Private Shore Excursion: Ephesus,temple Of Artemis,st. Mary House

Loved having a private tour with an excellent guide. Very informative. We learned a lot. The transportation was very nice (fancy car).

I have done this tour twice before, but this was the best and it was because of the tour guide Tugba very knowledgeable, patient and spontaneous. Ecellent tour and vehicle. I would recommend this tour to anyone.

Lovely lunch, nice boat. Advertised as sailing trip, but we did not sail. Crew not very engaging with guests.

Excellent guide, very knowledgeable. Showed us a lot. Covered all the important sites. Well done. Pick up was easy and on time. Driver was excellent. Lunch was delicious.

Get away from the herds of people! A private is worth every dime to see these sites. They got us back to ship in time easily.

Mahmet was a great guide, brought Ephesus to life. We took a personalized tour with Mahmet, who doubles as a teacher. However, although he was knowledgeable he did not lecture us, rather explained as we went along. His knowledge of the site was well developed—history of each element; where to go for the best views and to miss much of the crowding. We skipped Sty. Mary House (our call) because we are not very religious, it was a very hot day and despite an a/c car we were pretty heat exhausted after the other 3 elements. I would highly recommend Mahmet and a personalized tour. The practicalities were also seamless. He met us at the cruise port, the car was right there, etc. Much faster and more intimate than cruise line bus tours.

The Ephesus Terrace Houses. So well preserved. Such opulence and sophistication. Blew our minds. A must see. Thank you to our #professional_tour_guidezgi who made our visit to Ephesus memorable and Karavan Tours for being so helpful and accommodating - thanks Burak.

Tour was packed with interesting sights from start to finish. Much better than visiting sights on your own. Guide was very pleasant and knowledgeable. Once in a lifetime opportunity.

The tour was fast and I didn't get to see everything since we were on the fast track. However, what it made the tour horrible was the guide Cigdem. She took us to her friend's to buy things and it was a total ripped off. Is not recommended it since it can put the tourist in a harm way

I was so grateful to get into our private vehicle as most people from the cruise ships were getting on giant coaches. Our guide, Eunice, was really good and guessed what part of the USA we were from based on our last name as he spent 2 years where we are from. We arrived at the Blessed Mother's house before the crowds which was really nice. Ephesus is amazing, and it is a treat to have a guide all to yourself! The lunch was cooked in front of our eyes, it was simple, and good. Guess who said she was NOT going to buy a rug? Guess who bought a rug? Me. A great day in an amazing part of the world.

Ilgin made our tour of Ephesus come to life! She helped put what we were seeing into historical and cultural context. I know my husband and I got so much more out of our visit by having a private tour. What an amazing city! Lunch was in a beautiful outdoor restaurant with delicious local dishes and wine. The weaving demonstration was the rug gallery was fascinating. No high-pressured sales pitch, just a lovely time.

The private experience was excellent. No pushy nor rude tourists in groups of 30 plus to contend with. Great Guides, very knowledgeable, friendly, exemplary English and extremely efficient. Driver and vehicle were also excellent. A great tour.

Being in Ephesus to experience the rich history was amazing. Cigdem was our guide and Mohammed was the driver. Both were wonderful. Cigdem was our private guide and gave our family such a wonderful history lesson of Ephesus and surrounding areas. We really appreciated the details throughout. We ate a wonderful lunch outside under the trees. Although it wasn’t meant for people with Celiac disease, our guide was able to work with the staff and made sure my son and I could eat gluten free. I wasn’t enthusiastic about the rug making until I actually saw the ladies doing this. Wow. We were all so impressed. Even my teenage sons were really into watching / learning about this skill. Overall, very pleased with the tour, Cigdem’s knowledge and Mohammed’s safe driving.

Excellent performance by our guide Fatema (Sp?) Her narratives were current and enthusiastically delivered, a complete explanation and delivery of every subject.

Our tour guide, Ayse, picked us up from the cruise port. Went straight to visit Mary’s house to get there before the crowds. Were able to go through the house twice the crowds were so light. Then moved on to Ephesus — bring comfortable walking shoes with good grip. Might want an umbrella for shade as it can get quite hot. Then went to rug factory for tour, low pressure sales, very nice. Delicious Turkish style lunch then back to the cruise port. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and kind. Had plenty of time to explore on our own. Highly recommend this tour.

