Ephesus Day Tour From Izmir With Lunch

The Tour could have spent more time at Ephesus rather than spending a lot of time at the rug store and then another market later on that had wine tasting and souvenir shops, It felt lie we spent same amount or less time touring the historical locations and more having lunch and the rug store and the market. The basilica was also not shown we did not even drive by it. There was not one single person who purchased a rug or anything in the market so it was a waste of everyone’s time. If i were to do this again, I would just drive there or take a taxi from the hotel and spend time where it made the most sense. The guide was helpful with getting us there in time and back and she did a good job of explaining the sites.

The tool was very well organized, and efficient. We got to see everything that we needed to see. Our tour guide, Uray, was very knowledgeable, fluent, accommodating, organized, and congenial. The lunch stop was fun, and the small village of Sirence was fascinating. Highly recommended.

Everything was excellent! Our guide, Hüray Iladız, was knowledgeable, friendly, and made the history of Ephesus easy to understand and enjoyable. The tour was well organized, and our family of four had a wonderful day. Highly recommended!

The tour was great. Huray did a great job in explaining every place we visited. She was very much knowledgeable when it comes to the history of Ephesus! 10 out of 10!

Our guide, Hüray, was friendly, and the driver was very nice. However, I was disappointed with Hüray’s management of our time and the overall organisation of the tour. We were left with only around 15 minutes in total for the Terrace Houses and the Library of Celsus. These were the highlights of Ephesus for me and deserved far more time. Being rushed through them was a real disappointment. Yet we spent around half an hour at a carpet demonstration and sales pitch. It felt unfair that selling carpets was given twice as much time as visiting these extraordinary historical sites. Although Hüray was pleasant, her handling of the visit let the experience down. The guide and operator should prioritise time at the main attractions and make shopping stops optional. Unfortunately, I can only give this tour two stars.

Experience was purrrfect, our guide huray was passionate about explaining the iconic spots and guiding us through the area. Totally recommend the tour, was very informative and extremely pleasant

Fantastic day trip. Guide, Gul, was excellent, very informative. The lunch provided was lovely. The day was great value for money. Would recommend. Ephesus is a must see.

An incredible day out, Mehmet was knowledgeable and fun. He had some incredible stories and made the back and forth on the bus fun too, such a great day

Mehmet is an amazing tour guide. He is very knowledgeable and made everything very entertaining. I liked that this tour took care of purchasing the tickets on our behalf, so we didn’t have to waste time on people purchasing tickets individually. Lunch was tasty and worth it. We also had a chance to look at a carpet making workshop. There was no pressure to buy anything, which is always nice. Great tour overall.

Ephesus was absolutely breathtaking! 🏛️✨ Walking through these ancient ruins and knowing that the Apostle Paul walked and preached here made this experience even more special. 🙏🏼❤️ A special thank you to our amazing tour guide, Huray! She was so knowledgeable, friendly, and passionate about the history. She made the whole experience even more memorable! 💕🇹🇷

Alper was a friendly and knowledgeable guide. We got to see everything as advertised. There was no time to see the Terrace at Ephesus (this is extra fee by the way). There is no planned breakfast stop so plan accordingly.

Great tour with Alper. Includes Ephesus, House of St Mary and Temple of Artemis. Does not include Terrance Houses and is not an option on the tour as far as I know. Make sure you have breakfast before trip as they do not stop for breakfast and lunch may run late ~1-2pm. Picked us up at our hotel at 725 promptly and we got back there at around 5pm.

Fantastic day, everything we expected to see and all admission prices were included. The downside was we spent quite a bit of time visiting rug factory and a small town for ‘souvenirs’

This tour was excellent! The transport was on-time for pickup, and the driver was calm and efficient all day. Our guide, Nisem (approximate spelling) was from Selçuk, and he was extremely knowledgeable, warm, and funny! He gave us great insight into the area and its history and made the day a great experience. We highly recommend this operator if you want to get the most from your Ephesus tour. Thanks Nisem 😁

The tour was excellent, well organized and very fun and informative. Huray is a wonderful guide, very helpful and kind.

We had a great day trip to Ephesus with Huray as our guide. She was so lovely and made the history really interesting with her detailed but easy-to-follow explanations. We also liked that she showed us some local businesses along the way, which gave us a better feel for the area and its culture. The whole tour was well organised, and Huray was friendly, knowledgeable, and happy to answer any questions. We’d definitely recommend this tour!

