Ephesus Tour: Explore Ancient Ruins and Virgin Mary House

Explore the ancient city of Ephesus on this all-inclusive tour from Izmir. Visit the ruins, the House of the Virgin Mary, and the Temple of Artemis. Indulge in delicious Turkish cuisine and enjoy shopping for jewelry, leather, and ceramics.

Duration: 10 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Izmir - Tour starts at 8.30 am.
  • Meryemana (The Virgin Mary’s House) - Visit of House of Virgin Mary is located near to Ephesus with your guide during 45 minutes.
  • Ancient City of Ephesus - Visit Ephesus Ancient City with your guide during 2 hours.
  • Selcuk - Take a lunch at the town of Selcuk in the local restaurant with open-buffet.
  • Izmir - Turn back to Izmir, the travel is 1 hour. Take off all guests to their address.
What's Included
  • Guided tour with a professional tour guide
  • Admission to iconic Ephesus Ancient City
  • Visit to the serene Virgin Mary House
  • Comfortable transportation by private air-conditioned vehicle
  • Convenient hotel, port, or Izmir Airport pickup and drop-off
  • Delicious lunch included
What's Not Included
  • Drinks
  • Gratuities
  • Personal Expenses
Additional Information

Ephesus was an ancient city from the Greco-Roman period situated on the coast of Ionia, about three kilometers southwest of what is now Selçuk in the Izmir province of Turkey. The Ephesus excursion covers the archaeological remains of the old city of Ephesus, which has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Nestled next to a lush valley, the city was historically a hub for commerce and early Christian religious practices. It stands out as one of the most intact ancient cities and is notable for its rich cultural relics including the Treasure Odeon, the Temple of Domitian, Roman public baths, communal latrines, and the Hercules Gate, making it a gem among Turkey’s tourist attractions.
Explore the House of the Virgin Mary, believed to be the place where she spent her final days, complete with sacred springs and a wishing wall. Glimpse the panoramic view of the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the classical world.
During the mealtime break, you’ll have the chance to savor the flavors of traditional Turkish dishes. Moreover, there will be opportunities to engage in heritage shopping, whether it’s for jewelry, leather goods, or ceramic ware.

  • May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
  • The duration of transfers is approximate 1 hour and 30 minutes, the exact duration will depend on the time of day and traffic conditions
  • Please inform us, if you have a flight at the same day on the turn back to Izmir
  • Since the program you purchased is a group tour, tour end times may vary. If you have travel plans after the tour, please contact us.
  • You will see the Temple of Artemis panoramic.
  • If there is not a sufficient majority in languages ​​other than English, our tour operate in English
Location
Izmir
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(310 Ratings)
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Johan
Sep 28, 2024
Excellent tour with an excellent guide - Ezgi made this tour very special. She accommodates everyone on the tour. She knows her history better than an Encyclopedia and brings the history in a vibrant manner. She looks after her clients and ensures their safety. If you can book the tour with her.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
535stephaniez
Sep 28, 2024
Great day trip from Izmir - We had a perfectly planned day to Ephesus and The House of the Virgin Mary! The guide was very knowledgable and flexible with our group, while still keeping everything on time. The lunch was great, and the driver was very professional. I highly recommend this tour from Izmir!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Erickv_12
Sep 27, 2024
Gezenthi travel and Erman are second to none - Best tour in Turkey. My 70-year-old parents traveled, and we chose Gezenthi Travel to give them the tours. He was the best choice, the Guide was Erman, and he was an angel to them. I accompany them patiently, explain in Spanish, had a lot of knowledge and made them feel safe, comfortable and happy on their journey. Many thanks to Gezenthi Travel and Erman for this wonderful trip for my parents
Review provided by Tripadvisor
457anthiap
Sep 27, 2024
Great day trip! - It was a very good tour and our tour guide Ezgi was excellent. She kept our group informed throughout the tour and her guidance and knowledge of the sites we visited was excellent. Ezgi was very helpful throughout the tour and answered all questions and requests. We visited Ephesus, the house of the Virgin Mary and the Artemis temple in the comfort of an air conditioned mini bus with a very experienced driver. I would highly recommend this tour when visiting Izmir.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lori_t
Sep 25, 2024
Amazing history - We had a lovely tour with 9 other people. Semih was our leader. Semih and the deluxe van picked us up at the port. Semih was very knowledgeable about the House of Virgin Mary and Old City of Ephesus. The queue at Mary’s house was not too long. The Old City was incredible so much history. We could picture the bustling city it once was. The buffet lunch was good but would have liked more signage about what we were eating. The tour of the carpet teaching centre was very interesting and the carpets we saw were very beautiful. However we were disappointed by the pressure sales pitch at the end of the carpet tour -not a nice way to end an otherwise great day.
Review provided by Viator
W4311xfestebanr
Sep 24, 2024
Complete and interesting tour with lots of history!! - Excellent tour very complete and with a lot of history. Our Guide Erman Uslu accompanied us all the time and gave us a lot of important information. Super recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
F5698zqestebanr
Sep 24, 2024
Excellent experience, complete and interesting!! - Very good experience, very complete the tour and beautiful what we visited. Our Guide Erman Uslu was the best has a lot of knowledge and helped us with everything we need besides giving us a lot of interesting information about the places.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mariatw960bb
Sep 23, 2024
Great tour ! - It was a tour that left us very good experience.Erman our Guide explained very well all the history of the places we visited. Very nice person. He speaks Spanish very well. All Very Pro.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ellen_f
Sep 22, 2024
Turkey trip - Guide was great. Mary's house is so so. The ruins and lunch were fun. Would recommend as a day trip.
Review provided by Viator
Lindsey_s
Sep 21, 2024
So Memorable - Beautiful tour. We highly recommend it. Sam and John (our driver) were excellent. Sam spoke very clear English. He was difficult to hear in the back of the coach. Sit up front if you can. He is so full of knowledge. I wish he had a microphone so we could have heard all of his great information. Transport was so nice and spacious. Not the best tour for elderly with walking issues, but my father still had an amazing time. They did their best to cater to him. We had an unexpected stop to a Turk carpet/rug school and it was very nice. Thank you for a great day.
Review provided by Viator
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up to 14 guests
1 Adult
October 2024
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