Ephesus And Virgin Mary House Private Tour

Our tour with Banu was fantastic. Her English was great, she is knowlegeable and her personality wonderful. She guided us through crowds we encountered knowing shortcuts. When we were hungry she took us to a delicous local restaurant. We highly recimmeng Banu

The tour with Yesra was very fun and informative.

The tour was well organised. The city has a pretty much linear course so you can’t get lost. The library of Celsius was amazing. There is a lovely museum at the end. The toilets are at the end of the city so make sure you have emptied your bladder before going into the city

Perfectly organized half day, two with a lot of flexibility and great knowledge of our tour guide Omar.

We visited end of August. Weather still hot, Kusadasi resort near.

Nagi was very knowledgeable and patient with our active children. Great job!

The sites are really impressive, and the guide - Yavuz - is really knowledgeable & made effort to make it interesting & enjoyable. He showed us things & explained the details & background of various aspects, providing depth to the experience

We visited the house of Mary and then on to Ephesus Paid to get in and the audio tour This was about £45 per person Once paid was approached by a tour guide but had already purchased the audio so declined Then inside had to download the app to the phone and follow the map very hard to follow and WiFi dropped out so made it hard to know what we were looking at But the place is still fascinating Very hot as exposed Busy No toilets until the end There are in the museum part Good place to see but note all the above We also booked a taxi that took us and waited - wanted £90 from Kusadasi we paid £70 in the end

This trip was absolutely amazing. Our guide Ilkur was incredibly considerate and professional, and we were completely satisfied with the whole experience.

Learnt a lot about the Ephesus ancient city and Virgin Mary house. The tour guide, Gul was excellent

Excellent day out, going the morning as it is very warm

Adding to my prior review with Zeynep as our guide. Zeynep Asku is her full name. She is amazing!

The tour guide was very Friendly and knowledgeable

We visited Ephesus while in port on our cruise. The Celebrity Ascent provided a great Tour through its Best of Ephesus excursion. We truly enjoyed our time exploring the ancient city along with the House of Mary and St. John’s tomb. We would highly recommend to anyone looking to seeing ancient history up close.

Ephesus is an absolute must-see! It stands out for its remarkably well-preserved marble streets, monuments, temples, grand library, baths, music hall, theater, marketplace, and luxurious terrace houses. Few places in the world allow you to so vividly imagine what daily life was like nearly 3,000 years ago. Our driver, Jeff, was warm, knowledgeable, and incredibly considerate. He took us to several scenic viewpoints for photos, then dropped us off at the upper gate of the ancient city and picked us up at the lower gate. This made our walk through Ephesus mostly downhill and much more enjoyable. After our visit to the ruins, Jeff took us to see local artisans making traditional pottery and hand-painting ceramics. We also watched silk being extracted from cocoons and spun into thread for beautiful handmade carpets. He then stopped at local shops where we could browse Turkish skincare products and traditional desserts. Although the salespeople were enthusiastic, they were gracious and respectful when we decided not to purchase the jewelry or carpets. If you’re looking for a reliable and trustworthy taxi driver to explore the Kusadasi area, I highly recommend Jeff. He manages a local taxi company and made our day both comfortable and memorable. His phone number is +90 543 927 6089.

The trip was amazing our guide Ada very informative. Absolutely a must see for everyone.

This is an ancient ruin that does not look like a ruin. This is a ruin that is better than the one in Greece or Rome. Makes you wonder why people still go to Greece when you can experience this ancient city in Epehsus!

had a great half day trip. Our guide Esra Ital was superb. Her knowledge is extensive and her personable delivery was excellent. I highly recommend Esra’s skill as a guide. Thank you.

we had a half day trip with our tour operator. We met our guide Esra Ital and she was instantly both enthusiastic and knowledgeable and approachable for questions. Without doubt Ersa made our trip much more than just a day out, she made it fun, interesting and full of knowledge.

One of the great roman cities to visit if you like looking at ruins. The extra cost for the villas us worth it for the mosaics.

Visiting Ephesus with a guide was the best decision. The history is very interesting, and there is so much to see. Our guide explained everything clearly. We really think everyone should visit Ephesus with a guide to fully understand and enjoy it. It was an amazing experience!

