Ephesus Day Trip From Istanbul Incl Domestic Flights

Josh make a good job, the day was perfect. Josh take time to explic the history. The transport was good.

We had a wonderful experience with Josh as our guide. He was very informative and spoke very good English. He was able to cater to our wants. We ordered as a group but we were the only ones in the group which made it very personalized. Food was amazing too. The crowd was very minimal which gave us a great experience overall.

We had a fabulous day with Selin! From the steps of Ephesus (with a cameo appearance by Garfield, the resident celebrity) to the catwalks of Porque leather factory, it was all in all, a day for the books! 10/10 would recommend to anyone worth considering a day-trip from Istanbul. Pick-up was right on time, transport was comfortable, and we got a lot of knowledge, history, and context about the area!

It was supposed to be a private day tour to Ephesus. The tour was ok, but they left me 3 hours early at the airport, and when I got to Istanbul had to wait 35 minutes at a Meeting Point crowded with people for the driver to pick me up

A fantastic day trip under the expert guidance of Ozzy. It was both informative and interesting and is highly recommended

We had a tour with Fatima in Ephesus. She is an excellent guide! She personalized the tour for our small group. She and our driver are so friendly and helpful. We could only come for the day, and we were able to see so much! We were helped every step of the way, from the moment we arrived at the airport. The lunch included was fantastic. We learned a lot about the history and culture of the country. We really appreciate how helpful Fatima has been and we would definitely recommend!!!

Great in depth tour of the ancient city of Ephesus with side trips and a delicious lunch with Fatima as our guide. Highly recommended.

Our guide Fatima was wonderful. She was very knowledgeable, providing a wealth of historical information and fun facts. The lunch was a variety of local cuisine - delicious. The tour, flight, and drive was very well coordinated. I would definitely recommend.

We just finished our tour with Fatima. Start to finish the company was amazing and easy to work with. Within the hour of booking, I got a WhatsApp message with my next steps. I provided them our passport info and they got on securing our tickets. Once they got tickets, they sent great step by step info of what to expect. Only thing I want to highlight—make sure you checkin online to actually get your boarding passes. And double check that you have checked in on both directions as they coordinate your flight based on best times available so you get the most out of your excursion. For this reason, you may be on two different airlines so just make sure you have both boarding passes!! Back to the excursion, Fatima is simply amazing. Not only was she personable, and ridiculously knowledgeable about ALL the history, but she also helped us with the rest of our time in Turkey by coordinating another excursion for us in Cappadocia with her colleagues. Really—if you are on the fence about finding a day excursion from Istanbul to Ephesus…look no further!!!! This company is trustworthy and Fatima was outstanding!!!

This was such an excellent experience! Our guide Fatima is very knowledgeable and made our tour very fun and personable. We were fortunate to be the only party on the tour so Fatima was able to suggest places that appealed specifically to us, which was a very enriching and special feature that we hadn’t experienced with other tours. The lunch was my favourite, as Fatima took the time and effort to explain each dish and how we could pair the sides, mains and condiments to achieve the ultimate Turkish Lunch dining experience. The dishes were also very tasty. We also enjoyed checking out the local businesses and just had to make some purchases as their goods are so unique and of great quality!

Fatima was an amazing tour guide. An intellectual who knows what she's talking about. Knew the history behind the ruins, as well as had a great sense of humor. Mehmet (our driver) was excellent and punctual, ready with a sign that had our name as to not cause confusion. The private tour was definitely worth every penny, I would even personally say it was priceless. Thank you Fati + Mehmet!

It was a short trip , but everything went smoothly, from the pick up at the airport to the sites and back to the airport in 1 day . Fatima was very knowledgeable about the region and she was very personable. We had to change some of our itineraries but it was all for the better and was less crowded by changing the planned day. Ended up great on time for our flight . Thank you Fatima . We will recommend her tour company to our friends.

It was an intense and very long day, but very much worth it! Everything worked very smoothly. I was nervous about all of the points of connection that would have to happen and everything went perfectly. We were met immediately with our drivers at our hotel and at the airports, we didn't have any waiting. Our tour guide, Fatima, was lovely and did a great job talking about Ephesus and about the general area. She was warm and friendly and very open to answering our questions. A very nice lunch was provided that they were able to make vegetarian friendly for me. We did this tour in the off season and ended up having our guide to ourselves. It was great to tour Ephesus when it was not busy and we could take our time and see everything. If you can handle the stairs, I highly recommend doing the additional tour of the terrace houses within the Ephesus complex.

