Ephesus Half Day Private & Mini Group Shore Tour From Cruise Port

The tour was excellent. Pinar, our tour guide, was excellent. She was very knowledgeable and very enthusiastic about her job. We could understand her clearly and learned a lot about each attraction. Would recommend to others.

We did the Ephesus private "Less Walking" tour today, and it was a fantastic experience! Our guide picked us up right at the cruise ship port, and we ended up with a fully customized private tour of Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis. The tour was perfectly organized with minimal walking for my wife, so she was still able to see all the highlights of Ephesus comfortably. Meanwhile, I got to take an extra route to explore even more of the site. And best of all - no obligatory shopping stop! We highly recommend Ephesus Shuttle for anyone looking for an individual, private tour of Ephesus.

An absolute 10/10 experience for our family! We were picked up in a spacious, air-conditioned Mercedes Sprinter with a wonderful driver, setting the tone for a comfortable and flexible day. Our guide, Gonca, was truly phenomenal—warm, hilarious, and deeply knowledgeable. She guided us seamlessly through the history of the Ephesus ruins, then introduced us to authentic carpet and ceramic artisans, followed by an incredible local meal featuring outstanding kebabs and grilled eggplant. We wouldn't hesitate to book Gonca again for our next visit to Turkey!

We had an amazing day! We were so happy with our private tour of Ephesus. Our cruise pick up was easy and seamless. The van was clean and well air conditioned. Our guide Gonca was fantastic. Informative and friendly. She helped pick a place for lunch for some authentic food and it was perfect. We enjoyed hearing her stories and really appreciated how personable she was. Turkey was beautiful and we’d love to return!

Tour guide was excellent and mini bus was great. But tour is misleading. It says skip the line but no tickets are included. You have to buy these on the tour. False advertising. Plus you have to go to a weaving place and they try to sell you a carpet. Ends up being a very expensive option if there are only a few of you.

Fantastic tour! Just the van driver and our own to utter guide Ese who was so friendly, flexible and provided a great explanation of the history and answered any questions we had. Would highly recommend this tour especially if you’re looking for an efficient but detailed tour of the ancient city and temple of artimis, without the hassle of a big bus of people!

My husband and I had an excellent experience. We wanted to visit the ruins at Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary and asked specifically not to be taken to any carpet shops and this company did exactly as we wanted. We were immediately met as we came off the cruise ship and taken to our touring van. This was a private tour, just my husband and I. The tour guide was a very pleasant and knowledgeable young woman. The van was clean and comfortable and the driver competent. All admission fees were included with the tour. We were returned to the cruise ship in plenty of time.The tour was wonderful and I would not hesitate to book again with this company.

My wife and I booked this tour based on other reviews. We were docked in port that day during our Windstar cruise. We did not want to go on a big bus tour so we opted for the Ephesus Shuttle tour. Booking was extremely easy. There were no hidden fees. We were met right in the port area by our guide Melih and our driver. We were driven to Ephesus in a brand new Mercedes-Benz minibus. The trip took about 25 minutes. During our drive, Melih filled us in on the history of the area. We had paid for a small group tour but our tour was just the driver, Milih, my wife and myself. We felt very safe the whole time. Unfortunately it raining heavily that day. Milih provided us with umbrellas as we first stopped at the house of the Virgin Mary. We arrived a good half hour before the loads of tourist buses arrived. We had the shrine completely to ourselves. It was so peaceful. We then went to ancient Ephesus and Milih told us all about the ancient city. We paid extra for the terrace houses(which was totally worth the cost). Milih was very knowledgeable and not pushy at all. We never felt rushed. We chose not to visit any carpet or rug factories. We were dropped off right near the harbor. We paid the cost directly to Milih as we were leaving the van. If you are visiting Ephesus you need to book a tour with Ephesus Shuttle. You will not be disappointed!

Our guide (Hazal) and driver were incredibly knowledgeable of each place we visited. The Ephesus archeological site was amazing. Hazal customized the tour for our group which was very much appreciated.