Absolutely amazing. Highlight of our stay in Turkey. I highly recommend this tour.

Our guide , Yesra was friendly , informative & very helpful. She took her time, & explained the history clearly . Wish we could take her around Turkey with us. Highly Recommend

Someone else picked this excursion, it wasn’t one that I thought I would be interested in, however, I was pleasantly surprised! I had no idea the extent of the ruins, you get the feeling of a sprawling, ancient city, complete with a large public restroom. Roadways, roadside stalls, public toilets, everything that you could imagine a city would have is preserved in some degree. It was fascinating! We visited in July and the City is very open, not much shade. I would recommend that anyone visiting in summer take precautions against the heat and sun.

Went here with a private guide who led us to the most important places. We thought it was very extensive even though certain parts are off limits due to continuing excavations, our favorite parts were the Terrace Houses which were just amazing. One priest’s house was 10000 sq ft. Also the library which was ornately decorated.one of the largest and well preserved sites in Turkey.

Yesra was so informative when guiding us yesterday The whole day was amazing & it was definitely enhanced by Yesra local knowledge

Istemihan Teleri is the best tourist guide ,he is explaining special and mystic knowledge

We had a wonderful day in Ephesus with Yabuz, who was extremely knowledgeable and kind. I would highly recommend this tour. Thank you!

An astonishing experience. Take a guide as the site is so large as to be almost overwhelming. Tekk , who looked after us, had excellent English and answered our many questions patiently and fully. It really adds another dimension to the tour. Make sure you have sun hat and UV protection as the reflection off the ruins is very strong. Comfortable walking shoes are a must.

This ancient exceeded our expectations. We'll preserved and developed site. Marble walkways, statues mozaic sidewalks...there is a 3D museum on site. We booked through Viator. Our guide was very knowledgable.

Ephesus is a historic landmark in Turkiye, founded around 600 BCE. Originally an ancient Greek city, it became under Roman rule in 129 BCE. Ephesus remained the most important city of the Byzantine Empire in Asia after Constantinople in the 5th and 6th centuries. Ephesus commanded the west end of a trade route to Asia so it was an important port city in its heyday. It boasted a Temple to Artemis, a Temple to Hadrian, a Library of Celsus, the massive Oedon Theatre, the last known home of the Virgin Mary, and some of the earliest Christian churches. Mark Antony was welcomed by Ephesus when he was proconsul and in 33 BC with Cleopatra when he gathered his fleet of 800 ships before the battle of Actium with Octavius. Ephesus is an ancient city with much historical significance. When we visited with our tour group, we were given a quick overview, entered the state-of-the-art museum, and explored the grounds. The site is massive. The ancient ruins are in fairly good condition considering and it is still an active archeological site. When you visit, marvel at the expansive stone lined streets of the agora, peer up at the arches, and wonder at how far humankind has come over the centuries.

Our visit to Ephesus Ancient City did not start off on the best note, because it was bucketing down with rain. We got some unmbrellas and powered through the rain to visit the monumental ruins and get to know the history. We had a wonderful and very insightful guide who picked us up from our hotel. He was very knowledgeable and well spoken. Unfortunately, the rain did mean that we rushed through the information and the sites. But on the whole, stunning ruins and fantastic historical insights. A recent highlight is the Ephesus Experience Museum. You get headphones and get to walk through the room wide visual representation of the origina of Ephesus. It only lasts 15 minutes and is included in the Ephesus entrance ticket.

This is a vast and impressive site with many beautiful and intact parts. The architectural influences are wide and varied. The Amphitheatre seated c24,000 and the City had c240,000 inhabitants at it’s peak! We were on a tour which gave us a guide who told us a great deal about it as we walked but the downside was that we didn’t get too spend as much time as we liked there. There is plenty of signage in Turkish and English but there are audio guides for the whole site if you want them. This site deserves at least half a day but be careful - they do start herding you out so that they can set up for Dinner for people from cruise liners who have paid for Dinner & A Show here. If I was on a Cruise I probably wouldn’t have forked out for it but now that I’ve been, I would - what a spectacular setting in front of the Celsius Library. It was fairly busy but it was not unpleasantly so like other Ancient Sites we have visited. That is probably in part due to the scale of the site. There is a 3D presentation to watch in an auditorium, with audio guides in most languages, that is quite good but is probably an extra cost if you aren’t with a tour.

