We loved this private tour day trip to Ephesus. We were picked up at our hotel in Bodrum by our lovely guide Melis and our equally lovely driver. We had a coffee stop at a restaurant by a beautiful scenic lake. Ephesus is fabulous and our guide Melis was very friendly, knowledgeable and informative and her English is excellent. We then visited the Temple of Artemis and had a lovely restaurant lunch before visiting the house of the Virgin Mary. We had a lovely and memorable day, the highlight of the holiday, and whilst a private tour is not cheap I think it was well worth the money for the bespoke experience, the distance travelled/comfortable vehicle and the service provided by Melis and our driver (who was also friendly and a good driver). I highly recommend this tour company and the private day trip to Ephesus.
About Activity
What's Included
Includes
- Brand New A/C Luxury Mercedes Vito with Private Driver
- Pickup and Drop-off from Hotel and Cruise Port
- Guaranteed skip-the-line!
- All taxes
- Parking Fees
- English Speaking Professional Licensed Tour Guide
Excludes
- Ephesus Ancient City
- Delicious Local Lunch, Per Person 15 USD
- Virgin Mary House
Departure & Return
Departure Point
- FOR CRUISE PASSENGERS; WE MEET GUESTS AT THE EXIT GATE OF THE IMMIGRATION TERMINAL OF THE BODRUM CRUISE PORT WITH A BOARD WITH OTTI TRAVEL SIGN ON IT. FOR PICK UP FROM BODRUM HOTELS, WE MEET GUEST BY THE HOTEL RECEPTION. FOR BODRUM AIRPORT (BJV) PICK UP, WE MEET GUEST AT THE EXIT GATE OF THE DOMESTIC TERMINAL WITH A BOARD WITH OTTI TRAVEL SIGN ON IT.
Itinerary
House of Virgin Mary is located on the top of the "Bulbul" mountain 9 km ahead of Ephesus, the shrine of Virgin Mary enjoys a marvelous atmosphere hidden in the green. It is the place where Mary may have spent her last days. Indeed, she may have come in the area together with Saint John, who spent several years in the area to spread Christianity. Mary preferred this remote place rather than living in crowded place. The house of Virgin Mary is a typical Roman architectural example, entirely made of stones. In the 4th century AD, a church, combining her house and grave, has been built. The original two-stored house, which consisted of an anteroom (where today candles are proposed), bedroom and praying room (Christian church area) and a room with fireplace (chapel for Muslims).
This enclosure for archaeological remains at Ephesus elegantly reconciles historic conservation with accessibility for visitors. The site of a succession of great ancient civilizations, Ephesus, on the south-west coast of modern Turkey, embodied a peculiarly fertile synthesis of architecture and culture. In 356BC the Greeks built the Artemesium (a colossal Ionic temple dedicated to Artemis the fertility goddess) which was one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. During the 2nd century BC, Ephesus was the fourth largest city in the eastern Roman Empire, famous for its Artemis Temple, the Library of Celsus and its medical school..
The agora on the southern part of the Basilica is the State Agora and was built in the Roman Period in the first century B.C. This agora was used not for commerce but for business, it played an important role as a meeting place for governmental discussions. During the excavations in the northeast corner of the Agora were found a great number of graves from the 7th-6th centuries B.C and a stone-paved road, and an archaic sarcophagus of terra cotta. From this, it is understood that in the archaic period this part of the Agora was used as the necropolis of Ephesus. There is a water reservoir at the corner of the Agora, which played an important role in Ephesus. Its water was brought to the city through the Pollio Aqueduct, the remains of the Pollio Aqueduct can be seen 5 kilometers away, along the Selçuk-Aydin highway.
This building has the shape of a small theatre with the stage building, seating places, and the orchestra. It had a double function in use. First, it was used as a Bouleuterion for the meetings of the Boules or the Senate. The second function was the Odeum as a concert hall for the performances. It was constructed in the 2nd century A.D by the order of Publius Vedius Antonius and his wife Flavia Paiana, two wealthy citizens in Ephesus. It had a capacity of 1500 spectators. It had 3 doors opening from the stage to the podium. The podium was narrow and one meter higher than the orchestra section. The stage building was two-storeyed and embellished with columns. The podium in front of the stage building and some parts of the seating were restored. The Odeon used to be enclosed with a wooden roof. Two councils administrated Ephesus. These were Demos or the parliament which was open to the public was taken place in the great theatre and the Bouleia which gathered in this small theatre.