We had a wonderful time on the day excursion while ship docked in Ephesus. We had a large group (12) and our own tour of Ephesus to House of Virgin Mary, Artemis Temple and stopped at the Lotus Ceramic Garden with beautiful ceramic pieces, beautiful hand made Anaudala Rugs, and lunch at the Green Farm Restaurant. Our tour guide Alex was great! We would recommend the tour and will book again if we go back.

Six of us spent the day with Inan, doing to Ephesus ruins, leather factory, rug factory and all the major sites We had a fabulous time, and Inan was a fantastic guide, who spoke English. We were serenaded by him on the way back Everything went as planned We would book again through Fevi and his team

Our guide Pinar was personable , very knowledgeable and accommodating to our wishes . The small group was perfect for us. We had wonderful experiences at Mary’s house and at Ephesus.We also enjoyed enjoyed the carpet weaving and pottery demonstrations. Our beautiful small carpet was recently delivered directly to our home . This was our favorite stop on our Greek Island cruise .

Outstanding private tour! Knowledgeable and kind. We had odd requests and all were granted. Highly recommend! Simply amazing!

We had a seemless and fabulous day with Alex in Kusadasi. Do NOT do the shore excursion. This is so simple. We paid $40 pp and had a private Mercedes Van along with our awesome guide Alex. The tour busses had 30 people in their groups and god only know what they paid. Also Alex took us by other sites to see them from the van and explained the history. Separate from that we went to this family owned pottery shop (I researched after the fact and it is legit) where we bought some beautiful truly special items. But we also love pottery. Anyway, Alex guided us through the ruins, took pictures but was also super chill. The only things we would have done differently would be to skip the weaving school which we felt was just a rug store and took too much time. And skip ANY restaurant in the port. They’re all garbage including the one Alex suggested. We still love you Alex but that is not good food. :)

We had a great, very interesting tour to the ruins of the ancient town Ephesus. Gulkada, may be I spelled his name wrong, is a very knowledgeable tour guy. We enjoyed this tour a lot. And the price was very reasonable as well.

We had such a wonderful experience on this tour. Mr. Tezcan, our tour guide, was amazing and we loved hearing about the history of the area along with the places we were visiting. He spent adequate amounts of time imparting information, allowing for questions and also gave us plenty of time to explore on our own. I would encourage others to use this service! What a wonderful way to see Ephesus and Mary's House!

My husband and I ended being the only two people on the tour with Mediha (booked through Ephesus Shuttle). She is incredibly knowledgeable of the area. We visited Ephesus and the ruins, which are really beautiful. Unfortunately, we could not do the Terrace Houses (only saw them from the outside) because my husband had an ankle injury and was in a walking boot and she said all the stairs would not be safe for him. We also watched the "movie" at the museum there, which was cool. We visited the Virgin Mary house (but did not go inside due to VERY long lines, which did not seem worth it), but were able to walk right up to it and take pictures and see the prayer wall. I do think tour guides should have "skip the line" access, especially when they have small groups, but I suppose that is not always a thing. We saw the Artemis Temple, which I enjoyed seeing one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. Unfortunately, there is not much left to it. We stopped at a family business making ceramics, which I wasn't too interested in (we declined the rug making demos and leather making stop), but it ended up being interesting (the demonstrations) and we bought some ceramic mugs that miraculously made their way home! Overall, it was a great tour, and I would highly recommend doing a tour for this area, otherwise we would not have known what we were looking at. We were dropped off near the port with a recommendation for lunch. Thank you Mediha!