Yunus was an excellent guide..very knowledgeable and patient with our 13yo grandson's numerous questions!!

Our tour was incredible! Our private guide and driver were both outstanding, with tremendous knowledge and professionalism. We would highly recommend doing a private tour. It was a great value and an even better experience.

Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and we learned so much. Our driver and vehicle were excellent. I highly recommend to everyone.

We visited all of the sites we were interested in. Our guide Neslihan was amazing. She explained things so well and navigated us through crowds very well. Ephesus was incredible.

Very special holy places. Our guide was fabulous. very knowledgeable. We had a great authentic Turkish lunch is a great outdoor setting.

We were extremely fortunate to have been able to to see Ephesus, Terrace Houses, St. Mary House and St. John Basilica by Viator Private tour. Our guide Fusun was very friendly, knowledgeable and articulate about the areas we visited. Our driver Murat was very friendly, professional and very safe in his driving. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and all our needs were met. Fully recommend this to any and all.

Had a great day with Susan touring Ephesus and the surrounding area. She is very knowledgeable and taught us a lot. Since it was just the three of us , it felt more personal and we really enjoyed it.

On time pick up and very knowledgeable guide, Nuh . He was very clear with directions and we never felt rushed. We made it back to the cruise ship on time. Driver was polite and we felt safe while on excursion.

Our guide, Verdi, was amazing. He was so full of knowledge and answered all of our questions. We never felt rushed. It was an amazing experience.

Positives: -Tour was flexible when we wanted to see sites not officially in itinerary -They were willing to accommodate our schedule for pickup Negatives: -The tour guide didn’t provide much information on the sites we visited despite in the tour description saying the guide would be a historian (or be sharing historical knowledge) We had to ask a lot of questions to get information from the tour guide. We provided this feedback and there were slight improvements. -When we arrived in Ephesus, which has a huge amount of history and specifically religious history, the tour guide indicated that to get any religious history we needed to book a biblical tour. This is not true as we did 3 other tours in other locations including Pamukkale and Cappadocia for example, and the tour guides provided both historical and religious history. For this tour we got a lot of this is where they eat and sleep, which is disappointing and overall not interesting nor historical. We ended up watching Youtube videos after the day was over because we felt we didn’t get much of out the tour. I want to also mention that in the tour description it calls out where St. Paul preached yet the tour guide did not mention this as it’s “religious”. -The lunch provided was not up to par. Tour says it’s at a restaurant but it was someone randomly cooking outside and us sitting in the middle of grass. One of the folks who ate the salad in the lunch became very ill after, which ruined several days of the vacation. -The tour guide took us to 4 stops designed to get us to spend money. It’s understandable that this is part of tours but 4 stops is excessive. They indicated that they would help us negotiate, but none of this occurred. At one of the stops, they had a merchant heavily pressure us to purchase a bracelet for $300 US- an incredibly inflated price. The tour guide just sat there after setting this in motion. -The tour guide did not know one of us knew some Turkish and negatively spoke about us to the driver in front of us. Overall, it was a disappointing experience – we really wanted to learn about Ephesus, Virgin Mary’s house, and St. John's Basilica and were excited by the tour description given that it would be private and customized but we did not get the experience promised. We didn’t learn much and it ended up being more of a trap to get us to buy overpriced items.

This private tour was wonderful from start to finish. Tour guide waiting out front upon our exit from our cruise ship. Comfortable luxury van supplied with complimentary water, soda and beer. Our guide was articulate and thoroughly knowledgeable regarding the history of Turkey, Mary's House and Ephesus. We could visualize the way people lived as we explored the amazing ruins and restoration of this ancient city. The highlight for me was the Terrace Houses which continues to be under restoration and was an extraordinary display of ancient engineering, cultural sophistication and art. Lunch was delightful. Served in a beautiful exterior garden with excellent traditional Turkish cuisine. We did not tour St John Basilica. Did a driveby stop. Were told by guide that there was basically nothing to see. We were fine with this as it was at the end of the tour and we had a full day with the preceding activities.

Amazing tour, I highly recommend! Our guide Elif was very knowledgeable and and hospitable! This is a great tour to pack a lot in a little amount of time!

