House of Virgin Mary is the place where Mary may have spent her last days. Indeed, she may have come in the area together with Saint John. This place was offically declared a shrine of the Roman Catholic Church in 1986, and since then it has become a popular place of pilgrimage. Pope Paul VI visited shrine in 1967.
Ephesus is an exceptional testimony to the cultural traditions of the Hellenistic, Roman Imperial and early Christian periods. Ephesus is an important site for Christianity; being one of the seven Churches of Revelation. Apostle Paul probably spent two and half years in Ephesus during his third missionary journey. In two hours, you will be exploring the city by walking on the marble streets, accompanied by our English speaking tour guide. In our tour, we will be seeing Odeon, State Agora, Prytaneion, Memmius Monument, Domatian Temple, Hercules Gate, Curetes Street, Hadrian Temple, Latriens, Celsus Library, Marble Road, Commercial Agora, Great Theather, Arcadiane (Harbour Road).
Ancient luxurious residential villas, built according to the Hippodamian plan where the roads transect each other at right angles. Houses feature drawings showing gladiators, caricatures, and animals and grafiti of names of persons, poems, and the declarations of love.
One of the 'Seven Wonders' of antiquity.
My wife and I were picked up at the cruise terminal by our guide, Guray Kutlu and dropped back off there at the end of tour. We toured Ephesus, the Terrace Houses and what was left of the temple of Artemis. Highly recommend Guray if you need an English guide. I looked at a few Youtube videos before I went, highly recommend watching them also. Lets you know what to look for.
We booked with Apasas travel on August 11th. Nizam was our guide and he was so wonderful and knowledgeable. His energy and passion for archeology and Ephesus was infectious and had us all completely engrossed. We were taken to multiple wonderful locations where we learned about Turkish food and culture. To add to the positives, Nizam made sure they were air conditioned, so that we did not roast in the 42 degree heat and was able to quickly customize our tour to give us more time at the sites we were most interested in and take us other locations in his town. Our Driver Őműr was also wonderful! He was ready to go and also willing to wait longer in Ephesus. We cannot recommend this tour enough.
Gul was our guide and she was amazing. Very knowledgeable and considerate of our time. She paced the tour well and we got to the port on time. I would recommend Apasas Travel any time.
It was a great experience. Tour guide Gul is very knowledgeable and patiently answered all questions. Lunch was very delicious. The tour company and guide deserve 5star. If you come to Ephesus ask for Gul.
Excellent experience from pick up to drop off. Our guide was very knowledgeable and professional. Would recommend to anyone.
This was an excellent guided tour of Ephesus and Mary’s House with our knowledgeable and professional tour guide Gul. The historical background and educational insight she provided more than met our expectations. We had also asked for them to factor in a stop at an artist workshop and an authentic rug factory if time allowed which Gul was able to do. (We did not feel pressured to buy anything, I was the one who asked to see these places.) We were not rushed for time to get back to the ship and we felt safe with our driver at all times. They were both very helpful with my mobility issues. I highly recommend Gul as a tour guide and by extension, Apagas Travel.
We left this review in Google We had an outstanding experience with Apasas Travel during our tour of Ephesus! Our guide, Guray, was incredibly knowledgeable, especially about the biblical history and significance of Ephesus. He brought the ancient city to life with fascinating stories, historical context, and thoughtful explanations that made the experience unforgettable. Our driver, Ahmed, was professional, friendly, and made the day very comfortable. The black air-conditioned Mercedes van was spotless and luxurious, and the cold bottled water was a much-appreciated touch in the warm weather. Lunch was another highlight of the day. We enjoyed a delicious Mediterranean meal at a lovely restaurant shaded by beautiful trees. The meal included flavorful rice pilaf, fresh salad, wonderful dips, eggplant dishes, roasted chicken, and delicious beef and lamb patties. It was relaxing, authentic, and the perfect break during the tour. Everything was perfectly organized from start to finish. If you are visiting Ephesus and want a smooth, informative, and memorable experience, we highly recommend Apasas Travel, Guray, and Ahmed! They picked us up at the cruise port and tailored the day to our wishes. FIVE STARS - fabulous day!
