Ephesus And St. Mary's House Tour From Kusadasi With Lunch

Very enjoyable trip, went smoothly. Ephesus was amazing! The Guide -Josh - was very knowledgeable and paced the tour well.

These guys were absolutely horrible. I booked them through Viator, I sent them a direct email to confirm, which they did. Then I waited for my pickup info...nothing. I emailed them, they didn’t respond. I called them but got a recorded line. I called them the morning of, to confirm, and they wouldn’t pick up. I called their “emergency line” and the guy said to call the office. They responded to my last email that said the tour was canceled because of low attendance, 22 minutes before the start of the tour! I was furious! And of course, they couldn’t have cared less. I only had one day planned in the area, and even so, seeing Ephesus was a big part of my trip to Turkey. This tour company nearly destroyed that plan. Luckily my superb hotel (Ilayda Advantgarde) found me another tour, already in progress, so I zipped over and joined them mid-tour. I heard Neon Tours is a big company and they do this kind of thing all the time. Book with them at your peril.

Great day out. The tour guide was excellent we enjoyed our walk around the place. So much history to absorb, and even a short tour of the highlights will take half a day.

The place is spectacular, breathtaking and memorable, definitely deserve a second trip. I good tourist guide is a must, or at least take audio guiders provided for low cost at entrance. If you have a car it's better to go by your self rather than paying to travel agency, the ticket is 40YTL (Turkish lira) for adults and free for children up to 12 years. Make sure to have plenty of water as the walking is for hours.

A fantastic historical site to visit, especially on a guided tour,where the past is brought to life.It is rather uneven to walk in places but if you're careful,as I was, even though I have some mobility problems it can be managed.A point to remember is that it can get extremely hot, so if you can choose your holiday dates it's best to avoid the high summer! As you go round the guides can choose areas with walls etc where you can sit to listen to their informative talks, if you mention that you need a little assistance.

Brilliant place to visit, there are some interesting sites very old, loved the library, got toured and told the Ephesus story, so informative and if you love culture you’ll love Ephesus

We had a fab time on this tour and the ruins were really spectacular you could imagine yourself in there time, really would recommend this sightseeing tour, we also had a lunch included where we watched how carpets are made.

Tour guide was great, very informative. Lots of outdoor walking. Make sure to bring water, comfortable walking shoes, hat or umbrella to shade from the sun. Lunch provided was traditional Turkish food and delicious. Lunch was at a Turkish Rug Center where we were shown a demonstration on how rugs are made and had the chance to purchase a rug. Prices were a bit high but I only have one carpet buying experience from a couple years ago to compare to. Still overall a great experience and was one of the highlights of the trip.

If you like to enjoy a tour of Ephesus, House of Mary and temple of Artemis as well as spending time in beautiful Kusadasi by the sea,ask for Zeynep w/ Kusadasi private Ephesus tours, She is a pleasant woman w/ vast knowledge of the ruins and history of Turkey. Both her & her partner speak fluent English and provide a comfortable transportation from and to Izmir. We truly enjoyed our guided tour and highly recommend it.

Take a hat, camera and water and enjoy a brilliant day out, very interesting history and architecture.

<p>I called and also emailed twice the day before to confirm hotel arrangements for pickup. Day of the tour, they did not show up or reply. The day after I was supposed to tour, they emailed and said they did not have enough people the prior day to conduct the tour. I waited an hour at the hotel for them for no reason. Turkey is not open for tourists' business.</p>

<p>Tour guide was nice, but many times just left us to our own and told he'll wait by the car.</p>

<p>The tour guide was really fantastic. He took us to all the sightseeing spots as mentioned. He would give you the history of the places and then also allow you free time to explore which I liked, it didn't feel too rushed. Our transportation driver was very sweet and accommodating as well.</p>

<p>The tour was good, I appreciated the tour guide's knowledge and the excellent lunch. The bad part was the carpet sale pitch after lunch. It should not include that promotional sale in this tour.</p>