Hűray was a wonderful tour guide. Everything was very well organized. Much better to be part of the group than to have gone by ourselves. Was a beautiful day out, definitely recommend

1. This is not a private tour as advertised, but a small group tour 2. It states you can organise to go to terrace houses at Ephesus, but this was not actually possible 3. The tour of Ephesus archaeological park is rushed because you get to spend a lot of time with over-priced rug, oil, sweet sellers

We had a fantastic experience with Apasas Travel! Our day trip to Ephesus was one of the highlights of our visit to Turkey. Our tour guide, Huray Iladiz, was exceptional. She was incredibly knowledgeable, passionate about the history of Ephesus, and had a wonderful way of bringing the ancient city to life. Her explanations were clear, engaging, and filled with fascinating stories that made the experience both educational and enjoyable. She also has a great sense of humor, making the tour fun from beginning to end. A special thank you as well to our driver, Mr. Shah, who was professional, courteous, and made us feel safe and comfortable throughout the journey. Everything ran smoothly and on time, which made the entire day stress-free. From the seamless organization to the outstanding service, Apasas Travel exceeded our expectations. We highly recommend this company, and if you’re lucky enough to have Huray Iladiz as your guide and Mr. Shah as your driver, you’re in excellent hands. Thank you both for making our visit to Ephesus such a memorable experience!

Great tour. Lovely guide. Get sites.

it is a nice tour and our guide mahmet is friendly and exprienced

Mehmet is amazing! He made Ephesus come to life for us (myself, my husband, and 11 & 13 year olds). He also met us exactly where we were with our background and interests. I cannot rate this highly enough!

Hurey was a lovely and knowledgeable guide particularly around Ephesus.

The whole experience was amazing! Our guide HURYA was very professional, helpful and cheerful all the time! Ephesus is an amazing inc place. Highly recommended. Thank you 🙏🏽

Huray, our guide was great. She explained every details of the ancient city. It was great fun to go on a tour with her.

Fabulous tour of House of Mary and Ephesus with a wonderful guide Mahmet. On time pick up at hotel in Izmir. Lots of great geographical and historical information provided on the ride and at the sites. Patient tour guide with excellent information and good driver. The provided lunch was outstanding. There were some shopping stops as well including an interesting carpet weaving explanation. Highly recommend.

Awesome, did not expect carpet demo. Could have done without that.

Mehmet was very kind, gave us just the right amount of information, and allowed us enough time to enjoy the experience and take photos.

I enjoyed learning about Ephesus through our guide Mehmet. We also got to meet so many people from different parts of the world!

Had a great time!! Mehmet was very knowledgeable and lots of fun.

Had a fantastic time learning all the history of this incredible region. Had a delicious lunch halfway through, and our guide Mehmet was super knowledgeable and thorough. Highly recommend if you’re staying in Selcuk and have a free day!

What a fabulous day from start to end. We very conveniently were picked up and dropped back to our hotel in Alicati at the end of the day. Our guide Ersan was friendly, organised and managed to keep our group of 11 together to impart his excellent knowledge of the areas visited. Ersan also had a great knowledge of the origins of words and language which I found particularly interesting. Lunch was delicious and while we visited a couple of businesses which were actually quite informative, there was absolutely no pressure to buy anything. Our visit to Ephesus was mind blowing and I highly recommend this tour.

Great day. I rarely go on tours preferring to drive myself and explore only own. But i decided to do this tour rather than rent a car and that hassle. I made the right choice!!! The guide, Huray, was outstanding and so was our driver Ufuk. Exactly on time in a newer van. Just 11 in the group which is a reasonable size. Ephesus was crowded but Huray kept us together and moving along but also gave us time to explore a bit and take photos. The lunch was excellent sitting outside. Tons of people but very good food all served family style. Really fun. Huray does this trip almost daily. But she still was able to be enthusiastic and make it seem individual and personal. I was particularly pleased with the company because I booked for Monday and was sick in the morning and had to cancel when they arrived at the hotel. But the company let me move my date two days. They didn’t have to - my obligation - but they were super nice about it. I highly recommend the tour.

We had a really nice experience with a very professional and nice tour guide Haguck (I hope I wrote her name rightly) who was always giving us essential and important information about the place we visited.

We had an amazing trip to Ephesus with the knowledgeable and talented guide Huray. We were picked up bang on time for the journey first to the House of the Virgin Mary which is small but very serene. Huray was a fantastic guide for the tour of Ephesus which is just a stunning site. Temple of Artemis was next followed by a lovely lunch, a tour of a handmade carpet factory and a visit to șirence. A full day with a lovely group.