My family and I had a wonderful experience with our tour guide, Gul, she is informative and knowledgeable. We had a fantastic experience. I would highly recommend Gul, she is so friendly and happy and made it a fun day for all of us!
Gul was a great tour guide. She was very informative when exploring the ancient city and Mother Mary’s house. Highly recommend booking with her.
Our guide was absolutely wonderful! Her English was excellent, and she was able to answer all of my questions clearly and fluently. She explained everything in a way that was easy to understand and showed great knowledge throughout the tour. She was also very flexible and adjusted the itinerary based on our needs and preferences, which made the experience even better. On top of that, she went above and beyond by helping me find a necklace I had lost. Her service was truly outstanding, attentive, and thoughtful. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for a professional, knowledgeable, and caring guide!
We had an incredible private tour of Ephesus. Gül was deeply knowledgeable, engaging, and passionate about the site’s history. If you’re visiting Ephesus, book a private tour with Gül — it will make your experience truly unforgettable.
Our guide Serdar was very knowledgeable and informative- we learned so much! He was able to modify our tour slightly to accommodate our needs (my husband has an ankle injury). Lunch included traditional turkish foods (delicious!). Truly appreciated the tour of the Heirloom carpet weaving center as well as the glass blowing demonstration by a local artisan at the Phoenix Art Gallery, We highly recommend this tour and this guide - picked us up early at the cruise terminal (advised us via WhatsApp when he arrived), and took us back with plenty of time to spare to shop for small souvenirs at the terminal before returning to ship.
Our tour guide, Gul, was so nice! She always answered our questions and she helped us when needed. She was good with communication and even met us early when we got off the ship earlier than our original meeting time. The entire day went so smoothly, from pickup from our cruise port, to visiting the House of the Virgin Mary with no queue, to Old Town of Ephesus, and a delicious Turkish lunch! My kids’ favorite with visiting the House of the Virgin Mary and the Ephesus Museum. We 100% recommend Gul as a tour guide!
Thoroughly enjoyed a wonderful tour of Mary’s house and Ephesus with our guide Isik Lovely person and amazing insight Thank you !
Our tour provider was exceptional, his knowledge, attention to detail and understanding was beyond words. We recommend the tour and the smaller group. We saw and experienced more than we ever imagined.
The trip was handled by Guray. Guray was very informative throughout the whole tour. He really explained every single part of each place we were currently in. He was also very helpful with taking our pictures, offering first even before we would ask him to. As for the meals, he would make it a point to ask us first what kind of food we are feeling at that specific time before choosing the restaurant he would bring us to. For the trip, I’d say it was very good, but could’ve been better if an additional day was added. Overall an excellent tour!
Just a month ago, Sept 2023, I led a women's retreat for a group of 9. Our focus was to explore the sacred sites through Selçuk and the surrounding areas. Because my husband and I had such a fantastic experience with Apasas Travel back in 2021, they were my immediate go-to for guiding our group this time. Leading up to our retreat they were always communicative. They efficiently tracked our incoming flight so they could provide prompt luxury transport from Izmir Airport to our lodging above Selçuk. Our driver was always friendly, courteous and prompt. The sprinter van was always comfortable and stocked with soft drinks and water. And our guide, Nizam..seriously one of the best tour guides you'll ever meet! He's professional, incredibly knowledgeable with a great sense of humor. Our group of 9 women felt so comfortable with him as he guided us from Temple of Apollo, Ephesus, House of Virgin Mary and Aphrodisias over the course of 5 days. I have recommended Apasas to at least four other families who'll be exploring Türkiye soon. And we're already planning our return next year. They will take amazing care of you!
We were so lucky to have Gül as our tour guide. She was very welcoming and accomodating; we felt very well taken care of. She brought us through all the attractions without any waiting time (despite the masses that were at Ephesus that day) and has an in-depth knowledge of historical and cultural facts. We can't thank you enough, Gül!
Had a great tour of Ephesus and the Virgin Mary’s house with our tour guide Volcan. We were picked up at our hotel in a comfortable van leading us to our first stop, Mary’s house. Volcan covered all the historical background which led to the veneration of this stop. He showed us all the important highlights of the Ephesus archaeological site, the history, religious evolution from Greek gods, to Roman gods to Christianity. Highly recommend Apsas Travel & Volcan in particular.