We did a cruise out of Italy and had a port stop in Kusadasi so we booked this 4 hour private tour. There were 3 senior women and one middle aged woman. After exiting the cruise ship, our tour guide Ms Gulsah was waiting for us with our name on a sign. She walked us over to our private van and we started on our journey to Ephesus. Our first stop was the archaeological site in Ephesus. Ms Gulsah walked us through at our senior pace (lol) and explained everything simply enough for us to understand. You start at the top and then slowly walk your way down. She always turned around and kept an eye on us to make sure we were following her safely. This area gave me chills to know that the apostle Paul walked this area over 2000 years ago. Next she took us to see a presentation on Artemis inside a theater. The presentation is awesome and a must see!! After we exited the theater we ran into Caesar and Cleopatra and watched their parade and gladiator presentation. Next we loaded up in the van and proceed back towards town and stopped at the Turkmen Carpet weaving center. This is another highlight of this tour. I was amazed to see how they make the thread for the carpets and the painstaking weaving that goes into these carpets. I was to be allowed to perform a weave in one of the carpets. Next we were escorted to a different room and we were given some warm apple cider and watched as they displayed many beautiful rugs on the floor for us. We were returned to the port and did some shopping before getting back on the ship. Our tour guide Ms Gulsah spoke really good English and we was easy to understand. She is very personable and really knows the history of the area. She was patient as we don't walk that easy anymore. LOL I would have paid a lot more for this tour had I know what was all involved in this tour. I've been on many excursions over the years and this excursion is well worth the money you invest. If we ever go back I would request Ms Gulsah again. She created so many wonderful memories for us. I hope you enjoy this excursion as much as we did.

We took an Ephesus tour, and it was absolutely incredible! The ancient ruins are breathtaking, especially the Library of Celsus and the Grand Theater. Our guide was knowledgeable and passionate, sharing fascinating details about the history and culture of the site, which made the experience even more enriching. The tour was well-organized, and we had just the right amount of time at each spot to explore and take photos. Highly recommend this tour for anyone interested in history and archaeology. A truly memorable experience! Thanks to our tour guide Furkan! He is very knowledgeable and patient.

We had a great tour and our guide Furkan was excellent! He was very friendly and his english explanation was very good. Highly recommended tour and guide!

This was the highlight of our cruise. Rose was our tour guide and did an outstanding job! She explained so much history of the area to us. Rose was very pleasant and patient with us as we navigated the terrain. We stopped at a rug making factory where I was able to put a knot into a rug. It is really interesting to see the process of how the yarn is made. This is truly an eye opening tour. It gave me chills knowing that the apostles Paul and John spent time here. I think this tour was well worth more that what we were charged. You will not be disappointed with this tour company!!

This was one of the best tours we have done! Ecem was so friendly and spoke very clear English! When we saw all of the large buses, we were so happy we were with a small group!

Outstanding morning with Emray. Entertaining and knowledgeable and able to engage a group. We loved it and learnt so much from his biblical and archaeological knowledge. Highly recommended, one of our stand out cruise days. The bonus ceramic stop was totally worth it!

We toured Ephesus, including the Terrace Houses, with Ecem and she was a wonderful guide. Ecem was very informative, and the pace was perfect. We were lucky to have such a great guide. We were coming off a cruise ship and this private tour was perfect for two of us.

Thanks, Yavus, for a great tour. Thorough and knowledgeable. Easy to find at the port. Would recommend. Ephesus was very interesting. Good knowledge of history.

Tour guide Gokhan was great ! He gave a very informative tour of Ephesus and catered to our group. He slowed down for our parents and was able to avoid the crowd and for great photos for us!

Great tour guide! Very knowledgeable, made it light and fun it was easily enjoyable. Our tour guide was amazing GokHan- thank you!

Han and the driver were great! Han knew a lot about Ephesus, the culture in Turkey and its history. He was pleasant and patient with all of us. The driver was very accommodating and went the extra mile.

Great tour, great guide (Ersan) who was very helpful and knowledgeable. Thoroughly enjoyed and recommend this and him to see the ancient city.

We went with Orkun, he was enthusiastic , and very knowledgeable. We got there early, so there was almost no one around, and it wasn’t too hot. Air conditioning in coach was great.