Our guide Ekin was wonderful!! He was very patient with our 2 children and learned so much. Would definitely recommend as excursion.

This was a great tour. Our guide, Begu, was very knowledgable and personable. He was very client centred, wanting to ensure we got the best experience possible. Tour was at a good pace. Lunch in the garden setting was wonderful. Carpet demo interesting.

Good overall tour. Ezgi, our guide, was knowledgeable and very pleasant. Had a nice lunch and Turkish carpet demo.

Our guide Begu was knowledgeable, professional, and very accommodative yesterday. We are very pleased with tour.

Great tour, our guide Begu is very informative. Very nice tour with great value. Ephesus is very nice.

Great Tour! Begu did a fantastic job escorting us around Ephesus. We felt very safe with the driver. The day was perfect. We were able to spend plenty of time at Mary's House, Ephesus and the Terrace Houses and St. John Basilica. At no time did we feel rushed and although it was supposed to be an eight hour tour we asked to be completed in seven. The lunch at the rug factory was set outside in nice manner and the food was very nicely presented. The rug tour was interesting but a little high pressure although that might have been because we were interested in them. I would highly recommend this tour.

What a wonderful experience. Our guide aka Rose and driver Ferret (sp), were amazing! She was very knowledgeable about history and present day in Turkey. Very patient and great sense of of humor. Shared the local art and food establishment, Lotus Garden Ceramic and Seven Sleepers Pancake Garden and had a marvelous time. We all enjoyed the “eye candy”, Thank you for telling us about your wonderful people and culture.

My guide, Begu, was superb. Fluent English, knowledgeable, insightful. Had multiple, in depth conversations in general about Turkey and Ephesus in particular. If you are interested in learning the history and culture of this period, Begu is the one to ask for.

Excellent. Highly highly recommended. Just only two of us. The tour guide Ayse she was great and very pleasant. She did a great job. The van was very nice n comfy. Also the terrace of houses is a must see.

We had an amazing tour of all 3 major sites via Kusadasi. Our guide Ibrihim was very knowledgeable and pleasant. We could not have been happier with the tour and the very nice lunch banquet that was included. We were traveling with 2 toddlers and my mother-in-law. Ibrahim was patient and thorough. We got to see everything. His explanations were thorough and accurate. He understands what tourists want to do. Very safe and comfortable. Amazing sites off the beaten path. Very fond memories, we are anxious to return.

The tour itself was great and recommended. We had a problem that the company used by Viator they didn't had a reservation for us, but after much talking it worked out. Make sure you take a copy of your paper work provided to you by Viator.

Olgay (OJ) met us at the dock as promised and started our day describing the history of Ephesus, Turkey. We traveled through the countryside and took an improvised stop at a cool place for authentic Turkish coffee and Turkish Delights before checking out the Seven Sleepers. Our tours to St. John Basilica and Ephesus were fabulous as OJ shared tons of detailed history and biblical stories. The extra tour of the Terrace Houses was another highlight of Ephesus. Then we stopped for a delicious lunch at one of the best carpet making destinations and watched the ladies in action before trying it ourselves (and there was no pressure to buy anything). Next we stopped for olive oil and tea. Then we capped off the tour with a visit to St. Mary's House, a truly spiritual place. OJ knew everyone and everyone truly loved her as she always helped other guides throughout the day. It was wonderful to see how much she knew and cared about Turkey, its history, culture, and people. Loved it!

Never thought that I can explore so much on one day, our tourist guide Kamber Dinek is very knowledgable, he is patient, answered all our questions, and timed our day really well, lunch at a garden is very enjoyable and delicious, exceptional!!!

Our family of three booked this tour at the last minute and we were pleasantly surprised to be the only ones that day. Our guide Nevin was excellent to say the least, exceptionally knowledgeable, very friendly and spoke excellent English. Having guided many shore excursions she knew exactly how to take care of guest, knowing how to point out important things like availability of toilets, water as well as walking surfaces to expect. The selection of lunch venue was incomparable. We went to a small farm collective where the meal was prepared using the freshest of ingredients. Soft drinks, water, spirits were available without limit. Afterwards the experience of touring the carpet factory and watching the ladies work so deftly left a very positive experience. This is a highly recommended experience.