<p>Highlight of my trip to Turkey! If you make it to this area, you must stop by Ephesus. And this is a fantastic way to do it!</p> <p>While the sites were amazing, I have to first talk about the incredible guide I had. She was one of the best I've ever had anywhere! Incredibly knowledgeable in history, politics and culture, she has been doing this for decades and it shows. The tidbits and different points of view I learned from her were some of the things I remember most about the trip. We also had a very mixed group with different needs and interests and she did a fantastic job making sure everyone got the most out of their experience.</p> <p>St. John's: Neat to see this but even better to hear all the explanations from the guide. I would have not known what I was looking at if it wasn't for her!</p> <p>Ephesus: Incredible. The guide makes a big difference telling neat antidotes and explaining things you'd never know otherwise. Plus, free time is included to get to explore on your own.</p> <p>Lunch: Some of the best food I had on the trip and I love that it was at a rug center that helped support local women. Yes, they tried to sell us stuff of course like you'll find on EVERY excursion but I actually learned a lot here about the silk and rug making process. In fact, while the rest of the group was shopping, I found myself outside with one of the women actually teaching me how to weave. I weaved a whole section and it was another highlight of the trip.</p> <p>House of the Virgin Mary: I'm not Catholic but am Christian so I had some context. The guide helped explain so much more and I was surprised how much I enjoyed and was intrigued by this stop.</p>

<p>Polite and knowledgable guide. Excellent transport. Visit to carpet cooperative was very interesting but ultimately a sales excercise which is unfair to customers.</p>

<p>Wonderful tour with so much to take in . Our guide was informative , interesting and humorous which made and ancient city come alive . Well done and thank you</p>

<p>What a great historical site! Really enjoyed the tour.</p>

<p>The tour was okay. Transportation was an old van. Lunch was a buffet and the food was awful. The tour guide was very nice.</p>

<p>i was so disappointed we spent more time in a rug factory and leather shop than at this place easier to get your own taxi and spend the time you want. too many turkish tours have add ons as guides get kick backs not what I paid for!!!</p>

<p>It was yet another great tour organised by Viator. Hopefully with tour again with Viator. Great guide,comfortable bus and a great meal after the tour. Pleaase Keep up<br/> This standard</p>

<p>This tour was excellent. We were members of a small group and our guide was charming and well informed. We had a most enjoyable lunch where all the dishes were explained and, despite the sales pitch, the visit to the carpet factory was an interesting experience.</p>

<p>The best of all the tours we did. The AC van, guide, driver, and lunch - excellent.</p>

<p>We were quite worried as there was no word from your local agent there when he/she will come to pick us up from our hotel. I tried to call but their phone was always busy, could not call. Please make sure that your agent always leaves a message at the hotel desk about pick up time for reassurance. Tour guide was good and it was a nice tour. Ramesh Doshi</p>

<p>The tour is an excellent value with many "best" sites concentrated into one area. The guide approached the tour with passion and was a wealth of knowledge on the site.</p>

<p>It was a pretty complete tour except for the lack of seeing the Temple Houses. Also the LONG tour of the rug factory was NOT needed or appreciated!</p>

<p>We were happy with the tour. We've already recommended you website to our friends.</p>

<p>Ephesus was amazing. Our guide was great, very knowledgeable.</p>

<p>Our tour of Kasadasi turned out to be excellent, after a very shaky start. The directions on our ticket told us to confirm prior to 10 AM tour at the port. We tried to do so, but were told the office didn't open until 9. Also the number was not locat. We had to disembark ship, so we went directly to port location for tour - no one showed up and there were no signs anywhere. Finally the tourist office nearby made several calls for us, and were told the it left at 9 AM! There were others who also experienced the problem. Finally they sent a bus for us. Clearer arrangements are needed. Our tour guide in Ephesus was excellent and the lunch and rest of trip was fine. We would heartily recommend tour with adjustments for meeting point and exact time made clearer.</p>

<p>The best of all the tours we did. The shuttle bus, guide, driver, and lunch - excellent!</p>