The Travel agency was great! They booked us a private tour the same day we asked for it. We had Mehmet as our tour guide who was the nicest guide we’ve had in Turkey. We recommend this experience 100%
Best guide ever! Honestly over my expectations. Our guide Eyüp TÜCCAR was so good on the story- telling, plus accurate historical informations, that was like living at the ancient age. Ephesus is really a breath taking place in the world that everyone should visit at list once in their lifetime.
Wonderfull places and very professional tour guide. You can really have an insight of the ancient empires. Highly recommended.
Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and gracefully walked us through the ancient phenomenon of Ephesus. My favorite part of the tour was the public bathrooms where patrons would sit side by side! The tour guide made the trip well worth it, even in the 40 degree July heat.
One of the best tours ever!! My tour guide, Isik, was amazing!! She was knowledgeable, fun, and extremely accommodating. She made sure I got to see everything I wanted to see and had answers to all of my questions.It was obvious that she truly cared about my experience. Isik was also my guide the next day for Panakkule and Hieropolis and again I had the most wonderful day! She even had recommendations for dinner restaurants after my tour and her recommendations were spot on to my taste!! This tour definitely enhanced my whole experience in Turkey!! I would definitely recommend this tour to my friends, family and everyone!! If you want a spectacular tour, this is the one to choose!!
We were undecided when we wanted to tour in Turkey. Thanks to Apasas Travel because of their sincerely and reliable approach that was an amazing experience for us. Ephesus was truly fascinating. Thank you for your interest and kindness.
The visit was very memorable with our guide Mr Earsan Aygul explaining the history and relevance of all the places we visited very well and in great detail. Both Mr Earsan and our driver ( Apologies for not recalling his name ) really took care of us.
what a great guide and tour, i love Ephesus so much with Apasas travel and our great guide Mss Isik she very good and very kind to us , she is a true archaeologist Thank you very much Apasas travel and Guide Isik .. :)
Knowledge, professional, and well delivered information. Our guide quickly found what we were interested in and easily conversed with us about history, culture, architecture, and ancient ways of life. It was a pleasure for us
We had a wonderful time visiting Ephesus and Pamakkule led by our amazing tour guide Isik! On the first day, we headed to the house of the Virgin Mary before heading to Ephesus afterwards. Both sights were incredibly interesting, especially considering they highlighted Turkey’s diverse past (Christian and Pagan history). On the second day, we embarked on a 3 hour trip by car to Pamakkule. While at first the location did seem quite busy, the crowds settled and we had a great time walking around the thermal pools. After which we stopped by for a late lunch before heading back to our accommodation. I have no doubt that both days would not have been as smooth and fascinating if it weren’t for Isik. She provided us with excellent commentary and context about each locations. She also made us feel comfortable in taking as much time as we needed so that we could truly take in the sights without feeling rushed.
Honestly- wasn’t expecting anything beyond the average tour, weary of the fact that these were very famous sites with millions of tourist every year. HOWEVER, this was one of the best guided tour experiences I’ve ever had. HIsik, our guide, was 12 out of 10. Of course, knowledge and interesting, but her thoughtfulness and ability to read our group’s needs (we were with our parents and needed to take things a bit slow). It was definitely all Isik’s ability to manage the experience. Thanks! And of course 100% recommended
We booked the trip via Viator.In the morning guide Nizam picked us up from the Port Of Kusadasi and visited ephesus.He showed us everywhere,he is very kind and knowledgeable with his brilliant english.We had a great time ,visited carpet and leather factory . The price was expensive but Nizam speak with company and they made us special price. We bought a piece of carpet and 3 leather jackets really good prices. Thank you for everything and highly recommended for all. Have a wonderful day
We love. We did the private tour in Spanish. It was wonderful! The guide adjusted the tour in the best way. They were super attentive. Unmatched! I highly recommend it. We really wanted to see Maria's house so we decided on the tour and it was worth every minute! Both the guide and the driver Ali were friendly and turned our day into the best experience of our trip.
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