Start the day with pickup in Kusadasi between 7:30am and 11am—if you’re traveling by cruise ship, we suggest departing 30-minutes after docking time. Travel by private vehicle to the ancient city of Ephesus, where you'll leave the car behind to tour the site on foot.

Follow the pillar-lined Harbor Street to an open-air theater, then continue to Marble Street, the Celcius Library, and the imposing gate of Mithridates and Mazeus. Get a glimpse of ancient Roman life at the commercial agora and a series of well-preserved temples, baths, fountains, and monuments.

Leave the archeological site for Mt. Koressos, where a small stone house of the Virgin Mary has become a pilgrimage place for Catholics from around the world. Pause for lunch at a nearby restaurant then visit the Basilica of St. John, built to honor the tomb of John the Apostle. Make a final stop at the Temple of Artemis, whose foundation stones and chipped pillars are the only remnants of a ‘Wonder of the Ancient World.’ This tour concludes with drop-off at your Kusadasi hotel or cruise port.

Ancient City of Ephesus

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 Artemesium, the Library of Celsus and its medical school..

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

The Temple of Artemis

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.

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
At time of booking, cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Infant seats available

Not recommended for pregnant travelers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
According to the new regulations in Turkey, the ministry of transport requires all passengers' full names as on passport, passport numbers and nationality
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

about cancellations.

Frequently Asked Questions

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.

Q:What is the policy on sanitization during PRIVATE Ephesus and The House of Virgin Mary Tour ?

A:The policies on sanitization are:

Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized

Q:What is the social distancing policy during PRIVATE Ephesus and The House of Virgin Mary Tour ?

A:The policy on social distancing is:

Social distancing enforced throughout experience

Q:What measures are being taken to ensure staff health & safety during PRIVATE Ephesus and The House of Virgin Mary Tour ?

A:The policies on staff health & safety are:

Guides required to regularly wash hands
Regular temperature checks for staff

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

41 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-8 of 41 reviews

Unexpected surprises in Turkey

Casey_K, Jul 2022

I have to admit, I was hesitant on booking and doing a tour in Turkey. Coming from the western world, you have 'heard' things and therefore are unsure about traveling here. We decided to take this tour, because my husband was excited about reserving a tour, having so many biblical and historical references in this area. Our family of six (my husband, four kids ages 11-16 & myself) met our guide, Aycha, right outside the cruise port terminal, who walked us (very short walk through port shops) to the tour van parking area. We didn't have to wait for her at all, outside the port terminal. In fact, she was early to meet us, which made it more tolerable crowds at the House of Virgin Mary. We instantly knew this tour was the right decision, because our guide was very knowledgeable, having an archaeological background, but also personable and wanted to also create an authentic experience for our visit. She talked respectfully to our kids, one-on-one, and answered their questions, which gave them confidence to ask even more. From the House of Virgin Mary & the prayer wall, turkish coffee, the ancient city of Ephesus, St John's basilica & local lunch, there's no way we could pick our favorite. Aycha made the top favorites list for our two week trip, along with Turkey being one of our "must see again" places! Kusadasi & Ephesus (Selcuk) is such a beautiful place with a mix of cultures and friendly people. I'm still amazed at the surprises you'll find, when traveling & seeking out new, unfamiliar places. Do not hesitate on booking this tour. The guide and driver will make your time in Turkey worthwhile!

Amazing History and Fantastic Tour Guide

Tracie_M, Jul 2022

Our tour guide Banu was fantastic! We honestly had no understanding of what Ephesus was and Banu gave us quite an education. We were absolutely amazed by the history and Banu really knows her stuff. After Ephesus, Banu took us to a Turkish Rug Factory where we were educated even more. We had no idea how time consuming it is to make these gorgeous rugs. We also visited the temple of Artemis and a leather outlet where I scored a gorgeous leather coat. If you take this tour I hope you are lucky enough to have Banu as your tour guide.