Temple of Hadrian is one of the best-preserved and most beautiful structures on Curetes Street. It was built before 138 A.D by P. Quintilius and was dedicated to Emperor Hadrian, who came to visit the city from Athens in 128 A.D The facade of the temple has four Corinthian columns supporting a curved arch, in the middle of which contains a relief of Tyche, goddess of victory. The side columns are square. The pedestal with inscriptions in front of the temple is the bases for the statues of the emperors between 293-305 CE, Diocletian, Maximian, Constantius I, and Galerius; the originals of the statues have not been found yet.
Located at the south end of Domitian Street, it is the first structure in Ephesus known to be dedicated to an emperor. It was built on a high and wide terrace set by 50x100 meters in size, on vaulted foundations. The northern side of the terrace seems to be two-stories high, reached by stairs. The stairs are still visible today. The temple, built in the pro-style plan, had eight columns on the short side and thirteen columns on the long side, and four additional columns in front of the cella. On the northern side, there was an u-shaped altar, which is now displayed in the Izmir Museum. It was in the reign of Domitian that an emperor gave permission to build an Emperor Temple; that is the permission to be the 'neocoros' for the first time, which was a great honor for a city. It was in the reign of Domitian that an emperor gave permission to build an Emperor Temple; that is the permission to be the 'neocoros' for the first time, which was a great honor for a city.
Hercules Gate is located towards the end of Curetes Street, it was called the Hercules gate because of the relief of Hercules on it. It was brought from another place in the fourth century AD to its current place, but the relief on it dates back to the second century AD. Only the two sides of the columns remain today and the other parts of it have not been found. The relief of the flying Nike in the Domitian Square is thought to also be a part of this gate. The Heracles Gate narrowed the access to the street, preventing the passage of vehicles. We can understand that from the Fourth Century, the street had become a pedestrian area.
Ephesus terrace houses are located on the hill, opposite the Hadrian Temple. Also called "the houses of wealthy Romans", important for the reason give us information about family life during the Roman period. They were built according to the Hippodamian plan of the city in which roads transected each other at the right angles. There are six residential units on three terraces at the lower end of the slope of the Bulbul Mountain. The oldest building dates back to 1C BC and continued in use as a residence until 7C AD. Ephesus terrace houses are covered with protective roofing which resembles Roman houses. The mosaics on the floor and the frescos have been consolidated and two houses have been opened to the public as a museum.
Celsus Library is one of the most beautiful structures in Ephesus. Celcius Library was built in 117 A.D. Celsus Library was a monumental tomb for Gaius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, the governor of the province of Asia; from his son Galius Julius Aquila. The grave of Celsus was beneath the ground floor, across the entrance and there was a statue of Athena over it. Because Athena was the goddess of wisdom. The scrolls of the manuscripts were kept in cupboards in niches on the walls. There were double walls behind the bookcases to prevent them from the extremes of temperature and humidity. The capacity of the library was more than 12,000 scrolls. It was the third richest library in ancient times after the Alexandra and Pergamum.
Ephesus theatre is the most magnificent structure in the Ephesus ancient city. The Ephesus Great Theatre is located on the slope of Panayir Hill, opposite Harbor Street, and is easily seen when entering from the south entrance to Ephesus. It was first constructed in the Hellenistic Period, in the third century BC during the reign of Lysimachos, but then during the Roman Period, it was enlarged and formed its current style that is seen today. t is the largest in Anatolia and has a capacity of 25,000 seats. The cavea has sixty-six rows of seats, divided by two diazoma (walkway between seats) into three horizontal sections. There are three sections of seats. In the lower section, Marble pieces, used for restoration, and the Emperor's Box were found. The Ephesus theatre was used not only for concerts and plays but also for religious, political, and philosophical discussions and for gladiator and animal fights.