<p>GREAT EXCURSION, for the price!<br/> Our day was beautiful! Our guide was well-informed! Our bus clean and air conditioned! There are two things to be "aware" of:<br/> 1) THE PICKUP IS NOT 10AM but 9AM! - so if you are on a cruiseship and can't call - PLEASE REMEMBER its 9am pickup - outside the security gate/guards that are beyond the shopping area - NOT OUTSIDE THE CUSTOM DOOR! Keep walking down the breezeway, thru the shopping area until you reach the security post and street. REMEMBER 9AM PICKUP NOT 10AM!<br/> 2) The guide is well-informed but you must keep your eye on the time - she was trying to keep to a schedule but she was not "really" holding to it - So, you MUST REMIND HER OF PORT DEPARTURE TIMES!!! Make sure you are heading back by 4:45pm - NO LATER!!! Remember to keep an eye on the time!!!<br/> I enjoyed the day, again, It's Worth the Money!</p>

<p>Our tour guide was late otherwise was quite knowledgeable about the subject matter. The lunch was substantial and tasty.</p>

<p>The tour was outstanding. The tour guide was awesome. The best tour guide, I've ever had; he was very knowledgeable and spoke english very well.</p>

<p>great tour..great guide..right at ship..saacha[dawn]...very knowledgeable..AC van very comfortable</p>

<p>Great tour! We ended up with a private guide and driver. Our guide was brand new to the profession and was a little timid, but she was very friendly and informative. We were driven around in a Mercedes van after getting picked from our cruise ship. My wife and I like to move quickly and our guide was more than happy to oblige. Similar shore excursions through the cruise company would have cost hundreds more. Definitely worth the money.</p>

<p>tour delivered informative relaxing insight to this wonderfull area.Guide was very knowledgeable and created an excellent picture of those past times. Bus and food /value was excellent.</p>

<p>Excellent trip! So nice to get off the ship and have a private van waiting for you with your own personal guide! All at half the price of the cruise trips plus no waiting for people to load on / off a bus. We got to see everything and the lunch was fantastic. Our guide, "Honor" was fantastic and very knowledgable. I would definitely recommend this tour to everyone!</p>

<p>An excellent trip. Only complain was that we were told we were being collected at 10-00am when in fact we were expected at 9-00am. I understand that an E.mail was sent to my home advising us of this fact, but as we were already on our cruise this was not of much use.</p>

<p>Excellent ! Our tour was private and our guide was just terrific, Ober. We had an enjoyable time learning a lot about Ephesus and the surrounding areas. Our guide was helpful and very informative. Our driver was SAFE and did a great job getting us around.<br/> We were very pleased with this trip and it was a good value for what we got in a tour.<br/> Thank you Marla and Merrill Sinert</p>

<p>Our guide was the perfect teacher, guide, historian and host. We could not have asked for more.</p>

One of the best tours of our cruise. Our guide was very knowledgeable, friendly, and accommodating. He really made this visit worthwhile. The food stop was crowded and the meat dishes were in short supply, but it was buffet style (all you can eat) and drinks with the meal included free soda, beer and red or white wine. This tour was well worth the price we paid.

On Sept. 22, four of us took your trip. We found your guide very insightful We enjoyed the stops we made and the lunch that was served was very good - better than expected. The home of the Virgin Mary was so wonderful to see as was St. John's Basilica. Loved the ceramics and rug place. The ruins were amazing and the descriptions very informative - your guide takes pride in his country. He made sure we avoided the peak times at the ruins which we appreciated.

One of the best tours we took in Europe. Highly recommend this tour. Excellent guide

It was like having a private tour all day from the moment we were picked up at port to the end of the day. Again a very personable, knowledgeable, experienced guide who spoke English clearly and was able to direct us around crowds and lead us to the most important sites.

Tour was excellent, tour guide was 1st class. added up to a memorable day.

This was a very detailed tour. The guide was very learned in all the sites and it was at a nice pace. Highly recommended.

The tour guide was very knowledgeable and nice. He spoke good English, and was very honest on what was a deal, and what was a rip-off. The Ephesus was amazing.Think of the fact that there was plumbing systems over 2,500 years ago. The mosaic tile floors were beautiful, and the attention to detail is just amazing. Virgin Mary's House is a can't miss if you are in town.

This small tour--4 people plus the guide and driver--was the best of our excursions. We found the guide a great help and interesting companion.

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable. He showed us more than we anticipated seeing and was very interesting. Ephesus was unbelievable.