It was an incredible experience. Our guide, Ismail, was outstanding—his deep knowledge of Ephesus and passion for history truly made the tour unforgettable. He guided us through every key site, including the Library of Celsus, the Grand Theatre, the Terrace Houses, the Temple of Artemis, and the Ephesus Archaeological Museum, providing detailed and engaging insights at every step. Ismail’s professionalism and hospitality stood out; he ensured our comfort throughout the day without pressuring us into any purchases.

We really enjoyed ourselves with Fatima our guide! She was a really good storyteller, and gave us insight into how the local culture is like. We learnt a lot about Turkey in the few hours we spent with her. The Ephesus tour was overall a really great experience. Huge thanks to Melisa as well for providing us with important and clear information on how to get to and from Izmir.

This was the best tour I have been on. I was told that it was a lot like Rome. There were interesting ruins and historical/biblical/mythological sights all at once. If you are interested in any of those things I would highly recommend. Our guide, Josh, was extremely helpful with information and he gave us all the information we would ever need to have about this place. I know first hand that a younger person would find this interesting because I enjoyed it and I am 14 yrs.

This was my second time booking with Fatima on this tour, I have been always amazed her knowledge on all the sites we have visited, will definitely book this tour again in the future.

Great day from start to finish. Even better than expected. Fatima is a great kind guide at made this day memorable

Josh absolutely made this tour for our group! Knowledgeable and friendly, we felt like we got the best experience possible for what was already an incredible deal. Doing such a big trip in a day was daunting but we were taken care of the entire time. Highly recommend for anyone who wants to visit Ephesus and the surrounding area.

Absolutely have to recommend this! We had a fabulous time on this tour with Fatima, our friendly and knowledgeable guide. I'm happy with how many locations we were able to squeeze in to make this day packed of interesting and education sites as well as some engaging conversations with Fatima herself. And a tasty lunch, to boot. A driver picked us up from the hotel and was extremely prompt (2 minutes early) and the vehicle was very comfortable and clean. No issues at all and gave us immediate confidence that the entire tour was well planned so we could start relaxing already on our way to the airport. We had the private tour with just the two of us and so we had a van to ourselves and our guide for the day, which was also clean and comfortable. The driver was very friendly and courteous and he and Fatima always kept us happy and on schedule. Overall I'm very pleased we selected this tour and that we were able to have such a wonderful experience in the convenience of a single day trip. I have recommended this tour already to friends who have been thinking about visiting Istanbul. So if you're thinking of doing a trip to Ephesus, too, this is definitely a safe option for ensuring you have an great experience.

I took the Ephesus tour with Gul M. and loved it. She is very passionate and knowledgeable. She explained everything in detailed and chose everything carefully. She even accommodated and made changes to our tour as we wanted to do something additional. She is great and will recommend her highly.

We loved seeing the ancient ruins and our favorite place was St John’s basilica and burial place. The museum was interesting and our side events of seeing rug making and pottery making was exceptional. Our guide, Gul was very knowledgeable and took such good care of us!

This was an excellent tour. Fatima is fantastic. She is the best tour guide I ever had. She doesn't pressure you to buy anything , she arrange the schedule according to your interests, and she speaks good English. She is very knowledgeable on different cultures, the history and culture of Ephesus and Turkey in general. THE van was clean and new and the AC worked well especially on a hot humid day. She brought me to this nice private and quiet restaurant and tried delicious Turkish food. The driver was on time during the pick up and drop off. I recommend this tour with Iglesias tour Turkey especially with Fatima as the guide.

Had a great day seeing Ephesus with our tour guide Fatima! My family and I wanted to visit Ephesus and she showed us an amazing day. We absolutely loved the tour and appreciated having her as our tour guide. Ismail helped us with coordinating the airport flights and pickup. Super communicative and helpful! Thank you to the our wonderful driver Yildirim as well!

