allowed us to take as long as we wanted to look around the sites of Ephesus and was super interesting and friendly all trip.
We had such an enjoyable visit to Ephesus with our amazing tour guide Omer and Captain Matt at the steering wheel. Omer is incredibly knowledgeable and his enthusiasm shone through. We were able to adapt the itinerary according to what we felt like doing and this flexibility was appreciated. If you are fortunate to have Omer as a guide, you will have a memorable visit to Ephesus.
Omer is an exceptional guide and has a vast amount of knowledge! His English was superb and kindly answered all my questions. He also offered to take lots of photos of my sister and I which was so helpful. Omer kindly suggested a visit to a local Turkish rug factory (with no obligation to buy) and then arranged for us to have lunch there too and the traditional dishes at the restaurant was so fresh and delicious. We had a phenomenal day with lots of fun and laughter. Omer made us feel right at home and I can’t recommend booking Omer enough!
We had a wonderful experience visiting all the core sites in a private Mercedes van. Büşra was fantastic as our guide and so pleasant to spend time with. Excellent communication which made it very easy and comfortable. We were able to leave the port early therefore visit the all the sites before the masses arrived. We highly recommend.
Busra was the best. She got us to the sights early. We beat the crowds and had a very lovely day.
Excellent private tour of Ephesus archeological site, Ephesus Museum and Temple of Artemis. Our guide, Omer, was very knowledgeable and engaging in exploring the fascinating history and culture of this marvelous area. Booking the private tour was a great choice, enabling us to explore these sites at our own pace and skipping ticket lines.
Had an absolutely wonderful time and Busra was a great guide. Great communication the whole time prior via WhatsApp, and pickup was flawless with the driver and Busra waiting for us just after baggage claim! Would highly recommend!!
Mr. Mustafa Karabacak was absolutely wonderful along with his driver Sali. He was very knowledgeable (and personable!) And have taught us more about classical history of Türkiye, Greece, and Romans than we have learned anywhere else. 100% recommended for all
Our tour guide, Busra, was fantastic! She was courteous, knowledgeable, and professional throughout the entire tour. Our driver was also very friendly, and the vehicle was comfortable and well maintained. Ephesus was absolutely amazing—a truly unforgettable experience!
Busra and Batu were the best! We were able to get everywhere quickly with minimal lines.
Omer was a great guide. Very personable and knowledgeable. He took time to explain a lot of things and answered our questions. He was very fun and pleasant and also professional, he takes his work very seriously, and it shows in the quality of our tour. Highly recommended.
We had the most incredible private tour with Aysel! She is a wonderful person and a very knowledgeable, passionate, and fun guide. We learned so much and she answered all the questions we didn’t even know we had, plus all the ones we did. We also enjoyed a delicious Turkish lunch together. We are thrilled we had this opportunity and highly recommend this company and especially Aysel. Our driver Oguz was skilled and safe and always prompt to pick us up from sites we visited. We felt so satisfied and blessed during and after our tour. Thank you!!
Polat Korkmaz was very attentive and more than happy to answer our questions. He provided insight that I am sure we would have missed without him explaining the little 'ins and outs' of the different sights we visited. He and Mert insured we went to where we wanted safely. (Local drivers did tend to be a bit unforgiving.) If asked, I would highly recommend them both. They were a great team.
Polat Korkmaz was our guide and Mert was our driver. They were both amazing! We learned many things about Ancient Ephesus, The House of Mary and St John’s Basilica as well as the surrounding area from Pol. I would highly recommend this tour!
Polat was an excellent guide. Not only did he plan our day in Ephesus to complete what we wanted to see, but he did so in a way that minimized the crowds that were encountered. Polat was very knowledgeable and able to answer all of our questions. His driver, Max, was also excellent. He was prompt and the transportation vehicle was clean, spacious, and comfortable. We very much enjoyed our tours of ancient Ephesus, House of Mary, St. John’s Basilica with Polat’s guidance. Finally, the lunch he planned for us was superb and the tour of the carpet weaving shop was very interesting. We highly recommend Polat as a tour guide and Max for transportation.
Polar was very informative and helpful. We enjoyed his company and he was very patient with all our questions! We recommend him without reservation. His driver, Max, was also very kind and helpful!
Aysel was our tour guide and she was fabulous! Highly recommend- she did a great job at being flexible with our day when we needed it with young children. She is very knowledgeable and very helpful. 10 stars :)
Aysel was a wonderful tour guide. She was very knowledgeable and gave us lots of time to view everything. We were blown away by the history and archeological sites. It was a little warm in late August; bring a hat, water and sunglasses.
Aysel was amazing and so very professional. We had a wonderful time with her and learned so much from her. She went out of her way to make sure we were comfortable and able to ask questions galore. Batu was a safe driver and kept us safe.
We received great directions for meeting guide and everything went smoothly. Also received a note on what’s app from the guide the day before and in the morning. The tour was interesting and insightful. We could spend as much or as little time as we wanted at each location. Bursa our guide was kind, knowledgeable and helpful throughout the tour, her English was great and she had a great sense of humor. Since she is well traveled we were also able to compare monuments on other countries and talk about how trade and religions interconnected over centuries and. Continents. I can’t complement Bursa enough for a wonderful adventure.
Wow, we had a great time today! The whole process was really easy from booking via WhatsApp, designing an itinerary to suit our timing and being collected from the hotel promptly. Our guide Büşra was really knowledgeable and kept all of us engaged throughout the experience, even my two children aged 12 and 14. She was enthusiastic and engaging and we really enjoyed our trip! The journey was seamless; we were dropped at the entrances and picked up promptly at Ephesus and then taken to the House of the Virgin Mary. We had some extra time so actually ended up visiting the statue of Artemis even though we hadn’t planned to do this due to our timings. The whole service was professional and easy and I would not hesitate to recommend this trip… if in doubt just book it! A hugely enjoyable experience.
Bushra was a wonderful guide. She was very knowledgeable, spoke excellent English, was well-organized and had a very pleasant personality. We highly recommend her.
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