Gul, our guide, is terrific. She could answer every question asked yet curated the right amount information to tell the story of Ephesus. Perfect English. Pleasant disposition. Our driver Er is also a pro! Our hotel is high on a single lane road, packed on a holiday weekend with cars blocking hairpin turns. Imagine! I highly recommend our team.

absolutely perfect! our guide Gül and our driver Erdal were a perfect team.

We had an amazing tour with, Gul! She was so kind and did an amazing job explaining all the history in Ephesus, Mother Mary’s House and Temple of Artemis. She was very knowledgeable and made the tours very interesting. We highly recommend this tour with, Gul!

Hurray is a great guide. Very knowledgeable and a pleasant personality. The driver Sah made us feel safe with his driving. Highly recommend them.

It was a great daytrip To Ephesos. Our tourguide Hüray did a great job and Always kept us well informed. Always would recommend it!

It was such a wonderful tour! Ephesus was beautiful and very interesting to see. We also went for a lovely lunch and we got to see turkish carpets being made. Our guide Hüray deserves a special mention for making the whole experience wonderful. Thank you so much Hüray for telling us all the wonderful stories and facts, it was lovely spending the day in Ephesus with you!

Wonderful day in Ephesus and Sirince. Our guide Nizam - as well as the bus driver - did a great job! Very recommandable tour!

Experienced guide who knew a lot about the history (Huiya). We spent a lot of time at Ephesus, not rushed at all. Also lumch was unusually good for a tour. Highly recommend this tour operator.

From the moment we arrived in Ephesus, Hüray brought history to life with her deep knowledge, captivating storytelling, and genuine passion. Every ruin, every stone had a story—and she told them all with such clarity and warmth that it felt like stepping back in time. HER attention to detail, patience, and thoughtful care made our day unforgettable. If you’re lucky enough to have Hüray as your guide, you’re in for a truly exceptional experience. Highly, highly recommend! 💫

Amazing tour to Ephesus! The ruins are incredibly well preserved and full of history. Our guide Hüray was knowledgeable and made the experience even more engaging. Very friendly, she gave us so much information about everything. Highly recommended if you’re visiting the area! I really enjoyed it a lot. 100% recomended.

This Ephesus day trip from Izmir was absolutely amazing from start to finish! Our driver Şahmettin was punctual, patient, and super professional, making the whole journey smooth and comfortable Our guide Huray was the real highlight—funny, lively, and full of great stories that brought ancient Ephesus to life. She had this perfect mix of humor and history that kept everyone entertained, and she made sure we always knew where to walk, where to avoid, and the best spots for photos. You could really tell she cared about each person having the best experience, especially since our tour group consists only 5 people; a relatively small group The stops were fantastic—every stop had the right amount of time to explore and enjoy. In the end we made a stop in Şirince which was a stunning village with lots of souvenirs and good local wines! Huge thanks to Huray and Şahmettin for making it such a perfect day trip from Izmir! P.S. there were lots of cute cats and dogs during the tour 😁

I would give 6 stars if I could. Huray was incredibly wholesome and patient with everyone in the group. She pointed out so many details I would have completely missed on my own (like the ancient board games carved into the marble) and explained few things with funny anecdotes that made the history really stick. A shoutout as well to Mr. Sahmettin, our driver, who drove very carefully and smoothly (one of the few people who actually follows the speed limit, haha). Overall a fantastic experience.

We were a group of 5 and this tour was guided by Hüray and Omur drove us around. It was absolutely amazing, Hüray was very patient and explained everything very well. It was a pleasure being guided by Hüray- she has a pleasant personality and explained all the look traditions and customs very well. She also took us to famous local restaurants serving great food and suggested good recommendations.

Our tour in Ephesus was unforgettable, and Nizam made it exceptional. He explained the history clearly and in an engaging way that made even complex details easy to understand. You can tell he is a true expert and a local who knows Ephesus by heart. From the ancient ruins to the excavation developments over the years, his knowledge feels genuine, not memorized. He is also very street smart. Ephesus can be crowded, but he navigated the timing and routes well so we avoided the biggest groups, making our experience more comfortable. With his natural humor and relaxed style, the tour felt personal rather than scripted. Nizam truly made our visit memorable. We highly recommend this tour and agency. If you get Nizam as your guide, it is definitely a bonus.