We booked this tour for late July 2023. We woke up at 3.45am to be picked up by a driver and taken to the airport. We then caught a Turkish Air flight to Izmir.. where we were up picked up by another driver who drove for hour to Ephesus, picking up our guide Fatima on the way. We then started on our tour of Ephesus. It is a very large and absolutely magnificent site. We were taken by the library, the theatre and the complexity of the life of the city. Fatima is an excellent tour guide She knew a lot about the history of the site and also gave us some space to wander a bit by ourselves to absorb the magnificence of the site. We also visited the Basilica of St John. We then went for lunch. At first glance the lunch stop looked a bit disappointing.. like a truck stop for mass tours. However the food was very fresh and totally delicious. The only negative was that we really don't think we should be paying extra for drinks (non alcoholic) on a private and quite expensive tour. After lunch we visited the superb museum of Ephesus. That was another highlight. During the day we were taken to a pottery shop.. after we agreed , and saw some beautiful pottery being made. As we had time before our flight back to Istanbul, Fatima offered us a couple of options and we chose a visit to the seaside town of Kusadasi.. which was a pleasant way to spend an hour or so. The driver then collected us and took us back to the airport. We got back to our hotel at 10.30 pm.. exhausted but happy. The tour was excellent. It was a big day but it ran very smoothly. Apparently the tour needs to leave Istanbul very early in the morning because of airline constraints and also the summer heat at Ephesus can become overwhelming.. Fatima did a great job at guiding and the three drivers were excellent. We recommend this tour as an excellent way to get to see Ephesus while staying a short time in Istanbul

What an experience. We booked a private tour, and I was impressed by how prepared and communicative the organizers were. They helped us pick the ideal date for our trip (i.e., helping us avoid dates with higher-than-average cruise ship tourists), and worked with us to find the best flights to/from Istanbul. They arranged transportation to and from the airport, making the whole process seamless. Where things really got good: the tour itself. Our tour guide was Fatma, and just as others have said, she was informed, kind, and knew how to make each point of our trip interesting. We could tell that she modified her tour type based on her audience's interests; we are history and architecture buffs, and she made sure to connect dots for us that only history nerds would care about. Because we were on a private tour, Fatma helped us get a good sense of the day's activities and re-calibrate how long we spent at each location according to our interests and curiosities. If we end up in Turkey again, Fatma and her team will be hearing from us. What a delight she was, and we cannot recommend her enough. Please note that you will be given the opportunity to see local artisans in the rug-weaving and ceramics industries. They'll show you the ins and outs of their crafts (e.g., with the weavers, we saw how silk was processed from cocoons, dyed and bundled, and how the famous Turkish double-knot technique worked). The artisans will, of course, give a sales pitch – they're trying to make a living like anyone else. You are never pressured into making a purchase; just go in there treating it like a museum experience, ask the questions that interest you, and enjoy local artisans taking time out of their day to teach you things you are unlikely to learn elsewhere. Thank you Fatma & Iglesias Tour Group!

Fatima does a great job!!!! Very interesting and educational! The pick up sand drop offs were excellent!

Fatima was our tour guide. She’s knowledgeable, interesting and brought the story of Ephesus to life. We truly enjoyed this tour with Fatima.

The tour operator arranged everything in great detail. Everything was on time and flowed smoothly. Once we got close to Ephesus our guide Fatima joined us. She is very knowledgeable about the history of the area. She also was able to give us insight on Turkish culture and traditions. We were able to decide how much time we wanted to spend at each location. The lunch place that was included on the tour with traditional Turkish dishes was really good. Definitely would recommend this tour.

Since I have visited many Roman ruins in Israel, those of Ephesus did not “wow” me as they did for my friend, but I’m still glad we made this side trip. It would have been helpful to have a driver who could explain the local geography, features and culture of the area as we travelled from the airport. At one point our driver had to brake suddenly to avoid an accident and my friend was flung from her seat. The driver didn’t notice or apologize. For me the highlight was the traditional Turkish cuisine at a local restaurant and learning about our guide’s life in rural Turkiye. Our guide was lovely but did not stay with us to the end of the tour of Ephesus.While it was interesting to learn about carpet making, I felt uncomfortable with the pressure to purchase rugs. Overall the experience was good but could be improved.