We were met at the cruise terminal by our private guide and picked up by our private small motor coach. Our guide, Cigdem, was so knowledgeable and so informative it was impressive. She took excellent care of us for the whole day on our visits to Ephesus, Mary's House and St John's. We got even better care at lunch, which we enjoyed in a shaded garden. Lots of food, wine and good company after which we got to learn about hand making Turkish rugs and getting silk from silk worm cocoons. Highly recommend this tour. It is a great value and well worth doing.

Our guide was very knowledgeable and we had a great tour, we were surprised that we were the only two people on the tour, we assumed it would be a small group tour. being such a small group it was easy to hear all the info and we could "modify" the stops a little since we weren't hungry right away. the meal was very good and the visit to the co op was informative. they did bring out carpet after carpet to show us he work (and try to sell us something) but weren't pushy as we live in Hawaii and have more of a tropical décor and the Turkish rug just wouldn't fit into the design

Ayca was an absolute pleasure as a guide. She had a bubbly personality, and obvious enthusiasm for her country. She was very interactive with our three preteen children. She is obviously an extremely intelligent woman with multiple degrees in relevant areas of study. She kept the descriptions of the sites funny and interesting even for the children. She deviated from the previously arranged program to accommodate special requests from everyone in our family She was an absolute pleasure as a guide. She took extra care of our older grandparents, trying to keep in in the sun and helping them walk on the uneven surfaces. Fascinating day that could not have been better in anyway. Thank you !!!

Very educating and a brilliant experience. Fun tour guide who was very knowledgeable and covered all sites giving detailed information on all. Terrace House was the best part! Sites were beautiful with breathtaking views. Highly recommended!

<p>We had an amazing tour with Karavan Travel, our guide Aslie was fantastic! Would recommend to all.</p> <p>For 4 of us this private tour was cheaper than the ship tour and we had the opportunity to ask any questions we could think of and go at our own pace.</p> <p>While other reviews have complained about the trip to the carpet place we found it really interesting and weren't pressured at all into buying anything might be because we are all in our 20's and clearly can't afford one!. Also the lunch there was one of the best meals we had on our trip, typical Turkish al fresco with Aslie.</p> <p>Ephesus was amazing and I definable recommend a visit to the Terrace Houses not all trips include this!</p>

<p>Can not recommend enough. This trip was half the price of the excursion offered by our cruise ship and better by far. We were picked up with a sign at the port and had a modern, air conditioned mini bus just for the 5 of us. Our guide, Begum, was fantasic, she was very knowledgeable but you could also tell she was very passionate about her country and loved returning to Ephesus for her first tour this year. She answered every question we had and tested how well we were listening. We learnt a lot about Turkei as well as Ephesus. Oh, and lots about trees too :p We visited St John's Basilica and St Mary's House as well as Ephesus and the terraced houses. Begum guided us when needed but also gave us our own space to explore.<br/> After we had an amazing lunch al fresco and saw how silk and rugs were made. The salesman obviously would have liked us to buy but there was no pressure and he was very nice, even giving us Turkish Coffee and Raki to try whilst we saw some of the rugs he had to offer. All in all it was a fantastic day. You'd be crazy not to book this tour, the value for money is amazing.... and ask for Begum!!</p>

<p>This is the most complete tour, historically and religiously, with very competent and courteous staff. They touch all the bases, freely answer all questions and the pace is set by you what a joy. The luncheon was also excellent. The rug tour has some pressure to buy, but they accept a no thanks with professional grace. You will feel safe and won't be disappointed with the content</p>

<p>When I booked this tour, I was skeptical of how low the price was. I figured that when we got there, there would entrance fees and extra charges assessed. I was wrong. Our guide Fulia, was terrific. She has been a guide for 15 years, and gave us more information that you could ever hope for. She stayed with us the entire time at Ephesus. My one complaint was we tried to decline the lunch and carpet store tour, and she discouraged us and said we should go. So, we went and had lunch, which was both delicious and fully included in the tour price. The carpet tour was next, and we found it interesting, but had no intention of buying anything, which felt like a waste of our short time in Kusadasi. All in all, I would totally use these folks again, as they delivered everything they said they would.</p>