It is believed that the evangelist St. John had spent his last years in the region around Ephesus and was buried on the southern slope of Ayosolug Hill. Three hundred years after the death of St. John, a small chapel was constructed over the grave in the 4th century. The church of St John was changed into a marvelous basilica during the region of Emperor Justinian (527 -565 AD). The second half of the first century was full of persecution for the early Christians. Apostle James and Stephen were killed in Jerusalem. Paul was sent to Rome and executed. According to tradition John took The Mother Mary and came to Ephesus. He wrote his Gospel in Ephesus and the Revelation on Greece Island, Patmos in 96AD.
The Temple of Artemis is known as one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. It has been built in the areas of Ephesus on a flat area which has over the centuries turned into a swamp. If you visit Ephesus today, you can only see the ruins of the foundations of this marvelous construction of the Hellenistic Age, entirely made of marble and full of sculptured columns' capitals and shafts. The most beautiful remaining of this temple are today exhibited in the London British Museum.
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Reviews
Our guide and driver were both excellent. Great experience, we highly recommend this trip to anyone.
Our tour guide, Jann, is a lovely young man & extremely knowledgeable. He certainly gave us a history lesson on Bodrum & the rest of Turkey. We had limited mobility & yet, Jann was still able to take us to most of the sites worth seeing. We even stopped at a small tavern to try homemade Turkish food which was delicious. Would highly recommend the services of this tour company with Jann as your guide.
Mehmet was amazing! We booked a full day tour from Bodrum to Ephesus through Viator and we were very fortunate to get Mehmet as our guide. He arrived about an hour early to the port which allowed us to start our private tour early. Mehmet is super knowledgeable about the history of Turkey and the attractions we were seeing including the House of Mary and the Temple of Artemis. He has great English, and was very pleasant, patient, friendly and very interesting. He was also very flexible to adjust the tour to exactly what we wanted to see and how much time we wanted to spend at each. We were a family of 8 including my 90 year old Dad which required more patience with walking him through the sites. We also stopped for a fabulous traditional Turkish lunch which was also coordinated by Mehmet. We got to know Mehmet well in a short time and now have a friend in Turkey. I highly recommend booking any tour in Turkey with Mehmet!
PHENOMENAL day with our guide Tugba (pronounced Tuba). Her knowledge was exceptional and her English is excellent. We were encouraged to ask questions and we did which led to more information which we loved. It was enriching to visualize daily life in Ephesus. We highly recommend her as a guide and this tour. We also went to see the temple of Artemis, tomb of St. John, St. Johns Basilica and the house of Mary. With the exception of Mary,s house all are areas of discovery as new information is coming all the time. Our driver was also wonderful, highly skilled and very considerate.
Great tour! Tan was “the best” guide!
Tas was amazing and very knowledgeable. His qualifications in history made for a very interesting tour. We throughly enjoy our time today. Would highly recommended this tour.
Very godo TAS. Dirán very knowlrable Cuide Thank you
Tas was a great guide! He was full of knowledge about all the sites we visited and it made the experience even better. Our family really enjoyed our day in Ephesus and we highly recommend Tas!!
Tas, our guide is very knowledgeable and helpful. We enjoyed our trip very much.
Excellent informative & friendly tour with Tas. Met us at Kusadasi port and explained the plan for the day! Tas is a fountain of knowledge of the history of the area, not just Ephesus. Friendly & fun guide to spend a history filled day with, would highly recommend this tour & guide. Thank you Tas. Garry & Jane
Fantastic tour from start to finish! Tas was incredibly knowledgeable, engaging, and attentive. We expected a 5-hour excursion, but he went above and beyond to give us a full 7-hour experience without ever feeling rushed. We had a great time and highly recommend booking with him!
Excellent tour with Tas, we had a great time with lots of interesting explenations
Tas was an absolutely amazing guide. He was quite knowledgeable, friendly and a consummate professional. I would love for to o tour with Tas in the future.