Our tour guide Tezz was AMAZING. We highly recommend this tour. So knowledgeable and also very fun! Exceptional tour. We were here with our family of 8 adults and we all loved it! Tezz even have my husband and I flowers for our 50th anniversary. ❤️

Wow. This tour was incredible. Tez was the absolute best guide. Gave great info; he was entertaining and personable. Highly recommend!!!

Based on researching Tripadvisor and other cruise forums and the positive recommendations I found, I decided to book Ephesus Shuttle tour for our recent visit to Kusadasi on our Italy/Turkey/Greece Cruise. I am so glad we did! Turkey may have been my favorite port stop. We booked directly through their website and opted for the Mini Group Tour 2: Kusadasi – Ephesus – Terrace Houses – House of Virgin Mary - Artemis Temple, including the optional Terrace Houses. Within 12 hours, we received an email confirming the meeting time and details of the tour. It was reassuring to know that the price that was quoted included the tickets to each site. Our tour guide was going to meet us at the pier at 10am. We got off the ship a little early and found our name (along with the name of another family) pinned to a board once we exited. Note: it took us a few minutes to notice the board because it was a bit chaotic in the area with many tour guides holding signs. It’s possible ours was on the board and not being held by someone because we were early. We pointed to our name and we were introduced to our tour guide and then moved to a shaded area to wait for the other family to check in. Once they arrived, we were lead a block or two away to meet the driver. While we waited, our tour guide, Tayfun, formally introduced himself and made personable conversation. He had already memorized all of our names and the names of the family that joined us! The van that showed up was large and very comfortable for our group of 8. I’m not sure it was intentional, but they paired us up with a family who also had two older teenagers like us and ironically were from the same state as us in the US! Once we were on board, Ty took us through the agenda including optional stops at pottery making, carpet weaving, leather making, etc. Although I’m sure there is an incentive for him to bring us to these places, there was no pressure to go, rather he seemed genuinely excited and proud to share Turkish culture with us. Our first stop after the leather making presentation was the Temple of Artemis, then House of Virgin Mary, then Ephesus/Terrace Houses. At each stop, Ty did a fantastic job of touring us through each location and relaying the deep history of each site. He shared that he had to undergo significant schooling and training before he could be certified to be a tour guide and that deep knowledge, as well as the pride he has for his country, came through as he answered all of our questions. After seeing the culture sites, we did stop at a Turkish Carpet place where there was some pressure to buy. If we had a place to put it and weren’t planning on downsizing in a few years, we would have seriously considered buying one - they were gorgeous. As we wrapped up, I asked Ty for a lunch recommendation that was authentic and off the beaten path. He was excited to share with us a small kabab place that he said was where the locals went (Adana Ocakbasi) and had the shuttle drop off us there instead of the port. Before he left, Ty talked to the manager about taking care of us and without providing us a menu, they suggested bringing us the kabab board, which hit the spot! It was a board with a variety of meats (Chicken, beef, etc), pita bread and all the condiments to create a gyro/kebab. It was fantastic - and yes - it was all locals around us. The walk back to the ship was a pleasant one - we stopped at shops for souvenirs, put our feet in the water at the beach near the port, and had a local Turkish beer where we had great conversations with the locals in the bar - it was a wonderful day. I can’t say enough positive things about Ty, his driver and the Ephesus Shuttle Tour group! I would love to return to Turkey for a longer stay in the future and would definitely use them again!

Amazing tour! Bearky was a wonderful guide. He showed us around Ephesus and Artemis temple and was very knowledgeable.

Alex was fantastic and provided a tour at the pace our group wanted! He was very accommodating with how long we wanted to stay and truly customized our tour to what we wanted! The ceramics and rug stops were both presented to us but without pressure and we’re glad we chose to do both! Amazing artistry in both places and zero pressure to purchase anything. We’re super happy we chose this tour company and would 1000% book with them again!!

Errands was our tour guide and was very knowledgeable and amicable. The timing of his historical facts was excellent and he catered to all members of our group. A really enriching experience. Great tour for the historian in you.