This was one of the best tour we experienced in Turkey. Ephesus the ancient Roman city is a must see. The people who work for this company are professional, helpful and informative. Booking the tour was an effortless task because the person assisting us was efficient. The airport pickup was prompt and the driver Yildirim was kind and very thoughtful. On the way to the tour site it was an hour drive. Yildrim bought us water and some delicious pastry—-we didn’t even ask him. He was wonderful. Our guide Fatima was informative and patient while we asked questions and took pictures. She truly knows her history. We loved the fact that she is actually a local and does not just do this as a job but she is truly passionate about it. I loved the way she brought history to life with her great storytelling skills. This tour was very authentic and a unique experience. The historical places we visited were breathtaking. The lunch at a local restaurant was delicious. We actually saw the Turkish women making the bread. We highly recommend this tour to anyone who visits Turkey and wants a quality tour. I can’t say enough you must experience it. Thank you Fatima for making our trip to Turkey memorable.

Well organized Tour By local Company. We hâd a wonderful time . We Felt like family With driver and Guided Fatima. Lunch, Carpet school was The best ! Ephesus and house of Mary is in Our progremme. Highly recomended!

Ismail who is a man arrange our tour. He was well organized . Flights transfers and tour was amazing. U WILL FEEL THE LOCAL ATMOSPHERE! The guide Fatima was local guide and the best person that we made our trip in Turkey. We liked the local lunch and rug school was the best expirence in Turkey. Highly recommended this company for everyone!!!

I greatly enjoyed my trip to Ephesus. I was well taken care of and I had a good time. My guide Fatima did an excellent job. She was informative and spoke excellent English. I wish I had more time to walk around Ephesus instead of visiting Mary’s house. I also wish I could have visited the Ephesus Museum and had a closer look at the Church of Saint John. But lunch was delicious. I hope to return one day.

It was a great trip to Ephesus conducted by tour operator Iglesias Turkey Tours. Tour guide Fatima was friendly snd personable. She is also extremely knowledgeable both in historical and biblical aspects of Ephesus. You can ask any question and she will try her best to explain to you. If she doesn’t know, she will also let you know. My wife and I were picked up at our hotel in Karakoy, Turkey at 4:20 am. The driver sent by the tour company was on time and on the dot. He was professional , greeted us and immediately drove us to the airport to catch the flight to city of Izmir. It was a domestic flight and the plane took off on schedule. On arrival at Izmir, we were greeted by the company’’s driver at the airport and driven to Ephesus where we were greeted by tour guide Fatima. Everything was so well organized and planned ahead like you would see in the movie Mission Impossible. I kid you not. The other thing I failed to mention and I think is very important especially traveling in a foreign country where English is not widely spoken or understood, is clear communication. By this I meant, you want to know what is going on and what to expect. Well, with your operator Iglesias Turkey Tours, Ismail Kuscus and Fatima were always very accessible and they stayed in close contact, through emails or WhatsApp or whatever social media platform you happened to be using. You can ask them any questions about the trip ahead or questions about the itinerary, they will respond quickly. The only regret I had about the Ephesus trip was the very hot and humid weather. I am from California and I know what hot weather is like. Of course, it’s not the tour operators fault. It’s beyond their control. If I were to do it again, I would choose a much cooler or milder weather. Check the weather forecast way ahead of time before you buy your airplane ticket. Just my suggestion.

This was a great tour. Best Turkey tour took care of everything from booking of flights, pick up from hotel and drop off. It was hassle free and on time. Our guide Fatima was very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. She had a really happy personality. We learned a lot from her not only the historical facts but also about the local life in Izmir. The tour was not rush and was relaxing. The sites were spectacular and the traditional food was great! Thank you Fatima and Ismail for a memorable day! Susanna - September 19, 2022

The trip is wonderful and convenient. I love the free time given in Ephesus as it gave opportunities to explore the area. Guide was very friendly and easy to be comfortable with.

This was a awesome day out despite the early start from instanbul. Picked up from hotel and driven to instabuk Airport in plenty of time for the domestic flight to ephesus. Pick up at airport and joined an excellent say tour. Fatima our tour guide was lovely! Friendly and very knowledgeable about the local area and site. Lunch in a local restaurant with traditional Turkish food made this day an experience I won't forget. Transport back was equally as smooth and organised.