Mr Tas, Our tour guide was fantastic! Very knowledgeable, friendly, and professional. They made the history come alive and made sure we had a great experience from beginning to end. We learned so much and had a wonderful time. Highly recommend!
Mehmet was a great and nice guide! Had a very nice experience in Kusadasi and Ephesus with him!
This was a lovely private excursion from Bodrum to Ephesus. Our guide Meliss spoke very good English and was very knowledgeable and informative and very friendly. We were very well looked after throughout the day by Meliss and our excellent driver and had a very enjoyable day and a lovely lunch and a nice coffee break at a scenic lakeside restaurant. I highly recommend this private tour.
Our tour guide Cann was amazing. First he confirmed via text the day before. Then arrived early to our pick up location. The signage he provided was clear. He was pleasant and respectful. Cann made the history of Bodrum interesting and when we went to the museum his explanations brought history to life! I enjoyed our pace, and he took his time to answer questions. Would recommend.
Tugba was an exceptional guide. We learned so much about the country, its history, its culture and she was entertaining, as well. Additionally, the Mercedes van was comfortable to accommodate more than our party of 4, and the AC worked well to combat the heat.
We had the full day tour to Ephesus from Bodrum with Mert, who was an excellent guide. He was extremely knowledgeable, and because we were just two, he let us tailor the tour to see what we wanted, on our schedule. It was approximately nine hours altogether, including about 4.5 hours of driving. We knew it wasn’t nearby, but the van was very comfortable, and Fahri was an excellent driver. The back seats reclined, so we slept a bit on the drive. Ephesus is amazing to see, and we stopped for a lovely family-style lunch on the way back. There was carpet weaving & selling there, but we didn’t feel pushed to even look. Thanks for a lovely day, Mert!
I feel like I need to be honest here to possibly prevent someone from missing their cruise ship. I will start with all the positive about this tour. The tour guide, Tas, picked us up on time at the port and got us on our way immediately. Tas was knowledgeable and shared lots of information with us on our 2-1/2 or so drive to Ephesus. Tas was an amazing tour guide in Ephesus and he definitely made our visit worth while. Afterwards an amazing lunch at a pre-selected restaurant. **Now this is where it goes bad. Adjacent to the restaurant is a place where Turkish rugs are made and sold. We are told by Tas that we are going in to see how the turkish rugs are made. This part took - maybe 10-15 minutes. We are then taken into another room where they say we will be served tea - which, turns out to be a sales pitch to sell us rugs. We were kept in this room with very aggressive salesmen for at least an hour. When several of us in our group questioned Tas about our return time (as we still needed to visit The House of Mary and The house of John and drive back to the ship 2-1/2 hours - we were told not to worry - we still had plenty of time. **Once we all finally got back on our bus - Tas advised us we now didn't have time to visit both House of Mary and House of John so we should pick the one we really wanted to do. We all picked House of Mary. We went through there very quickly (thankfully)! Because as it turned out - had we been delayed exactly 15 minutes longer WE WOULD HAVE MISSED OUR SHIP final boarding time. The drive back to the ship was stressful! The whole point of the tour was to see all that was listed on the itinerary! If you're like us - this was a bucket list place to visit and we definitely didn't sign up for a rug tour. The Ephesus experience and house of Mary I would recommend - but, based on our experience today with time and almost missing our ship - I cannot not say I would recommend anyone booking this tour from Bodrum Port.
Incredible day trip to Ephesus from Bodrum! So much history and amazing sites to see! Our guide, Tugba, was excellent and full of knowledge about the history and excavation of the area. She completely tailors the trip to your preferences, by stopping only at the areas you are interested in, and giving you as much or as little information as you want about the areas visited. The Mercedes vehicle was very comfortable. It was hot and sunny outside, but they kept us cool with great air conditioning and cold water inside the van. The lunch stop was lovely. We had delicious traditional Turkish food and did some shopping as well. The tour was one of the highlights of our trip to Bodrum!
We spent the day with Noush. She was a knowledgeable guide. We started the day at the Home of the Virgin Mary. Then, we proceeded to Ephesus. Ephesus exceeded all expectations. The library, gymnasium, and theater were sights to behold. And, this is all in a fairly compact area. We also saw what remained of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. We had lunch at a local place next to a school where rugs are being made.