Private tour with guide and mobility scooter - Help everywhere from stewards and visitors - large marble tiles throughout with soil / mortar between - lots of broken or damaged areas ( of course) very bumpy - slow and careful - spots where I had to use crutches and my scooter was pushed - guide was very patient and helped find a path - well worth the effort House of Mary was impactful, atmosphere reverent Great tour - Peri the guide was font of knowledge and so patient Highly recommend but you do need to be able to walk a little Would do it again

Ephesus is truly incredible, with its ancient streets, grand theaters, and well-preserved ruins—but it can get very crowded. Our knowledgeable guide made the history come alive, making the visit unforgettable.

We had a wonderful Ephesus tour. The guide, Tayfun Ulupinar, was great. He knows very much and gave us a lot of information about Mary’s house, Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis. Besides this, he is very kind and amiable. The driver too did a great job. The bus was very clean and he picked us up right after our visits. He drove very responsibly

Views were amazing history incredible and very knowledgeable tour guide Need to be prepared with water , shoes, hat, and sunglasses to walk through

Visited this well preserved ancient city and was amazed with the view and how well this place was preserved and restored. We had a local guide to explain the various ruins to enhance our visit. Better than many other ancient ruins in Europe.

Everyone had been praising how good a place this is to visit so we booked a day tour and wasn’t disappointed. The ruins are beautiful and the tour guide was very informative and detailed and giving the back story to everything made it feel real. There is so much to see and touch and get the full experience of that time period. This is a big place and lots to see and the marble floors are very slippy and on an incline so make sure you wear good comfortable shoes. Also it’s all open with little shade so ensure you have sunscreen, hats and water. There are lots of different parts related to different history people so very knowledgeable for the kids to learn. The library is beautiful and can get busy so just take your time and enjoy at your own pace. The only downside is there are vendors being pushy so just be firm and the amphitheater wasn’t open at the time we visited due to renovations which is one of the main things I wanted to see. Do the 3d experience in the mini theatre as it’s very informative and enjoyable.

Impressed with the ruins and the effort to restore. Guild Isil provided great explanations which was extremely helpful.

If you are anywhere in the area, this is an absolute must. The ruins are remarkably extensive and give what seemed to me to be a real sense of life in the Roman Empire. Our cruise company (Windstar) arranged the tour guide, so I can't recommend a particular service, but you will get so much more with a guide.

Ephesus (Turkey) was an excursion stop on a Viking Cruise of Greece and Turkey. The port city nearest this is Kusadasi, Turkey. This is an amazing archaeological site regardless of one's background. The site is huge in comparison to many other archaeological dig sites. Workers have only excavated a small percentage of the city, but what has been uncovered is remarkable. Anyone interested in cities of antiquity should not miss this site! I would strongly recommend doing this trip with a guide. Ours was, of course, provided by Viking Cruises, but there are other companies that offer guide services here. Local guides can offer far more information and interesting tidbits about the history (political, religious, etc.) and you will come away enriched. This is a place visited by Biblical figures like Saint Paul, Saint John, and possibly the Virgin Mary. Other people associated with the city include Alexander the Great, Marc Antony, and Cleopatra. You will literally be following the footsteps of some very famous people. If you go, wear comfortable shoes with good soles as there is a great deal of slick marble on the walkways. Also, watch your footing as many places are uneven. Also, check the weather before you go! Summers here are hot, and the winter can be quite cool, or nearly cold. Expect to be hit up by the typical tourist trap pushers of wares as you enter or leave. They were not really obnoxious, but they are slightly aggressive.

We had been to Ephesus before, on a cruise. This time, we did a land tour of Turkey. What a difference!!! The right guide can make or break your tour. We learned so much about Ephesus and its history. Beautiful!!!