Fantastic tour! Fatima took the time to really explain things and because she is local to the area really knew her stuff and made the tour feel far more insightful and less “touristy”. Really nice local meal afterwards which was off the beaten track. Would definitely recommend

Five star chain of services…. Book with them, close your eyes… be in good hands…. Enjoy the whole day…from start to finish. Extremely happy…flawless services… Dr. Hasan New Jersey

This trip met all of our expectations for the day. On time pickup at our hotel in Sultanahmet, prompt pickup in Izmir, English speaking guide, and we saw everything we could want! Fatima was fantastic, truly knew the area well and also helped avoid the large groups by moving the day’s activities around a bit based on what she knew. Well worth the time and money to have this private tour versus doing it solo or as part of a large group.

Exceptional tour! The tour company took care of everything from booking airport transfers to flights and everything to do with the tour. It was hassle-free and perfect for my son and I. Fatima is an excellent guide- she's informative, helpful, accommodating and has a great cheerful personality. The sites we went to were spectacular, the traditional food was great and we got to do some shopping as well. Thank you for a memorable day!

An excellent day spent in Ephesus! I booked the day trip from Istanbul! The tour was well planned and I didn't have to worry about logistics since everything was taken care of. The tour guide Fatema was exceptional! She was very helpful and informative and we loved the sightseeing as well as the food and other shops and crafts we visited. Thanks for a great time!

I have been traveling in Europe for over 30 years and have enjoyed many tours. Today I was very happy and joyful to have Fatima, a lovely happy knowledgeable lady be the leader of our group from her company Best Turkey Tours. If you are traveling anywhere in Turkey please look up Beat Turkey Tours and choose any one of their trip options and you will be happy and thrilled when it is a memory! If it be possible for you to get Fatima you will be greatly pleased and leave the experience with new knowledge and insight from a local Turkish citizen. Ismail the gentleman organizing and communication with me was a pleasure to deal with and a comfort to know he was there for any issue that may arise. Best Turkey Tours is just as their name says!

The early morning wake-up call at our hotel in Istanbul was well worth the effort to see the amazing sites at Ephesus. After our pickup at the Izmir airport, our small group of family members were driven to Ephesus where we met our talented and knowledgeable tour guide Fatma. Starting at the top end of the Ephesus ruins, Fatma explained historical details of structures as we moved toward the lower end (road to harbor). We saw the Terrace Houses, Library of Celsus, the Great Theater, and many other restored structures. Because we were a small group, we had the flexibility to change details of the tour as the day progressed. From Ephesus, we took a short drive to see the peaceful, green location of the House of the Virgin Mary. Next, we were treated to lunch at a local restaurant and visited a ceramic shop where we bought beautiful bowls and small plates. At the end of our packed day of sightseeing, we were driven back to the Izmir airport for our flight back to Istanbul. We would definitely recommend Fatma and her husband for your future visit to Ephesus or Turkey.

The Ephesus tour was a highlight of our trip to Turkey and Fatima was marvelous. We scheduled a private tour for our four family members and she provided wonderful and detailed information of the beautiful sights we visited. The tour picked up the Terrace Houses and the rest Ephesus which were all incredibly beautiful. Fatima took us to a local tile shop with amazing ceramic pieces that are literally works of art. Lunch at a local restaurant was delicious and relaxing. Overall the guided tour was first class.

Fatma was an amazing and knowledgeable tour guide. She ensured that all our stops were perfectly timed while maintaining a relaxed atmosphere.

Our guide was very friendly, informative and had everything well organized and prepared. He didn’t rush us when we were looking at the sites and answered questions that we had. His English was excellent. We really enjoyed also where he took us to lunch and did not take us to the spot where most tourists go. It was a lovely lunch and we got to see The traditional way of making Turkish food. Overall it was a great experience!

Thanks to Fatma, we had SUCH an incredible experience in Ephesus! Honestly we only booked this once we were already in Istanbul, two days beforehand, because we realized it would be remiss to come all the way to Turkey and not see the famous ancient city. The company booked all the flights and transfers for us and we met Fatma in Ephesus. Super friendly, extremely welcoming, and very very knowledgeable about the history, architecture, culture, and archaeology. She also made sure to give accounts of the scientific/literary evidence supporting the stories of Mother Mary’s home, how the agora was used, the origin of marbles, fountain dedications, etc etc. If it isn’t obvious, this was definitely my favorite tour I’ve ever been on! She also took us to a wonderful lunch in a locally-owned and operated hidden restaurant, where we loved the food and the fresh mulberry juice :) Fatma has only my highest recommendation and I will definitely be reaching out to her if I or my friends ever come back!