Wonderful trip with guide who was very knowledgeable and interesting! In addition to sites, 3 sites to look a custom ceramics, rugs and jewelry. Water bottles in fridge provided. Comfortable van to ride in.
The trip to the ancient city of Ephesus was quite interesting and informative. Going to Ephesus was like going back to the Roman period. Togba our tour guide made us feel relaxed as she explained all we needed to know about the ancient city of Ephesus in the Roman period and the impact of Christianity in the transformation of the city. The journey to Ephesus was quite long with breaks in between. We are really grateful to Togba and the driver for such an exciting trip. We are impressed with Togba' s understanding of history and her fluent communication of English. We will recommend her to any one in London who desires to visit Ephesus
Great adventure and knowledgable tour guide. So interesting. A must see location that is best with the right tour guide
Amazing. The guide was incredible knowledgeable and gave us great attention and time. The driver was excellent. Highly highly recommend.
Excellent All Day Tour of Ephesus- which was extraordinary! I have seen ruins/ancient buildings in Greece, Mexico and elsewhere, but Ephesus was the most spectacular! Our guide : Songul Kaya was knowledgeable, enthusiastic and flexible and we learned a lot on the long drive to and from Bodrum. We went on a Sunday so the drive was longer due to traffic (3 hours each way), but enjoyable Our driver : Mustafa Celik picked us up at our hotel, drove safely and made stops as we needed. The Mercedes sprinter van was excellent with AC and comfortable seats that allowed us to doze off when needed What is unique about Bodrum (known broadly as a summer holiday spot like Mykonos or Ibiza), is that it has world class historical sites within driving distance including 2 of the 7 ancient wonders of the world! Bodrum is now my favorite summer holiday spot!
About Efes thank you we had the most amazing time most professional tour guide spoke perfect English great driver very understanding drove according to road conditions and street rules. I’m very happy and would recommend recommended to other people. Songül kaya Driver mustafa celik
The tour was absolutely amazing! We had such a great time, and our guide, Tugba, made the experience even better. She is incredibly knowledgeable and explained everything in a very clear and engaging way. She kept us informed throughout the entire tour and answered every question we had with patience and detail. What we appreciated the most was how flexible she was. She adapted the itinerary to fit exactly what we wanted and our specific needs, which made the experience feel very personal. If we ever come back, we would definitely book another tour with Tugba. She truly knows her history and is a fantastic guide. Highly recommended!
The tour was absolutely amazing! We had such a great time, and our guide, Tugba, made the experience even better. She is incredibly knowledgeable and explained everything in a very clear and engaging way. She kept us informed throughout the entire tour and answered every question we had with patience and detail. What we appreciated the most was how flexible she was. She adapted the itinerary to fit exactly what we wanted and our specific needs, which made the experience feel very personal. If we ever come back, we would definitely book another tour with Tugba. She truly knows her history and is a fantastic guide. Highly recommended!
The tour was very good and we appreciated the information shared about the sites we saw. Surprisingly the meal at the restaurant was very tasty as well. We were able to ask questions about other things in Turkey and that was educational as well. We loved the guide and rate him with 5 stars! The night before our tour, we got a message suggesting we wear a hat in the sun and July heat. We should have bought one to wear. He had an umbrella which we shared. That helped.
Great day exploring, everyone had a great time and our guide Mert was wonderful and great with the adults and children.
We did a week cruise of the Greek islands with a side trip to Ephesus through Viator, which was the highlight of our trip. Tas was our guide and he was great! Great communications, very knowledgeable, and charming personality. Highly recommended.
Very educational tour. If you love history, it’s amazing and beautiful. Our Tour guide was great, took us for a local lunch and everyone was so nice. The car ride is over 2 hrs each way so be prepared for a long day but so worth it. Gets hot in the afternoon. Driver provided water/soda. Also take money to tip driver and guide. It’s not included
Beautiful visit to Bodrum including the Greek theater, a rug making demonstration, and visit to the castle, museum, and windmills.