Ephesus is a beautiful ancient city with multiple time periods of development that we thoroughly enjoyed. We hired a private guide and who shared tons of historical information on the buildings, statues, mosaics, and landscape. I highly recommend having a guide for this city in order to hear the stories of ancient life in Ephesus to truly appreciate it. The city is very large and well worth the visit. During the summer there are tons of tourists and it is hard to move around easily and even harder to get pictures without numerous people in the photos as the tour groups from the cruise ships are massive. Set your expectations and you will enjoy it anyway. Bring sunglasses, a hat, plenty of water and sunblock if going in the summer as there is very little shade and the temperatures are in the high 90’s. We bought a ticket for 65Euro each that got us into the museum (which is not on site), Mary’s house, Ephesus, and the terrace houses.

Wow, what a site to visit absolutely awe inspiring for an ancient history nerd like me. Amazing to walk the arcardian way like the Ephesians of old, the marble paved streets of one of the must visit citys of Roman times. The site is huge the amphitheater is gob dropping impressive. I was lucky enough to have the terreced houses on my tour which was fantastic. The absolute stand out was the Ephesus experience.....you have to do it is must see.

My Uncle & I visited Turkiye for the first time in June 2024. We were on a cruise holiday which started in Istanbul and we stopped at Izmir after Istanbul. We took a guided tour to visit the Ancient City of Ephesus and was extremely grateful that we did! It was a mind-blowing experience, walking through the enormous archeological site and listening to our guide's historical stories and explanations along the way. The Ephesus Archeological Site is the 2nd largest archeological site in the world, after Pompeii in Italy. It seems that during its hey-day, Ephesus was one of the largest ancient cities in the known world, comparable to Babylon and Troy! Some of the archeological findings are astounding, like the facade of the library, the gigantic acoustic theater, the structure of the temple of Artemis, the old marketplace, etc. IMPORTANT TIPS: The best way to explore this enormous archeological site is to start from the entrance at the top of the hill and walk down towards the parking lot at the bottom of the hill. This site is completely exposed, it gets REALLY HOT out here in summer! On the day of my visit, the temperature was 42 degrees Celsius(107.6 Fahrenheit). Please make sure that you wear a hat, sunglasses and lots of sunscreen. Also please remember to bring lots of drinking water with you. Some parts of the walking path is really slippery due to the constant foot-traffic polishing the old marble pavers. Please make sure to wear rubber-sole shoes which have good grip to walk through this site. The souvenirs sold in the shops at the top of the hill is 50% cheaper than the exact same items sold at the bottom of the hill. I regret not buying my souvenirs before I began entering the archeological site! The public washrooms here charge USD1 or 1 Euro or 10 Turkish Liras per person per entry. Please have some small denominations of Turkish Lira ready for using the washrooms.

We had the most fantastic day yesterday on a Private Tour to Ephesus. Our guide, Tas, was exceptional. He was very informative, courteous and polite. Above and beyond to make our day one to remember. Our driver too, J Lo, was very friendly and kept us hydrated throughout the day. We finished the tour at a Rug making School, which was very educational and interesting.We couldn't recommend this enough. Tas made it a day that we'll never forget

Booked a private tour through Curio Travel for a cruise stop off at Kudadeski port. Collection at port was seemless and we were introduced to our guide, Ozge Caliskan (Emma) who brought us to a comfortable, air conditioned people carrier. As we travelled to Ephesus she told us about the surrounding area and the country. She took us to visit Ephesus 3 and we spent just over 2 hours there. Emma gave us a very detailed account of the history of the city and was able to answer all questions we had for her. Once we finished at Ephesus she offered us the opportunity to visit a carpet factory and a leather factory. We declined the leather factory but went to see the carpet one, and on the way there she asked the driver to stop off at a viewing point where you could see the tomb of St. John. The carpet factory was really interesting, but be warned, there’s a big sales pitch at the end of it. All in all it was a fascinating visit, helped by a knowledgeable guide and well organised tour.

We did this excursion with a group that was on the Celestyal Cruises. We had an excellent guide, deeply knowledgeable about the History of Ephesus. It was very moving to know the house where Our Lady spent her last years on Earth. Peace, emotion, and religiosity are breathed. It was wonderful. Knowing the ruins of ancient Ephesus was another emotion. For those who know a little about Biblical History, it was very enlightening to verify 'on site' what life was like at that time. This known archaeological site is still very small. The excavations continue. It is impressive to see the already discovered gigantic structure of Ephesus. Some structures are very well preserved and gave us an idea of the magnitude of this important ancient city. It was wonderful to know these two important attractions.