It was informative and we hit all of the high points. We enjoyed it. Ozzie was our guide he helped us along, explaining everything as we went with brief historical tidbits. We would use him again

Our Guide Selda, is a professional historian who could answer all of our questions with many details and interesting facts. She is always smiling and let us customize our trip according to our interests and time schedule. Ask for Selda!! You won’t regret it.

Well organized. Polite and knowledgeable guide. Gurkan our guide was super nice. It was a hot day but we stopped and hydrated just at the right times thanks to him. Kids learnt a lot

We were a family of 6 and Melih was our guide. He was very knowledgeable and kind to our family. Ephesus was mind blowing and we learned a lot. We highly recommend Ephesus Shuttle for every cruisers.

Seeing Ephesus from Kusadasi is a must! The ancient city once home to over 250,000 people is absolutely breathtaking. We have seen it a couple of times, so I can give you two pieces of advice. #1 - start early to beat the crowds and the heat. Every minute counts. #2 - do it with Ephesus Shuttle! We always book with them and they always provide reliable and fabulous service. We did a private tour for only the two of us and it was fantastic again. Thank you, Selda!

The tour was fantastic, the tour guide was very knowledgeable, friendly and spoke fantastic English. This would have easily been 5 *s, however after seeing Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis, we were taken to a fashion store selling leather jackets, plied with free drinks and had to sit through a full fashion show with models and a catwalk, attempting to sell us leather goods from their store. This was bizarre, and not something we were at all interested in - when the guide had asked if we would be interested beforehand, we had all replied that we were not bothered. This may have incorrectly been taken as a sign of potential interest. If you book this tour, be sure to give a firm "No" if you are asked about a fashion store/show. Other than that, the tour was outstanding, great value for money and extremely informative, so it is a shame I am unable to give it the full 5 *s.

Our guide Orkun Is very friendly and outgoing. It was his main goal to make everyone comfortable and he was open to suggestions on what to do during the tour. We appreciate the few suggestions that he gave us. For where to eat and buy souvenirs. He also made it very clear that we were not forced to buy anything along our stops. Also, when we were walking through the bazaar, he asked us to stay close to him, and to not engage with any of the vendors to protect us from the aggressive Sales of the vendors . The tour itself was done, very efficiently and informative. He was also very conscientious to make sure that no one was lagging behind and was very patient with our group. We also appreciate the professionalism of our driver. He always seem to be right there when we are ready to carry on from our stop. It was also a nice gesture to provide water when we first got into the vehicle. Beware the area is extremely busy.

Our tour guide, Orkun, made our first trip in Turkey amazing and memorable. He is knowledgeable and very friendly and gave us useful tips with regards to where to go eat and shop after our tour of Ephesus

This tour was exactly what I wanted, Ephesus and Terrace Houses. We were picked up promptly by our guide, Mr Orkun, a very charming and accommodating man. There were 4 total in our mini tour group, ourselves and another couple. We toured Ephesus and Terrace Houses with Mr Orkun. There are large tour group crowds, but he guided us around most congestion spots, and gave breaks to take pictures. Short stop at Artemis Temple (lonely column), back to port, with recommendations for eating local near the port. The company EphesusShuttle was very prompt in answering all my many questions prior to the tour. Highly recommend EphesusShuttle and Mr Orkun.

Ms Nil was very knowledgeable and looked after us very well. We could have done without the rug stop off on the way back to the ship.

We had a wonderful trip to Ephius. Our tour guide Mr Cenk was very informative, fun and friendly. Efficient service. I would highly recommend this tour

We had a private tour which was excellent. Tour guide is knowledgeable, experienced. She gave us detail descriptions of history of Ephesus, Turkish culture etc. she took some good photos of us.

This was one of our favorite tours on our 6 week anniversary trip. It was worth every penny to have the private tour. We gained so much knowledge and understanding of the location, culture, and history Our guide Mr Iskender was an excellent guide and very cordial. We will definitely take this tour and request Mr Iskender as our guide next time we travel there.