Great experience. Drive from bodrum only takes about 2 hours each way. Tujba was excellent and lunch was wonderful
Ugur was very knowledgeable and helped us get in and out of a very crowded Ephesus city quickly and efficiently, while throughly explaining all the details. He was friendly and personable.
Visit to Ephesus. Ugur was friendly and very informative.
Fantastic tour of Ephesus and the Virgin Mary house. Our guide also took us by a traditional Turkish rug making place that was fascinating, and delicious meal. She was so friendly, very educational and fun. It was very easy to coordinate from getting off our cruise boat in Bodrum, and getting us back on time. The van was very comfortable for our group and the perfect day
Meet was very knowledgeable and explained things well. The tour was not rushed and well paced
This is the perfect way to see Ephesus and Virgin Mary house. Our guide Marvay was so informative, interesting and friendly. The van transport was so comfortable for the long ride, and mindful for when we needed a stop, and getting us back in time for cruise port. They also served us a delicious Turkish meal and showed us how traditional Turkish rugs are made. Highly recommend!
Had an amazing trip and an amazing guide - saw more than expected and loved the whole day! Very accommodating.
This excursion was planned to ne the highlight of our trip in the Bodrum region - and it did not disappoint. The grounds of Ephesus are overflowing with history and imagery. Our guide, Tas, knew more stories than anyone could anticipate. He was brilliant to listen to. The driver and the timing were spot on, which is always appreciated. . Fully recommended on all counts.
This review started off as a 5-star experience. Our tour guide picked us up at the port and informed us that Ephesus was about a two-hour drive away. We didn’t mind the drive at all. However, we only spent about two hours at Ephesus before being taken to a carpet shop, where we were brought into a private room and given a sales presentation for carpets. After that, we were taken to a market to sample and shop for Turkish delights. At that point, we were already disappointed. We felt rushed through Ephesus, yet there was plenty of time allocated to these shopping stops, neither of which had been mentioned in the itinerary. Things became even more concerning when our tour guide informed us that she would not be returning to the port with us because she lived two hours away. This immediately made us uneasy, especially since the driver did not speak English or Spanish. On the drive back, the rear tire suddenly blew out and was completely shredded. The driver pulled over, but not far enough off the road, leaving us partially in the middle of the lane. We were stranded in the middle of nowhere, about an hour and a half from the port, unable to communicate effectively. We tried using Google Translate to offer help changing the tire and to ask whether another driver was coming. Unfortunately, the only person who could translate for us — our tour guide — had been dropped off 45 minutes earlier. At one point, another cab driver stopped to offer assistance, but our driver turned him away. Eventually, another driver arrived about 40 minutes later. We had to communicate our destination by showing him the location on a map. This situation would have been far less stressful if the tour guide had accompanied us back to the port, as other tour guides have done on previous excursions. Unfortunately, this incident was just the final straw in what turned out to be a very unpleasant experience.
Sinan was a fantastic guide. I’m a history professor and my husband is a pastor—Sinan is very knowledgeable in history and we both learned a lot. He was also very fun to spend the day with. Highly recommend!
We had a great trip to Ephesus. Our guide Mert was very informative and we learned so much about the period. Our driver was great also. It was a full day and so interesting! Ephesus is being restored and is a grand step into the past!
Our guide Mert and driver Cafer Were excellent. They took us everywhere that we wanted to go today and explained a lot of history. The van was comfortable. We got a good taste of Ephesus and the surrounding sites. I highly recommend these guides and the Ephesus all day tour.
Brilliant experience. Loved the tour vehicle, very comfortable and spacious. Great & experienced driver. Tour guide was fantastic. She was very experienced, kind & helpful. Didn’t rush us at all. Really appreciated her helping my elderly Mum whilst walking through the historical site. Learned lots about Ephesus & enjoyed the carpet factory stop too. Lunch was plentiful and very tasty. Would highly recommend this tour.
The visit to the Blessed Virgin Mary’s house was a highlight for us. Ephesus ruins were amazing as well. It’s 2 hours from Bodrum port. Well worrh it for us. However it has stops at a rug shop and leather showcase.
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