Amazing

Yelena_R, Jun 2022

I’m so happy I booked this trip. Our guide Sardar met us at the port. He was kind and funny and very knowledgeable about history and architecture. The most important part, this trip was private so Sardar made sure to accommodate our needs and wants and also put a lot of interesting information in our heads. Also, I would like to mention that the car was very nice and comfortable.

Excellent tour.

Louise_L, Jun 2022

Our guide was incredible. We learned so much on this tour in a very comfortable way. Everything was top drawer, from the van to the driver, to our guide and so much more. If you want to see and learn slot, while being thoroughly entertained, this is the tour for you.

Best part of our Turkey trip!

Chris_C, Nov 2019

Our private guide (Begum) was absolutely excellent. She new all the facts plus more. She was friendly and funny and her English was excellent too. The tour was well-paced and we saw everything we wanted. The tour was completely flexible and we were able to stay as long or as little at each location depending on what we wanted. The lunch was great too. Highly recommend!

Beyond expectations ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Queenbee4575, Oct 2019

Well, we certainly lucked out with our guide, “Tanner.” If you could design an ideal travel guide, he’s it. Tanner is extremely well traveled, well spoken, funny, patient, charming, and knew the answer to every one of our group’s thousand weird questions. He’s also very good looking—that didn’t hurt! Tanner assessed pretty intuitively our tour expectations. We got to the Virgin Mary house as soon as it opened. Lovely and meaningful for our friends. On to Ephesus—one of my favorite places in the world. Tanner knew everything about even the most obscure historical questions like, How big were the underground pipes? What did the Ephesians use for.. um.. T.P.? Who were their slaves? Etc. Finally, we went to a Turkish carpet cooperative where we had, not kidding, THE best meal I had during a 10-day trip. Saw how silk thread is made and a demonstration (astonishing) of the intricate, ancient art of rug knotting. A beautiful traditional rug showing with zero obligations. Our friends bought nothing, but we are thrilled to have made a purchase, with excellent bargaining help from our guide. All customs were explained to us by Tanner. I love Viator. Obviously we cannot say enough about a Tanner and this excellent tour.... you will be thrilled.

Our experience in...

Alexander P, Oct 2016

Our experience in KusadasiEphesus,Turkey was beyond what I imagined thanks to Viator, Otti Travel and our guide Begum. Knowing this would probably be a once in a lifetime visit, I hoped I was making the right choice in booking a tour separate from the cruise ship we arrived on. In many, many years of traveling, this was hands down, the best tour I've ever been on. From the moment we were greeted portside, I knew I had made the right choice. Our tour guide was professional and spoke excellent English. She not only had a vast knowledge of her city and countryside, but also of world history. Ephesus was amazing to say the least. She took her time in explaining the different excavation areas and of course, showed us many things that on our own, we would have missed. We also toured a pottery factory and a rug co-op with a demonstration of rug making right from the start showing how they collect the silk from the cocoons and spin it. Of course they do go to great lengths showing the rugs, hoping they will make a sell....and if I was starting fresh with a room to decorate, I would have seriously considered buying! The rugs are so beautiful, they need to be the star of the room. Included in the tour was a luncheon served in their garden, some of the best food we had the entire trip. Sadly, current events in her country have kept tourist away which from all we observed is ridiculous! Our cruise line had cancelled our last stop, Istanbul, and returned us to Athens where we started, however we flew to Istanbul on our own and we felt completely safe there. I would encourage everyone considering Turkey as a vacation destination to just GO. The people are super friendly, and it's a sincere friendly. A little advice here, take an umbrella! And water of course. We were there in early September and the sun was brutal!!!

Tour guide was amazing, she took the...

Cara S, Dec 2015

Tour guide was amazing, she took the time to explain the sites and was very friendly and accommodating. Tour was provided in a very comfortable van and the bus driver allowed us to stop for pictures. The food was absolutely excellent and she even offered to show us a carpet presentation, which was worth it! I highly recommend this tour!!

Questions?

Product code: 12889P1

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